§ Sir Anthony GrantTo ask the Secretary of State for Transport what steps he takes to ensure that the replanting of trees beside roadways is not a hazard to road traffic.
§ Mr. Peter BottomleyOur landscape and horticultural section takes great care when planting trees on roadside embankments and — or cuttings to ensure that when fully developed they do not constitute a hazard to road traffic.
In the case of rural or semi-rural roads, the planting carried out over the last 30 years has observed the Department's guide lines that no single tree should be planted within 4.5 m the nearside edge of the carriageway, unless protected by a safety fence or other suitable barrier.
In the case of the urban or semi-urban roads, the greater proportion of individual trees are in verges of varying width and often close to the edge of the carriageway. This planting is primarily on pre-war and early post-war schemes.
As part of upgrading the pre-war and early post-war schemes, replacement of the remaining trees is often the only option available to mitigate the impact of the traffic on the street scene. In such cases, special measures are incorporated in the design so as to avoid the trees becoming a traffic hazard.