Service Description: The Isle of Wight Council works in partnership with Wyevale Grounds Maintenance to provide the highway grass cutting service as part of the Integrated Grounds Maintenance Contract. Around 1,350,000 square metres of Highway verges are cut to ensure that people can use roads and pavements safely and to maintain a tidy appearance. This includes verges in residential areas as well as rural verges and visibility splays at road junctions. The growing season for grass normally falls within the months of April, May and June but this is dependent on several factors including rain fall and soil quality.
Also known as:- Grass Cutting, Maintenance of Vegetation on the Highway, Verge Cutting, Verge Maintenance, Verges, Weed Spraying
Answer: Bends and Visibility Splays Regular cutting of bends and visibility splays is necessary to maintain safe visibility, particularly at junctions and to prevent traffic signs and bollards from being obscured. Bends and visibility splays are cut 4 times a year in March, May, July and September. Operatives will remove litter as part of the cutting operation and strim around objects on the verge such as village name plates. Grass clippings are not removed from the cut area as the equipment and time required would significantly increase the cost of the service. Where grass clippings fall onto the road or pavement in the course of carrying out the operation, they will be blown back onto the verge so that the road or pavement is left clear of all clippings. Banks and Verges Cutting of banks and verges in rural areas is necessary to prevent grass overhanging and encroaching onto roads and pavements and to provide a strip or verge for pedestrians to use where there is no pavement. These areas are cut 3 times a year in April, June and September. A swath either 1 or 2 meters wide depending on the size of the verge is cut. The standards detailed above also apply to this service. Wildflowers The Council is committed to maintaining and enhancing biodiversity on the Island and we realise that in some areas wildflowers grow on roadsides in rural areas. Where possible we manage the cutting regime of such areas to encourage wildflower growth, however in some areas, safety must take precedence. In conjunction with the Councils Countryside Section, 25 stretches of verge have been identified as being of special biological interest and the cutting regime in these specific areas is tailored to suit the flowers. The areas are regularly reviewed and new areas can be added as they become established. Further information on biodiversity can be found within the Countryside Section (see link below). In addition to this, the contractor is instructed to avoid patches of flowers where possible whilst cutting a verge. Unfortunately it is not realistic to avoid individual flowers. - Related Link