I noticed last week grass has been cut about 1.5m wide strip adjacent to the bus track (but not along sides of cyclepath) between Swavesey & St Ives.
As of Friday evening, no sign of it having gone onwards towards Cambridge.
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| Photo: David Parish |
Do they have a guided grasscutter?
There are a number of places where the grass / hedges / brambles beside the path are in need of trimming; it is particularly bad near Histon stop:
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| Photo: David Parish |
I would say this is dangerous – if you catch a bramble in your face whilst cycling it could be nasty.
I have not been along in the dark, but I guess many of the stud lights are obscured by overhanging weeds.
I've submitted a "highways fault" note to Cambridgeshire County Council.....
Update 14 September
I note the trimming of the grass strip beside the bus track has now continued, and conclude from the marks left that we don't have a guided grass-cutter, but a person with a strimmer.
I've had no response from County Council, and not seen much signs of action.
I now carry a fold-up pair of secateurs, and have stopped and clipped off a few of the worst brambles, (blackberry and roses) that I have noticed in a few places.
Linked with above - and discussions on more recent posts on the recommended width of cycle track, this morning I measured the width of the track on the slope westward down from Covells Drain. (This is to the section that floods longest between Swavesey & Fen Drayton) . The track is 3.1m wide, but the vegetation was hanging over by 1.1m on the left and 0.6m on the right leaving a gap of just 1.4m, or 45% of what it should be.
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| Photo: David Parish |
Hope cutting of cycleway verges can avoid decimating the large Blackberry crop...?
ReplyDeleteI hit that bramble at Histon on the way home today :-( There are also nasty clumps of nettles sticking out nearby, which I did manage to avoid.
ReplyDeleteThanks for comments.
ReplyDeleteNo wish to disturb a nice crop of blackberries - except where there is risk of injury as there is in this case. I knew a person who lost an eye due to an overhanging bramble.
Today I called Cambridgeshire County Council to chase up on the "fault" I logged.
The "Transport and Streets" department could find no reference to my incident number. Eventually they decided that it must have been sent to the "Passenger Transport Services" department - and tried to put me through to them, but were only getting the answerphone. They gave me the number - 0345 0450675 - so I tried myself. Got answerphone, and left message informing them that somebody had hit the bramble and it is getting urgent.
Meanwhile I have been along various stretched of the cycle track in twilight now, and can confirm that there are lots of stud lights (especially St Ives end) that are obscured by the overhanging vegetation.
Hopefully the cutters won't leave bramble bits lying on the cycle track. Punctures are not much fun.
ReplyDeleteMaybe they could get the hog thing to sweep up after a full trim, just a thougt!
ReplyDeleteI've updated this article today - see main article.
ReplyDelete