Richard O'Donoghue urges one-metre hedge setbacks for road safety
Richard O'Donoghue spoke about biodiversity and road safety, arguing that local authority works and related laws have in some cases narrowed roads and created hazards. He called for laws requiring a one-metre setback, straighter hedge cutting and removal of dangerous trees to protect people travelling on local and regional roads.
Main concern
He welcomed biodiversity but said it must be in the right areas so that road safety is not compromised. He criticised laws and local authority practices that, he said, did not take into account people travelling and have allowed hedges and vegetation to close in roads.
Proposed measures
He urged the introduction of laws to require a one-metre setback on local and regional roads, hedges to be cut "up straight", and the removal of trees that present a danger, citing trees affected by Ash Dybeck that are rotting. He addressed his remarks to the Minister, calling for statutory changes in the interest of health and safety.
Examples of hazards
He described roads that once accommodated two vehicles now closing in so that buses, trucks and pedestrians cannot safely use the verge and vehicles are forced to travel in the middle of the road. He said these conditions prevent people from stepping in safely when vehicles pass and increase the risk for cyclists, pedestrians and drivers.
Balance between biodiversity and safety
He stressed that wildlife and parks are welcome but that animals and vegetation should not occupy roadways where they reduce visibility and endanger travellers. He emphasised protecting people - sons, daughters, brothers, sisters, mothers and fathers - so they can travel safely to school, work, frontline services and care duties while still respecting biodiversity.
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Biodiversity. I welcome biodiversity, but I also welcome biodiversity in the right areas, in the right places, because I also welcome safety on roads. It's the one thing when we look at biodiversity, and if you look at a lot of the laws that have been passed in this country, they never took into account of people travelling. This is where I have a major issue with some of the laws that surround, which would include wildlife and biodiversity. But safety of lives. So when I look at roads that were once, that you could travel a road with two vehicles, are now closing in, because of the laws made by the local authorities, that when they go to do a road, they cut two metres high, one metre in, and what they actually do is they close the road, and they don't allow for buses, trucks, people walking, when those vehicles come in, they can't step in. So from the point of view of biodiversity, I think you need a joint of thinking, so we can have also road safety. So now we have vehicles travelling in the middle of the road, because they can't travel on the sides, because of all our hedge grows growing in together. So I would like to see laws brought into place, that in the case of health and safety, that I believe all our local roads and regional roads, from where I live, that we need a one metre setback, and hedges to be cut up straight. And the trees that are in a danger, not only to the people travelling on the road, people walking on the road, and people that are living on the road, of where Ash Dybeck has set into the trees, where they're now rotting in the middle. I want to see those taken out for the safety of human life. So as I say, I welcome biodiversity, but I also welcome the health and safety of people travelling on our roads. So if you have wildlife, they should be all off of the roadways, so you can actually see them, and if you want to get into the parks, you want to go across the fields to see them, yes. But Minister, we need to make sure that people can travel the road safely, whether you're cycling, walking, driving. You need to make sure, or taking your dog for a walk, or just going for a ledger, you need to be able to make sure you can step in. You need to be able to make sure that you're not encouraging vehicles to drive in the middle of the road. Let biodiversity, let wildlife, let everything, fantastic. But also protect the people that are protecting the wildlife, which is our sons, our daughters, our brothers, our sisters, our mothers, our fathers. Let them travel safely to school, to work, to our frontline services, to our carers. They have to be able to travel the roads safely, and also respect the biodiversity and the wildlife in this country. Thank you, Chair. Thank you.
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