Council demands action on overhanging growth damaging trucks

The thorny issue of overhanging trees on rural Galway roads – damaging high lorries in particular – has not been resolved despite several efforts to have them cut back.

To compound the issue, local councillors have now been informed that hedge cutting is prohibited between March and the end of August – which means that the vegetation along the roadside cannot be touched before then.

However, Williamstown businessman Cllr Declan Geraghty (Ind), who has a number of lorries on the road, told a meeting of Ballinasloe Municipal Council that the growth he was referring to could not be regarded as hedges.

He explained that he was referring to trees on the sides of roads that were allowed get out of control over the years.

“They’re not exactly what you would call nesting hedges,” he added.

The matter has come before several meetings of Ballinasloe Municipal Council and while hedge cutting is one issue, cost is also another.

There are 7,000 kilometres of road in County Galway which means 14,000 kilometres of roadside – and a lack of resources would make it difficult to sort all of that.

Senior Executive Engineer Rachel Lowe explained to the councillor why there could be no hedge cutting at the moment, but has agreed to meet with the member to look at particular problem areas that he has referred to.

But Cllr Geraghty said that he was referring to the trees that were growing on ditches along the sides of roads that were causing damage to passing lorries and were the responsibility of Galway County Council.

“I am not talking about overhanging trees that are on privately owned lands along the sides of the as these are the responsibility of the property owners to cut back and maintain,” he said.

“It is about trees and shrubbery that has manifested itself over the years on the ditches along the sides of some main roads that are now causing damage to trucks because they have grown so tall, they are now overhanging.

“They are not affecting cars or lower-sized vehicles but they are clipping the wing mirrors of the higher trucks and lorries and these cost €400 a pop to replace. I have had a number of mirrors ripped off and the same is true of hundreds of lorry drivers,” added Cllr Geraghty.

He was referring in particular a stretch of road between Williamstown and Tuam (N83) national secondary route where he said that there were stretches which had overhanging trees that were proving costly for lorry drivers.

The councillor said that it was not a matter that he would let rest until the prohibition of hedge cutting was over. “I will raise it at every meeting,” Cllr Geraghty vowed.