Grass Cutting
Highway grass verges are cut to aid road safety by ensuring that
visibilty at bends, road junctions and accesses is not obscured and
that information on roads signs is easy and clear to read.
Although safety is the most important factor, environmental and
visual factors are also taken into account. Unfortunately these may
sometimes conflict with each other. For example, many people prefer
a neat and tidy appearance to verges, but this is not
necessarily best for wildflowers and wildlife. As a compromise,
grass in urban areas is cut with appearance in mind whereas
conservation is given more importance in rural areas.
In rural areas, a single swath cut, 1.2m (48") wide from the edge
of the carriageway or footway, is carried out twice per season. In
addition, visibility splays at road junctions and on bends are cut
as and when required in order to maintain the necessary
sightlines. Grass growing around street furniture which is located
within the swath or visibilty cut areas is also cut back as is
grass either side of footways, particularly those that are well
used by pedestrians on the outskirts of urban areas.
In urban areas, the aim is to maintain the length of the grass
to a height between 12 - 75mm. Our contractors are required to cut
the grass as often as is necessary to comply with this
specification. The collection of grass cuttings in urban areas will
only be undertaken for safety reasons.
The standards and policies to which Cheshire East Council operates
are broadly in line with those set out in the nationally approved
Code of Practise 'Well Maintained Roads' and other, comparable
'Shire' authorities.
Not all grassed areas are the responsibility of Cheshire
East Council. For instance, there are many so called 'amenity'
areas - many of which are located immediately adjacent to the
highway - which are maintained by Housing Associations. If you
are unsure as to who is responsible for maintaining a particular
verge, please contact Highways Service as they may be able to
help.
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