Watch out for bushes

[tykeboy2003]

On monday, cycling home from work I got myself tangled up in a bush which was growing out over the edge of the road - result, spectacular crash, cracked skull, broken shoulder blade and several cracked ribs. Got out of hospital yesterday and seem to be mending well, look like I've done 10 rounds with Mike Tyson.

Is it worth raising this with the local council?

Ouch! ... did this happen in the dark?

Yes.

I'm much better today, thanks for all the messages of support.

I've got to take my sicknote to work today so I'll have a look where it happened and take some pictures. I'm pretty sure the land there is not private, definitely no housing there, just a big lake behind a fence several feet back from the road. I think the area is part of The National Forest.

[mjr]

Sometimes its not the councils saving money, its their operatives stupidity, its not just roads of course, the council cleared a fallen tree from the Bristol Bath track a couple of weeks ago leaving countless large splinters and bits of wood across the roadway - its a cycle path for heavens sake, 2 minutes with a broom would've made it safe.

In one way, your blame is misplaced: often hedges and trees belong to neighbouring landowners and they are responsible for not obstructing the highways and so cutting them back and clearing up the mess. Even when it does belong to a council, they subcontract it out, usually at some sort of fixed rate. Of course, it's normally cheaper for the landowner or contractor not to pay someone to spend 2 minutes with a broom than deal with the very very unlikely chance of damages being awarded against them.

However, your blame is accurate in another: decades of council cost-cutting means there usually aren't enough highways area officers to monitor this stuff and go around ordering landowners to clear the highway (many councils have each officer now cover huge areas or have it as part of someone else's job along with too many other duties), or to send in clean-up crews to do the work and bill the owner and have council lawyers argue about it until someone pays.

[gaz]

In one way, your blame is misplaced: often hedges and trees belong to neighbouring landowners and they are responsible for not obstructing the highways and so cutting them back and clearing up the mess.

Patch of Japanse Knotweed overgrowing a local cycletrack. Highway authority say it's up to the landowner to clear it, landowner says it's not (unclear whether they are saying it's not their responsibility or it's not their land). According to the highway authority the landowner is the neighbouring local authority.

Neither wants the bill so it's left to flourish.

[mjr]

In one way, your blame is misplaced: often hedges and trees belong to neighbouring landowners and they are responsible for not obstructing the highways and so cutting them back and clearing up the mess.

Patch of Japanse Knotweed overgrowing a local cycletrack. Highway authority say it's up to the landowner to clear it, landowner says it's not (unclear whether they are saying it's not their responsibility or it's not their land). According to the highway authority the landowner is the neighbouring local authority.

Neither wants the bill so it's left to flourish.

That stuff is a scheduled invasive plant so even allowing it to grow is an offence. Who enforces the law? The Environment Agency? Telephone 03708 506 506

[mattheus]

In an ideal world, there should be one authority responsible for enforcement of all this; if the problem isn't theirs (e.g. a landowner is at fault), they should have powers to get it sorted.

Citizens just trying to get around safely shouldn't have to chase round various parties, researching the various laws/acts.

</grumble>

[tykeboy2003]

Had a good look on monday. I downloaded the gpx track of the ride and uploaded it to bikehike. The red marker marks the spot. The bush overhangs the road by at least 18in. The dual carriageway is the A42, Route 63 is my preferred route (old railway line) but is a muddy mess this time of year.

[niggle]

Had a good look on monday. I downloaded the gpx track of the ride and uploaded it to bikehike. The red marker marks the spot. The bush overhangs the road by at least 18in. The dual carriageway is the A42, Route 63 is my preferred route (old railway line) but is a muddy mess this time of year.
Location Map.jpg

As said it is the land owner's responsibility to cut back anything obstructing the highway, so I would imagine your claim would be against them, whether private landowner or public body.

In Cornwall we have networks of sunken country lanes bordered by Cornish hedges, with no verge. These 'hedges' are built of stone with a soil core. In exposed locations you tend to just see a bit of turf growing on the top, but elsewhere they mainly have a heavy overgrowth of all varieties of vegetation, ranging from grass and wild flowers etc. to bushes and full grown tress. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cornish_hedge The land owners have to cut them back at least once a year but to protect wildlife they are not allowed to during spring and summer. At night it can be hard to see the overhanging branches etc. with a cycle light with a legal cut off beam, which is one reason I am now using an additional Magicshine Cree XML, with beam diffuser, as a 'high beam' when there is nobody to dazzle with it (I have fitted a motorcycle type on/off switch on the bars, in line between battery and power supply, so I can 'dip' it instantly rather than use the slow and fumbly switch on the lamp itself).

[Yossarian]

How do you ride into a bush?

[mattheus]

How do you ride into a bush?

Should this be over in the Jokes thread?

It sounds like a goody!

[Pastychomper]

How do you ride into a bush?

Depends on the bush. If it's a small, non-predatory bush such as broom then you need to aim for it and keep low. If it's a large specimen of one of the several carnivorous plants that grow in the UK, all you have to do is stray too close to some of its carefully-camouflaged tendrils.

Edit: Tyop.

[niggle]

Full motorcycle leathers and helmet are best for gorse, ivy or brambles.

My speciality is falling into beds of nettles, done it twice, both times wearing only shorts and t-shirt, oh what fun!