This petition was submitted during the 2010-2015 parliament
Rejected petition Cut roadside verges less to conserve biodiversity and save money
More details
The Grasslands Trust is asking councils to reduce the amount of mowing that occurs yearly on roadside verges. The average council spends around £230,000 every year on cutting roadside verges and the total costs nationally may add up to as much as £81 million per year.
Road verges need only be cut once a year, after the flowers have set seed - much as they would have been for hundreds of years before the tractor and flail were invented. Wildflower-rich roadside verges help councils better manage the yearly peaks in verge growth, avoiding the seasonal rush to cut verges during restricted time frames.
By cutting too often, or at the wrong time of year, vital sources of nectar and pollen are removed, depriving insect pollinators from a valuable resource.
We are calling on the Department for Transport to encourage councils to cut back on mowing roadside verges, to conserve biodiversity and save money.
This petition was rejected
Why was this petition rejected?
It’s about something that the UK Government or Parliament is not directly responsible for.
This is a matter for local highway authorities to decide. Guidance is already available from the UK Roads Liaison Group's code of practice, 'Well-maintained Highways'.
We only reject petitions that don’t meet the petition standards.