1. Art and Diseño

SymposiumProceedings
ROADVERGES
T H E I RF U N C T I O N
& MANAGEMENT
Edited by,
l. M. Way.
TheCommonwealth
Hall
16.20CravenStreet,
LondonWC2.
Fridayl4th March.1969
2 n dl m p r e s s i o1 n9 7 5
MONKSWOODEXPERII\IENTAL
STATION
( T H EN A T U R EC O N S E R V A N C Y )
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SYMPOSIUIVI
COMIVITTEE
Chairman
D r .J . M .W A Y
MonksWood ExperimentalStation,
(NatureConservancy)
l\,4em
bers
l\4r.R. J. CHANCEL LOR
WeedResearch
Organisation
(AgriculturalResearch
Council)
l\4r.IV. H. F. DAWSON
Societyfor Promotionof NatureReserves
It4r.R, A. DOWNS
Vice-President.
County SurveyorsSociety
M r .A . P .D U N B A L L
Ministryof Transport
lvlr.H. C. MASON
N a t i o n aFl a r m e r U
s nion
M r . N . E .W I L L I A M S
BritishCrop ProtectionCouncil
I V I I SD
S, E . W I L L I S
Instituteof Landscape
Architects
The interestand encouragement
of N4r.J. D. FRYER and membersof the BritishWeedControlCouncil{now
into the BritishCrop ProtectionCouncil)is gratefullyacknowledged,
amalgamated
Thanksare duefor invaluablesecretarial
assistance
from Mrs.R. DU FFEY and Mrs.M, HAAS.
Ordersfor extracopiesof the collectedpapersshouldbe sentto Dr. J. ftil.WAY, lvlonksWood ExperimentalStation,
Abbots Ripton, Huntingdon.Cost50p per copy. *
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-Revised
a d d r e sfsr o m 1 9 7 5 :
The lnstituteof TerrestrialEcology.
l\4onksWood Experimental
Station
Abbots Ripton
Huntingdon
C a m b r i d g e s h i r eP. E 1 72 L S
England
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
P A G EN O S
l\4orningSession
. . V E R G EA
s ND THECOUNTRYSIDE"
Chairman:
EA Y L O R
S I RG E O R G T
"The Botanica!importanceof roadsideverges"
L O R DNU G E N TO F G U I L D F O R D
l\4.R. PORTER
F.H.PERRING
1
2
4
"Road verges-alocal responsibilityfor
conservation"
D . T . S T R E E TRE
8
"Road vergesand the farmer"
R. K. CORNWALLIS
1l
N FU experience
" Roadverges-Hampshire
in 1968"
R . , | .W HI T E
IJ
" Road verges-theagriculturalsignificance
of weedsand wild plants"
R. J.CHANCELLOR
16
Openingaddress
" Road vergesand Landscape"
Afternoon Session
. . V E R G EA
SN D T H E H I G H W A Y "
Chairman:
F. L. BROUGHTONESO.
"Vergesand the highway"
of verges"
"l\4anagement
'lRoad verges-experiments
on the chemical
controt of grassand weeds"
on management
for
"Road verges-research
amenity and wildlife"
C. R. CHADWICK
C. V. UNDERWOOD
20
A. J.WtLL|S
29
J. r\4.WAY
DtscusstoN
S U M I \ 4 I NUGP
w. E. LANEESQ.
26
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O P E N I N GA D D R E S S
D. C .
T H E L O R DN U G E N O
T F G U I L D F O RP
is takenfor
Vergesmatter?Mostpeoplewould say"not much"! In fact, their appearance
How much do Road-side
policyof chemicalsprayingwasapplied
grantedas oompletelyasthe daylighiat dawn.But I haveno doubtthat if a universal
look, there would be an outcry frcm all over the country
iimilar to the iJSA whereu"rgir hnvea uniformly depressed
the restorationof the naturalbeautyof our verges.
demanding
In this srrall courtly almost every kind of road-sideverge is found, from the flower-decked banks of Devon and
Cornwall to the flat gass vergesof East Anglia. The problem is to find methodsof maintenanceto control the vergegrowth
acceptably in the inierests oi traffic, amenity and farming and within the limited financial resourcesavailable from the
alreadyoverburdenedratepayer.
This Symposiumis designedto help Highway Authoities find the dght answerto this problem in their respectiveand
varying localities: the Bdtish Crop Protection Council and Monks Wood ExperimentalStation of the Natule Conse ancy are
to Le iongratulated on organisingit. The range of distinguished,expert speakersin the progtammewill ensu.ethe successof
this end. I believethat it will also attract the interest of the farming world from the practical viewpoint of crop husbandry
managementand weed control, and the rural protection societies' interest from the point of view of the preservationof
amenrty.
The most powerful influence in our livesto-day is the phenomenallyrapid rate of change;load-sidevergesare subject to
this dynamic iofluencejust like the rest of liie. In the past decademajor changeshave beea takirg place"
l.
The traditional method of maintenanceby the hand labour of a lengthsmanis aheady extinct in some counties
and rapidily disappearingin others.
2.
Mechanical and chemical methods, with inevitably different and sometimesdrastic ecological influences, are
replacingthetD.
3,
lnrge scalemechanicalfarming has developedin all the most suitable parts of the country, and hasnecessitated
the widespreadremoval of ditchesand hedgesin those ateas,
4.
The nation is well on the way to becoming 1007l' car-owningand is therefore increasinglydependenton the
appearanceof roadsfor the amenity and recreation.
5.
A brand new, national systemof motorways is in courseol developm€ntand itself presentsa completenew range
of road-sideverge Problems.
The implications of theseand other factors will be examinedto-day by our team of expetts speakersin order to provide
the most up-io-date scientific information on evety aspectof the subject. I am sure that Highway Authorities will lind this
objective approach helpful in gvolving their policies for copirg with the massivetask in their respectivecounties-We ajl have
an interest in helping them to find the right answers.
BOADVERGES
AND LANDSCAPE
M , R .P O R T E R . F . I , L . A .
InndscapeAdviser, Departmehtof the Environment
ThamesHouse(South),Millbank.Londor SWI
what do we mean by "Road verges and Landscape"?Vergesin this context are taken to mean all the land,
whether
grassedor planted, between the road itself and the boundary ience, inctuding the earthworks.The gereFaltheme
is the visual
impact of these vergeson the drive!, and the extent to whiph their design and maintenance
ttolp to relate the road
satisfactorilyto its surroundings,and thus achievethat stamp of inevitability which is one of the hallmalki
"i.
of good design.
Ideally, no part of the road except the carriagewayitself and the structureswould registerto the driver as something
man-made.You should feel not that you are on a rlalfow im(dsoning tmck, cut off from the open cquntry by earthworks,
mown grass,consciously designedplalting and an obvious fonce, but rather that you ale moving uqimpeded through the
countrysidewhich comesright up to you oo either side,so clospthat you can almost lean out and touch it.
This is an ideal and like most idealsit is rarely attainable.Whenit is apploached,evenwith many imperfections,there is
a feelingof harmony and of identification with the countrysidewhich can be exhilarating.
Nowadaysgood geometric design can be taken for grantpd on new major roads,This doesnot mean,of cource,that a
line which fits the topogtaphy can alwaysbe devised,becauseinvariably there are other limiting factors to contend with, cost
and planning requiremgnts to name two of them. Whether qr not the chosen route fits the ground well, the vergeis the
physical link between the road and its sufioundings,and it hasan important function to perform. It offers an opportunity, a
last charce in fact, to unite the relatively inflexible road with the often wildly varying contours of the adjacentgound.
lf the treatment is crude, to the ddver the apparent eJidth of the road will be the road s\$face plus the verge and
fences all the obviously "contructed" road. Add unsympatheticplanting, and his attentiton will be held within this coridor,
so that concentmtion ofl the foreground view will soon lead tO boredom ard danger.At its best the rood will appearto stop
at the back of the hard shoulder and the rest will be part of the countryside beyond, The road is the4just a narow ribbon
slippingsmoothly through the countrysideand the driver'sview is as wide as the horizon.
The road is inevitably a disruptive element in the landscape.Relating it satisfactorily to the cohplicated, small scale
jigsaw of the typical tsnglishcountryside through which it cuts a narrow swathe is one of the major problems of road
landscaping.
The way in which the eafthworks are handled is of pamrnount importance, As a generalrule, tha moie smoothly they
can be contoured the lessartificial they will look and the morb closelythe road will fit into the landsc4pe,but on€ must not
n ssopportunities for dramatic treatment in appropriateplaces,such as rock cuttings.
The cost of the earthworks is a substantialpart of the total cost of building a road, and flattenilg slopesfor aesthetic
reasons,or with the object of returning them to agiculture, itvolves a heavy increasein capital costs.It is by no meanseasy
of
to guaranteethat a farmer will be willing to take back a small piece ofland over which there hasbeena constantpassage
heavyvehicles,eventhough it has been fully reinstated.
Fxtensive earthworks are unavoidableon a motorway, b€causeof the frequency of the bddgeswhich take it under oI
on the
over every other road, every railway, dver, pipe line, etc., in its path. There are about five bridgesin etery two miles
dossing points- This
uu"iug", * tnut urr the timei profile must bi cLntrived which ehsuresthe necessaryvertical separationat
partsof the continent.
is one of the most imrnediatetyappaientAlfferencesbetweenmotolways in Englandandin some
€asyIelationship
road's
interrupt
the
iew
to
blidgis
ground
level;
with
vely
where they often run for considerab; distancesat
sulloundings.
with its
\''helgverpossible,will be lessdistracting
A smooth, flowifg fence line, inconspicuouslysited, and avoidingthe skyline
earthworksare bmooth Not only the
if
the
achi€ve
;o
it
easier
and
is
sloies,
than one which jerks its way up a;d dow;the
in most parts of the countrv may be
uut tire tvpe oi i"n"e is important; the;tandard timber one which looks w€ll
of
slim metal pastsand wle, mav look
probably
design,
more
open
"r*"..",,
u lighter,
high'f;l;;h;r"
ii7;"01i;;";;r;;;;;,
";
better.
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w i t h o u t g o i n g i n t o ( h e m a n y p r o b l e m s o f g l a s s m a i n t e n a n c e ^ a n d l h e a d v a n with
t a g evarying
s a n d dsoil
i s aaod
d v aclimatic
ntagesofsplayln
types of country
cutting, it is evident that ir tn" gtule'J "ttg"' ut" f roor rigllt in different
conditions, then maint€nancerequirementswill vary'
Aswithplanting,gassshouldlookapprcpriatetoitssurloundingsCloselymow
n g r a s s ' w h i c h l o o k sgorse
e n t i rand
elynaturalon
g;"a; outside the fence, would look hopelesslyinappropriate in birch,
the chalk downs where sheep-" gt;;;;;-i;
line
the
fence
within
conditio's
drainage
becausesoil and
bracken country. Natule cannot oJ tJt io orela.i." this, howev€r,_
outside,and the fence a'lsoeliminatosthe influence of the
may be vastly dilferent from tirose iound on the undisturbed'land
be
akilled maintenanceis needed to achieve compatabillity, and it should
farmer, his machines and n" gr"ri"g-""i;"
too
a
too
tidv,
guide,
to
4void
plan,
A
reasonable
lairdscape.
considered at the design *ug", u, i part of the overall
with its suroundings. This wlll give a wide ranSeof
sophisticatedappeamnce,i. to ret ln" !ta.s U" us_rougn as is.compitibie
on
the roadsidev€rgesfor their SuNival'
which
depend
habitatsfor the most hard-pressedJou", ilora und ta.rira
the planting of any load the speedof the road and
There are two particulalty impoTtant factors which mu$t influence
the type of country through which it is passrng'
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The main difference
Taking speed tirst, let us tum for a moment to the slow, winding typically English minol load.
was dictated'
Its_alignment
sufoundings.
its
by
dominated
mororway
it
is
almost
totally
say,
is
that
it
and,
a
between
low'
and you do
standards
at€
en-gineerin€
The
speed'
de"ign
not by a 70 *.p.h.
probably centudes;go, by the topography,
--"
particularly after road
planting,
of
any
object
tiere
the-main
earthworks.
no
tft"r"
scars,
because
find
the
not
hedges,woods and so on, and
improvements,wilt be to preseNethe dominanceof the surroundings,th€ locaipattern of trees,
ol the slow speeds.single trees
bdng it right up to the road *ittto"i ini"i"piio". The scaleof pu-niine will be small because
tiees, which woltd irritaie on a fast toad. One is able, also. to appreciatethe
;;;
can be appreciated,and even
"1.;;i;
texture and quality of a mixed hedgeand small groupsof wild flowers'
betweenthe roadand
lm mediatelylhe relationship
This is one end of the scate,Now what happensasspeedincreases?
itself m.oreand more on its
irs surroundingschange.From being dominaled by its setting. the load beginsto impose
complicatedjob to do than
more
now
has
a
planting
The
increa'ie.
ifr"
ai it beco'meslessfl"*itl
,r..riaG.
"nJ
"".tft*orks
speedof the road with the landscape'
if," ri.ti.o"a. It has to reconcile,in effect, the
""
being the two main factors
To understand this we must look at the type of country (this and the speedof the road
place.
can
take
reconciliation
influencing planting), to seehow the
of open and closedviews,planting to heal the
Among scatteredwoodlandsit will be necessaryto balancethe succession
torn edgesof the woods and keepingthe open stletchesclear.
unnatural stdp of
Oo heath or moot there will be a chanceto use the local vegetationrather than grass,to avoid an
road'
bright geen on either side of the
On the downs it may be a caseof not planting (how important it is to know when not to plant, when planting would be
mere decoration), but of shapingthe eafthworks to mergeas smoothly as possibleinto the flowing contou$. Here of cou6e
the alignment must be faultless.ldeally the only planting ne€dedmight be a clump or two of beech in a stmtegic position,
almost cedainly off the road whete we do not own the land and cannot plant. To be realistic, though, some scars are
unavoidableand if they are conspicuousthey will needto be maskedby planting,
Thesearc a few examples.Basicallywhat we are still trying to do in each caseis to bring the countryside,of whatever
type, dght up to the road, asin the caseof the minor roads.Becausewe are viewing it at speed,however,the planting must be
on a grander scale,still linking with the local planting pattern, framing the views, healing any unavoidablescars,but always
bold enough for any desiredeffect to last long enoughto lnake its impact-groups of treeslather than singlespecimens,larget
gapsthrough which a view is to be seen,contrast in the texture of grassarising lrom varied maintenancetechniquesrather
than the interest of groupsof wild flowers,
Our greatest problem here is that we are limited to such a nalrow stip in which to plant, in which to try to
counterbalancethe linear effect ol the road. For this reasonany odd scrapsof land which we can acquirc beyo[d the normal
boundary are doubly useful, so long as they are in a position where planting is appropriate.All the time we want to plant
outwards to form a link with the surroundingcountryside,but alwayswe are pulled back by the fence line. Road landscaping,
so far as planting is concerned, is about 8070a matter for the local planning authority-we can only plant within our
b o u n d a r yt:h e yc a np l a n tw i l h i n t h e v i e w .
Whateverthe type of country there is one fundamental rule-the plants selectedshould be nativesor those which have
been with us long enough to be acceptedas native, and preferably thos€ speciesactually growing in the locality. There is no
placeon tural roads for exotics, the cheries and labumums which scream"suburbia" wheneyertJreyburst into flower. each
in its tum a gaudy gatecrasher.
It is hoped that as the newly planted groups of trees become establishedit will be possibleto bring in the shrubsand
herbaceousplants which normally associatewith them, either by planting or by natural regenention encouraSedby careful
maintenance,so that in time the largerstandSof trces will become,in effect, areasof natural woodland.
One of the most striking features of the English countryside is the wide variety of sceneryand vegetation,several
dramatic changesoften succeedingone another within a short distance.A journey southwardsfrom London can take you
from the London BasinacrcssBagshotSands,Chalk Downs,GreensandRidgesto the WealdenClay within 20 miles.
Landscaping,and planting in particular, which is in sympathy with the locality, helps to preseryeand emphasisethese
regionaldifferences,They in tum can be a sourceof great pleasureto any driver who has eyesto see.
Unfortunately many people are peculiarly sensitiveto the sight of alything which is not conventionallybeautiful, and
. would scrcenfrom sight most of the things which, although not attractive in themselves,give interest and depth to a view. We
are not living in Arcadia, and how dull it would be to drive through hundreds of miles of unrelievedprettiness.We are
fofiulate that there is so much to s9e,towns, villages,churches,even power stations-the list is endless,not forgetting the
infinite variety of the countryside itself. All can be brought into the road landscape.The only views to block out ate those
which arc mean or depressing.Acres of back gardensare about the worst, followed by the clutter of factoriesseenfrom the
rear, and parked cals in quantity. For the rest the viewsshould be seenand enjoyed.If there is an occasionalshock, so much
the better, The view of Luton frcrn the M1 is scarcelybeautiful, but it is a welcomesight and a milestoneon a long journey
back to London.
In the long run the cost, engineeringdifficulties and technicalachievementsol roadbuilding are forgotten aod we shall
judge our roads by the quality of our expedenceas we travel along them.
THE BOTANICAL IMPORTAIIICEOF ROADSIDE VERGES
FJI. PERRING,
M.4,,Ph.D.,F.L.S.,
Biological
Records
Centre.
MonksWoodExperimenral
Station,
pE172LS
AbbotsRiptDn,Huntingdon
INTRODUCTION
In this paper the roadside verge will be defined as the area of grasslandor tall herbage,ditch
Fnd hedge,which lies
between the made-up cariageway, and some other kind of fegetation beyond the
lrighwaf boundariy,suchis woodland,
pasture or arable field. We arc not concernedhere with areaglike moolland and heaih where the roddsideis a Dart of the
genenl vegetationof an area.
ORIGIN
Roads and roadside vergeshave arisen in two ways. lihey have either evolved from "Natural1' tracks, or they are
"Man-made Roads" which have beet superimposedon the landscape.Natural tracks were not made, but grew as the need
aiose.The earliestwere probably made by animalsand led frord grazingareato watedng-place.
Some of the ftst tracks used by man in Britain wele tracts rather than tradks. Tracts up to t/amilewide, like the
IcknieldWay. which ran along the dry and open country of rhe chalkridge from Wiltshireto Norfolk. The passage
of men
and their grazing flocks over a wide area,createdand then maintainedan open, slightly disturbed chalk grasslandthroughout
the varying width of this ancient route.
When first the Romans and later the Anglo-Saxonscams down frcm the high land and made cloarirgs for their villas
and villagesin the forest, the communities were connectedby tracks which followed th€ zig-zagfield boundariesnear the
houses,but straightgngdout to passover tha common grazing near the boundary of the "Parish". The coursesof rural roads
in Eogland to-day are ia the majodty of cases,still those that odginated from these natural tracksi they are extremely
ancient,and so are the verg€swhich run besidethem.
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Few new roads were createdbetweenSaxontimes and the middle of the eighteenthcentury. The "Op€n Field" system
continued, but gadually, and particulady following the Enclo6ureActs of 1750-1850,hedgeswere planted which separated
the highway aIId its verge from the surounding vegetation.Ultil that time the verg€had been a palt of the original native
vegetation somewhat modified by disturbance from driven cAttle, galloping horses,and, from the ldth Century onwards,
peiiodic cutting up and rutting by wheeledvehicles,Aftel Enplosureof the neighbouringfields the velge lemained but the
surroundinggrassland,of which it had once beena part, flequeftly went under the plough,
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The first "Man-made Roads" in Britain of lasting significancewere those buitt by the Romarls.Their construction
itself with the pass4geof time and under
createdlocal disturbance,but the main constituentsof the turf which re-€stablished
the influence of glazinganimalswas derivedfrcm the grasslaodwhich stretchedaway on either side,
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Some new roads wete createdby tha Enclosurc Acts. These"Awarded" roadswere over 40 feet in width. They occur,
for example,on the CambridgeshireChalk, whele they are notdworthy for their wide verges.They were bommonly laid aqoss
heath sheep.walk similar in vegetation to that found on neanby Newmafket and Royston Heaths to-day.
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It is only in this contury, and largelyin the last 20 years;that there have been further plannedro{ds in rural areas.The
from it. The
network of by-passesand mototways ihich is now creepingmile by mile over the landscapehas not evolved
lbter perelnial species
ur" mun--aa" and develop from sown gnssesand herbs and a mixture of initially annual aod
"arg".
which have suvived the upheavalof the road making operation$.
graduallybein8_eroded.Ev1erywidening scheme,
Tfte distinction between the vergesof "Natural" and "Made" roads is
Every kill by herbicidesbf broadleaved herbs
a
new.
bend destrcys arr-lia verg" and feplaces lt with
of the new'
monotony
"ir"lgnt"n"a
"n"ry
push;s
the
relative
it
towards
O"o'""r"t t[" nu.i"ty of the old vergeand
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IMPORTANCE
i. General
The generalbotanical impodance of rcadsidevergesis at its geatest in lowland arableEngland.In many areasthe verge
which existed befote the modelnisationof agticulture.Pelmanentpastule lemains
representsthe last vestigeof the grasslaods
only where the plough and the dlagline cannot reach, and both reach fudher yearly. [n this settingthe roadsidevergewhich
crossesall the geologicalformations,runs up hill and down dale, is wet and dry, flat or sloping,sunny or sheltered,providesa
complete picture of the native grasslandvegetation of the country. Destloy this and we destroy part of ou! heritage,as
as the ParishChurch or the village stocks. ln mauy parts of lowland England the lich pasturesofthe past, gay
i.rrep-laceable
which are unploughedand unsprayed.
with Buttercupsand Oxeye Daisiescan only live on now along roadsides
ii. Particular
Roadsideverg€shave always differed somewhat from the surounding vegetationbecauseof the disturbancefactors
causedby passingtiaffic referred to earlier. There are in the British flora a number of restrictedglasslandherbaceousspecies
which are iound outside our islandsmainly in central and southernEruope, whgre thef natural habitat is dry, open grassland.
They migrated to Britain after the retreat of the ice 10,000 years ago when an open, treeless,grasslandwas our natural
vegeiation, but, when the climate here chancedand the land becamecoveredin forest, thesesptcieswere only qble,to s:lvj::
which the treescould not dominate.Therethey remaineduntrl the
n.irililv in open sites like cliJi-facesand river-banks,
way
nomadic
of life, to disturb the chalk ddges and recreate,artifically, the
by
his
began,
man
who
Neolithic
advent of
Man,
the road-user,allowed the speciesto spreadfurthel and has
for
survival.
conditions there which these specresneeded
goneon maintainingtheseopen conditions until the preseotday.
(Linum anslicum)-reachesits
Three examplesof thesespeciesoccur on roadsidesin Cambaidgeshte.The PerennialFlax
hills besideanother Roman
Gog
Magog
on
the
occurs
it
also
Hinxton,
but
Way
nea!
lcknield
southein limit on a verge ol th;
with Roman roads'
associated
plant,
more
once
ioad, the Via Devana.Further oorth in Liniolnshire it is entirely a roadside
is a good example of a species-whichis native in drv' open'
The Spring Cinquefoil G9!"tglg-g!9lt"emo!gnt)
conditionso] the vergeol a c road near west wrattins This
r-ertone sassti.ro, and ,rhi"h1iiffi6-i-ifri?ii?iiiiiilireated
a very ancient Natural Road which forms a Parishboundary throughout its length'
i, ui*o.t
"irtultrtv
T h e s p a n i s h C a t c h f l y r s i l e n e o t i t e s ) i s a l a r e s p e c i e s o f s a n d y - o p e n h a b i t a t s c o n f i n e d t o t h esite
B r efor
c k ]the
a n dplant
ofEastA'tglia
ploughing: the only
The heaths on which it or,". gr"*16-undontly in tirat area are being destroyedby
remainingin Cambridgeshfeis a roadsidebank on a C road near Chippenham'
Theprimalyimportanceofvergesaslelicsofnativegrassla.ndhasbeenstressed,butthisisn
ottheironlybotanical
of Nature Reserves,9maior classesof
interest. ln a recording ,"n"a" r"""nii' aeuiseator the Soiiety for- the Promotioil
Grassland,Moss-dominatedareas' Open
habitat were recognisedn fowfand iiriiairu Forest, Scrub, Tali Herb, Reed-beds,
Grassland,oper habitats and Aquatic
(Scrub,
Herb,
Tall
habitats, Aquatic habitats and agtl."it"i"i'rt"uitotJ: five of these
and a ditch. ,Furthermore,elementsof
hedge
a
by
is
backed
velge
where
the
roalside
habitats, Fig I ) can occur on an iaeai
woodla',,d,elementsof a farest
present
former
or
of
three others may frequengy occut, t"t *it"i" tn"O"d verges-paisthe.sites
(b) where farm tracks crossthe
grassland;
the
out
into
spill
pimroses
in"-.t"t
and Wood vi.r"tr,'
flora,
(c) in the Fens of eastelnEnglandthe wide dlainage
""JC.i"'tOiit*
vergethe specialflora of wet ruts and trampled ground establishei.itself;
cvcle
ihe roadsidedevelopinto reed-bedsatl hte stageof their maintenance
;i;;"J"
Fie. l.
Habirats representedon an ordinary road verge
[\
Man as a road-usernot only created habitats for existing native speciesto survive,but he brought specieswith him
which have added to our flora. Many of them have been with]u$ so long that we fail to realisethefualien oligin. The White
Dead-nettle (!am@-elbum) may have been introduced by the Romans, It is a familiar plant of waysidesand walls in
England,but painstakingwork by MissAnn Conolly hasshownrthatill Walesit is almost entirely confincd to rcadsides.
Many roadside treasuresodginated as plants in gardenstvhich have long since disappeared.Theqce came Elecampane
(Ilgla lglgnlym) and the Dusky cranesbill (Sglggig_p!q9!g)i
This great variety ol native species,supplementedby speciesfrom alien soulces,meansthat rqadsidevergesare the
richest single habitat for wild plant speciesin the country. Inla county like Cambridgeshirewith a total flora of floweiing
plaots and ferns of 1,260 species,52O(41%)t'al{e beenrecordedgiowing within the !o.id vergeregion, in the btoad seose.
During the period I 9 54-l 962 the Botanical Society of tte Bdtish Isles(8. S.B.I.) caried out a schemeto map the flora
of higherplantsin
or Ebsence
of eachof our 1,700Britishspeqies
of the British lsles.The basisof the work wasthe presence
the l0 km squaresof the national gdd, The results were putilished in The Attas of the British Flora (Pefling and Walters.
1962). The work was so complete that, particularly for the less aommon species,it is possibleto stqte in objective terms
which are the rarest speciesin Creat Bdtain. During the lastj2 yea$ the staff of the Biological Records Celtle at Monks
Wood. with the assistanceof the County recordersof the B,S.B.I.,havebeen carrying out a more detailFdstudy of the rarest
the sizesof their populationsand the natureof the hFbitatwherethey are
300 ioeciesso that we know their exactlocalities,
to be found in the majodty of cases.
The study hasrevealedthat at least27 of the 300 rarestspeciesoccur on roadsideverges(Table I ).
TABI,E I
Very rare plants occurring on rcadsideverges.For speciosunderlined vergesare the main, and id some casesthe only,
habital.
Allium babingtonii
Aristolochia clematitis
Artemisia campestds
Asarum europaeum
Betatrievna
Glples!{n-fcle4lslq)
Carexfiliformii
Carexmontana
Cyrloglossumgermanicum
Epipogium aphyllum
Erica ciliaris
Herniadaglabm
Himantoglossumhircinum
Hypochaedsmaculata
Sileneotites
StachYsgermaniaa
Tetragonolobusmaritimus
Verba$cumpulverulentum
Each of these speciesoccuts, on the average,in only l0localities throughout the British Istes.Thusit can be seenthat
if
even only one of the roadsideverge populations of one ol these specieswere lost, it would represenlta high percentageof
for this
ihe totot poputationof that speciesir c;eat Bdtain. In the taseof Buplelrum fa.lcatuTi! {tl-th.:,only habitat,
We must hope that the
in
1955.
works
€xtinct
in
Britain-aEer-roaa
Essex,
became
in
roadside
on
one
*ni"l'gt"*
oUnt
no
[".*f"jn.
of the whereaboutsof the sites of particular rari]tieson the part of responsibleauthorities will ensurethat
in
the
futule.
occur
similar loises
THE POTENTIALIMPORTANCEOF MADE ROADS
Roads,particularly
The .Made Roads,of the past have already been mentioned: the Roman Roads and the EnclosUr€
not yet been
have
whioh
verges
roadside
are
other
there
But
importance.
of
considerable
the former, now have verges
the railways'
irux
foads'
of
the
verges
the
years
these
were
ago;
In"rrtion"J *ni"ir were made little over a hundred and twenty
long appreciated
hare
Naturalists
Age'
Early
lron
sinie
the
in
B;i6in
built
geatesi
earirrworts
the
Their embankmentswere
in -ambridgeshirei fo! example. the ple-saxon Devil's and Fleam Dvkes are the
the importance of prehistodc
"u.til;J;;
lioth u,e designatedas Sitesof SpecialScibntific Interest' ln the
ptu.tt
in ttt"
grassionJ
for
chalk
most important sites
""l"nty,
vatuo
of the railway embanl(mentsand.cuttings, and are acquiring
the
last few yea6 naturalists nun" o"eu;-lJ ;ppreciate
thef ;ich vadety of plant and animal life As Dony
bepause
n
Uli.,i"
u.
uni"
l.uit*uv
stretchesof abandoned
.of
".".u"r,
known as stanbrook summit and the baulk covering
raiiwa$^cutting
r"tg.
.953) wrote about a Bedfordshi."'""iting;ifr"
iot to belfound etsewhetein the countv". Will another author 100 vears
t. tt p."-a" pr"*
);;]ilJ;;ffi
to
"rr?"i"ii.".
gre
tne rvrI lwhichruns parellelto Stanbrook Summit onlv a dozen miles
tu"r.
-rrr.
sameterms aiouiifr"
hencebe wdting in
some
banks.
railwav
"f
oh
variety
such
in
creatinq
prevailed
u,hich
i""p'-iu""
Not unless*"
the south-west?
"onoiiion.
"un
were:
conditions
o{ these
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1.
At the time of theh construction the railways passedthrough a landscapein which natulal vegetationwas mole
plants to new
fi"q.,"ttt ttrun it is today. There was ample opportunity for the spread of qropagulesof wild
babitats.
and wele adulteratedby
seed mixtures for sowing gmbankments,if they were used at all, wele of native grasses
plants.
brcadleaved
of
many
species
seeds
of
wild
the
3.
sward and
The embankmentswere fenced lrom cattle but were grazed by rabbits, which maintained a short
by
myxomatosis'
reduced
were
severely
populations
until
their
createddisturbanceby burrowing,
4.
passing steam
The embankments were periodically burned either by design, or by chance sparks.from
locomotives. l he burnrngwas unevenand thereby producedvadety in the developmentof the vegetation'
(accident) produced the
In sum, these conditions allowed the establishmentof a native flora and, by variety of treatment
today
interesting
and
dive$e
richnessin specieswhich madethem most
is
The conditions prevailing in the establishmentof motorway vergescannot be thg same as fal as the landscape
but we can surely
concemed,neither can we, nor ivould we wish to, bring back the rabbit asan uncontrolled grazingmachine,
which follows we should seek soulcesof natuml seedand'
do somethingabout the mixturcs we sow and the ma-nagement
and frequency of
when it has been sown, ensurea vadety of treatment with the machinery availableby_varying.the timing
and botanical
monotony
way
lies
that
u
lawnl
n"tge
as
ol
a
loadside
from
the
idea
get
must
awa;
operation. Above all we
mixtules
seed
the
dght
we
seek
must
future
the
purgatory. lf we wish to make the mosi of our opportunities for the vergesof
now.
and the dght management
REFERENCES
Luton Museum,Luton.
DONY, l. C. ( 1953) Flora of Bedfordshire,
PHRRING,F. H. & WALTERS,S. M. (1962) Atlasofthe BritishFlora.
ThomasNelson& SonsLtd, London aod Edinburgh.
R O A D V E R G E S - A L O C A L R E S P O N S I B I L I T YF O R C O N S E R V A T I O N
D.T.STREETER,
B.Sc.,
Schoolof BiologicalSciences,
Universityof Sussex,
Brightong
Sussex
Dr Perringhas emphasisedthe importanceaild valueof rDadsidevergesin the conservationof wild flowers. Largely as a
lesult of the rapid changesin local geology and variations in past land-usepatternsin the British Isles,the biological interest
of roadsidevergesoften differs very matkedly both from county to county and also within the sameadministrativearea.For
this reasonit is important that the managem€ntof rcad vergesghouldbe basedolr sound knowledgeof local conditions,if the
maximum benefit from the poitt of view of wildlife conservatidnis to be attained.
The principal local voluntary bodies concemed with the consgrvationof nature and landsqapeare the County
ConseNationor NaturalistsTrusts. Over the last ten years the number of County Trustshas increasedto the point at which
the existing 37 now cover the whole of England,Walesand Sdotland.In the majodty of casesa Trust ooversa singleCounty
but in some,suchas the WestMidlandsTrust, the Lake District Trust and the WestWalesTrust, two or tihreecountiesmay be
covered by a single organisation. In these casesthe Trusts have county branchesoperatiog in each cdnstituent county, ln
Scotland the Scottish Wildlife Trust also has a oumber of local branches.Converselya single Trulst may cover several
administrative counties such as in Lincolnshfue,East and west Sussexand the Ridingsof Yorkshire.
The Trusts, which arc incorporated,non-profit making rolultary bgdies,are concernedwith all aspectsof conseryatlon,
including land-useplanning and environmentaleducation as w4ll asthe managementand establishmentbtf naturc rese es.At
the present time they own or manageabout 400 nature res€ryestotalling some 35,000 acres. Each Trust works in close
co-oteration with other statutory and voluntary organisationsconcernedwith conservationin its area such as the Forestry
Commission.National Trust, National Farme$ Union and ar0enity societies.Particularly close co-operationis maintained
ale alwaysreadily available.
with the staffs of the Nature Conservancy'sRegionatOffices, whoseadviceand assistance
The Trusts are rcpresentednationally by the County TbustsCommittee of the Society for the Promotion of Nature
actsasthe lational
(S.P.N.R.).This committee,established
in 1958 at thE requestof the 6 Truststhen in existencp,
Reserves
mouthpiece of the County Tflrst organisation and maintaint a small permanent secretariat.It is filrther selviced by an
Advisoiy Croup on Administration and Finance,and also by the S.P.N.R,'sConservationLiaison Comrlittee on which all the
main conservationbodiesin the country are represented.
The extent to which th€ value of County Trusts is acceptedand recognisedby local authorities is indicated by the fact
that they are now rcpresentedon sevenof the nine County CduntrysideCommittees,and on nine of the sixteen Countryside
Sub-Committeesso far estabtishedby County Councils.
The generalpolicy of road vetge managementas well as the conservationof stretchesof vergeof specialinterest is of
purti"rrhr Jon""tnio the Coulty Trusts, and successfulagreerhentshavealready beennegotiatedby se'teralTrusts with their
local authorities on both theseaspectsof velge management.
splays,lrr
Most of the early agreementson generalvergemanagementpolicy were aimed at limiting the use 0f herbicide
phenoxyacetic
use
of
the
195
restdcting
August
5,
of
Aviationls
ciicular
ora", io ,elnior"" the Min"istryof Trans-portand Civil
l5 agleementsof this
fr"rti"lO". to trunk and classI roais and to certain dangorouscornerson classlI roads. At least
-uu"."mechanicalmeansof
use
of
universal
now
almost
""iJ
with
the
n"g.ti"ted between Trusts and local authodties, but
tira
like to seethe Ministry's
Trusts
would
the
Nevettheless,
unneces$ary.
iargely
O""n'i""a"r"a
'hydrazide.
have
these
vergs mairtenance
is
of verges
so far asthe s€neralmatasement
malcic
liiir-Jir"i,i iiiliaJJ L-""""i "ri n".ti"ia"t, in-"t,iaing
with the
diversitythat is commensurate
ecological
oJ
policy
achieve$
a
degree
that
favour
a
interests
concirned,conservation
That thesetwo are far from beinqincompatiblehas
HighwayAuthority's duty to ensuresafetyand maintainthe carriageway.
in a numbero{ counties'
demonstrated
beensuccessfully
'three-tieJ'system.involving
vergemanagement.A
Latet contributors will deal with the medts of the differbnt types of
wider belt cut in mid-summerand early autumn with
a strir, 3ft-5ft wide nearestto tne io;J and cut regularly, backedby a
authols includins
already been suggesteduv
has
early
aulumn,
untit
thi
noi
cui
ir,"'"i-.i",r.11 i.i""re lh. h",lg"
":tllil and tosether with
permlts
verge
oithe
nature
the
*here
is6;r. This is a satisfactoryairangement
;;?"ihgi
il;";"ifi;;
policy
that is likely to be achieved-,A gener&lmanagement
hedge and ditch it results ln tn".nr..i divers" habitai comp[x
operation about
now
in
are
there
altogether
west
Sussex,'and
,,r"li
a,
been h,;;;; ;;;;cour,ties ,
similar to this has atready.l.rusts
and minor
aJto"ui ur.thoritteslimiting the timin! and frequency of.:ulJing 91T:ondarv conditions
ten agreementsbetween
it
create$-ecological
soils
moit
on
that
kini
a"re
of
ltris
roads. Additional advantagesor a managementprocedure
in the weeds Act,(1959);it prevents the
of mo$t species-scheduled
that are genefally unfavouruble-to inJ a"u"top-"r,t
pleasing'
aesthetically
il
is
and
endoachment of woody pelennrarspeciesonto the verge
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Whereroadsidevergesate of particular conservationinterest, they requile sp€cialmanagementin order to maintain and
enhancetheir value. It is suggestedthat in every administrativearea,where this has not yet aheady been done, the Local
Authority and the County Truit should now co-operatein the production of schedulesof Yergesof interest with ptoposalsfor
their management.
The lirst stageshould be for the County Trust to draw up detailedschedulesof the vergesof interest in the County that
are consideredof sufficientimoortanceto Warrantspecialprotection,not only of plant species,but of insects,birds and
shouldinclude:
mammalsas well. Theseschedules
l
detailsof the locality, including parish,gdd reference,sideof the road and its class,
2.
the length of the vergeand its mean width,
3.
the nature of the interest,
4.
possiblethreatsto the site,
5.
presentmanagement,
6.
proposedmanagement
The position of the vergesshould also be marked on large scalemaps. Th€ Trust should then discusswith the County
Suweyor ihe schedules together with the management proposals,and, when these have been agleed the division of
responsibility for the managementof the veryesshould be decided. Most Trusts now operate their own conseryatloncolps
ani even those without a lormal corps can always call upon voluntary labour to carry out conservationmanagementtasks.
Whether or not the entire manag"-"nt of the protected vergesis left to the Trust or whether this is shatedwith the County
Surveyot's Department or calried out entirely by the local Authodty must be a mattel to be decidedby those immediately
involved. What is important is that the division of responsibility should be clearly defined. The designof marker posts and
who is responsiblef;r their installatior also needsto be decided.Orce the sitesand their managementhave been agreedwith
the County Sufleyol it is then necessaryto establish close liaison between the Trust and the various District Surveyo$
staff. [n the
involved, and for the pmctical managementproblemsto be discussedon the ground with the Highway Arrthority
the
representation,
non-Council
with
Committee
possess
County
Countryside
to
caseof ihose counties fodunate en"ough
will undeltake the
initiative for the vergessuryey and ln"iug"-"nt may well come flom that Committee,The County Trust
being adequately
task of periodically visiting the schedulei vergesin order to ensurethat the agreedmanagement-policy is
in the management
canieo out, to assessthe iffectiveness of thJ managementand to advise accordingly on any changes
progressof
rhat seemindicated. piri.a* -""tingr L"etweenttre Highway Authority and.the Trust to review the
;;;r".ip;;;
County
e,(ists,
the
it
where
out.
rapidiy
ironed
the scheme will also ensure that any difficultiis that arise are
^Again,scheme'
of
the
smooth
running
the
for
ensudng
ptovides
medium
oivious
the
C.--ittee
i.rrttyriA"
At the present time about 21 Highway Authorities have some form of agreementwith their County Trust on the
yeats
managementof stretchesof roadsidevergeof specialinterest.In Lincolnshirefor examplethe Trust hashad for sevelal
Committees.
The
Highway
and
Countryside
and
Kest€ven
very iuccesslul agreementsin operation with both the Lindsey
of the siteswhich
and
schedules
maps
Natule
conseryancy,
Regional
staff
of
the
the
with
collaboration
produced,
in
Trust
part the
set oui details of location, interest, cufent management,possible thlgats and proposed management On their
in
the
event of
Nature
Conservancy
ol
the
Officer
the
Regional
the
Tiust
and
consult
have
to
agreed
Department
Highways
all
thele
are now
ground.
In
on
velges
the
posts
to
the
identify
to
markel
erect
ur-r!."h"-". th"t might affect the vergesand
not only some of
24verges protected in Lincolnshire byihese agreements,I4 in iindsay ard l0 in Kestevenand they include
British breedingcolony of
the most noftherly sites in Britain fo; many limestonespeciesof plants but also the most northern
Many other counties have similal schemesin opelation The Berkshile'
the chalkhill Blue butterfly, l-vsattaru
"orloon an agreementwith the Buckinghamshirccountv su,rvevoras long ago as
ij""r.inehu-rrtir" ana oxtordihfiTfiiiTSiiiTed
Trust have
a similarschemJin Oxfordshire(Southam,196?).The SussexNaturalists
1964 and more recentlyhas
Officer'to
a'Verges
has
"o-plet"d
Trust
appointed
the
Here
We"t
S^ussex.
iast
and
.it.ift
with the County Sur""vo^
;g;";;;;
'watching brief' over the.scheduledvergesin
co-ordinatethe activities of the Trusi representativesresponsiblefor keeping a
with the variousDistrict Surveyors'InSussexthere ale 57
different parts
'".tg" of the County, and m be lesponsiblefoi liaison
protected roadside
p.. tu
t, 30 in East and 27 in WestSussex,givinga total length of l0' 1 miles of
"i"i
of plants on roadside vergesto the
In Scotland the Scottish Wildlife Trust submitted a paper on the conseNation
to co-operateas fully aspossiblewith
agreed
has
Society
the
as
a
resuit
i"
fqOl.
(ScottishTiu""itj
Society
County Surveyo$
.i special interest if the Tlust providesthe vadous County Surveyorswith the
the Trust over the management.i
""tg"t
sites.
of
important
necessaryschedules
on adequateliaison with
the Tlusts depend-s
The ultimate successof these agleementsbetween county surveyols and
what
is required' County
wolk
of
mainteoance
ying
the
verye
out
ca
-tiu-i."n
the Distdct Surveyorsand an understin4ing by the men
provide the necessaryadvice' as their rcgional
to
ot
and
titta
out
ttti.
pruc"i-iJ-"uriv
.""1
particularly
Trusts are
U*t"d.by advicefrom th; Trust's Scientific or ConservationOfficen' In
possesstnenecessai ilc"itlo*i"ag"
representatives
leport progressat eachsite'
addition it meansthat there are people more or les; constantly on the spot to
intensively used is now indisputable.Theoretical ecolosists
cancomitants of a land policy, that resuits in decreasing
Recentlythe basisof this concepthasuee"
countryside that is becomiig progresslvelymore
ltained that one of the inevitableand fundamental
lo';;r;;;;r;;;;;;;;;;i;;i;;.;;tiffi';ilfiir,U;;i;t,
"uujecteJ
(1965), It now s€emsclear that two of the most
impoltant constituentsof ecosystemstability are a maximal number of links
community
in the
food web and a high biomass,In generalrboth these fcatules are reduced with incrcasingagdcultural
intensity and in this situation the importance of maintaining adequateand divcrse edgehabitats, inclirding toadsideverges,
assumesspecnl slgnulcance,
The corect managementof roadside vergesis an aspect of countryside plannlng of high ihportance, Details of
managementwill inevitably differ from district to district a d close co-operationbdtween Highway Authorities and local
organisations,such as the County Trusts, will ensure that ncanagementpolicies will be arrived at tnost appropriate and
benificial to the particular area. Edge habitats, such ashedgerbwsand roadsideIerges,should be regatdednot only simply as
refugesfor our fast dimirshing wildtife but also as a feature essentialfor the maintenanceof an accpptableand necessary
degreeof stability in the countrysideas a whole.
REFERE[rtCES
LEIGH, E.G.
(196s)
On the rclation betwqenthe productivity, biomass,diversity,
and stability of a community.
Proc.Nat. Acad.Sci.t3,777-83.
MOORE,N.W.
(t96',7)
Nature Consgrvationand roadsideverges.Paperto the Conference
'Roadsin the Landsc4pe'
Ministryof Transportand the BritishRoadsFedemtion,July 1967.
PERRING,F.H.
(1967)
Vergesare vital - a botanist looks at our loadsides.J. Instn
Highw. Engrs lj | 3-l6.
SOUTHAM,M.
(196',7)
of roadsideflora. J. DevonTrust 12, 487-89
Conservation
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ROADVERGESAND THE FARMER
R.K. CORNWALLIS
(BleasbyGrange,Market Rasen,Lincs.)
.... And over the hedgefrom the road vergethere is, usually,a farmer.
This farmer's legal rights on the verge are vadable. In all modern road developmentsthgy are small, for highway
authorities invadably purchasethe land from hedgerowto hedgerow.But on older roads he may actually own, or be tenant
of, the velge, each frontager'srights sometimesextendingevento the middle point of the metalled cariageway. Alternatively
ownershipmay be vestedin the Parish,the earlierhighway authority, dependingon the Parishaward'
In the past this was of some importance, for the road vergehetd a distinct, if minor, placein the rural economy. The
herbageof thi road verge could be halvestedeither by the owning farmer or by a lesseeof the padsh authority, ahtays eager
to augmentits slgnderrevenues.
This harvestingnormally consistedin taking one or more cuts of hay, or in gazing. Occasionallyone hearsof lessusual
exploitations such as the 'geese-lettings'in the Lincolnshire fenland, the parishesthere letting the right to Srazeflocks of
geeseduring their long cross-countrywaddle to market.
Grazingrights could be of some importanceespeciallyin a time of drought. Their managementpresentedfew problems
in those days. There waslittle disturbance a few local carts and waggons,the carrier two or three times a week, local farmen
in their gigs,and occasionallythe squire or the parson in his carriage.And control of the animals could be securedby "an
o]]ld boy to tent 'em" at the cost of a few pencea day.
Nowadaysall this has been changed,like so many other aspectsof our lives,by the coming of the internal combustion
engine.All legaland tladitional /ights on the road vergeshave been over-riddenby the demandsof road-safety.
No longer can the flow of traffic be impededby cattle wandedngall over the place,though the grazierstill hasthe dght
to drove cattle along the roads. I have noticed in my own villagethat one small farmer, who hasparcelsof land a mile apart,
seemsto take a great deal longer to move his dairy herd flom one to the other in a dry time, than he doeswhen there is a
good growth of gtrass!-and
drovingthem nowadaysis not done by an 'ould boy'(who in any casewould be too expensive)
but by the farmer himself at the wheel of his motor-car. Nor is it any looger good enough to rely on a successionof
independentfrontageN to keep down tall gowth on the velgesand so give clearvision aheadto motol traffic.
Managementof the road verge has therefore been taken over by the highway authorities.But the frontagersstill make
usd ol the vergesin severalways. If the strict legality of what they do were ever gone into, it is probable that they would
often be judged to be exceedingtheir legal rights. But in the splendid spidt of British compromiseworking taleranceshave
been aohievedwhich, though they might not stand up in a court of law, leaveeverybodyteasonablyhappy. Many farmers,for
example, when weather and a lull in thg genelal work of the farm allow, make somerough and not very valuablehay of the
gass left by the council's cutte$. Probably they are guilty of theft from somebody,but at least the verge is tidied up and
nobody complains.In districts where sugarbeet is grown it is common practiceto clamp the roots on the roadsideafter they
are carted off the fields, awaiting permits to go to the factory for processing.This is becoming lessconmon asmechrnical
systemsof loading th€ lorries are developed,and growers are finding it necessaryto lay down rafts of concrete to savethe
machines fiom sinking into the mud. But it is still not uncommon to see these clamps and it is done in a spirit of
give-and-take.The iarmer has no legalright to site his clampson the road verges,but in my own county of Lindsey, provided
he keeps the edge of his clamp thrce feet from the cariageriay, does not site it near a corner so asto obscurethe vision of
oncoming traffic, clears up the mud that inevitably falls on the adjacentroad surface,puts up "MUD ON ROAD" notices
while clamping is going on, and tidies up th€ site after the beet hasall beensent to the factory, the highway authority looks
things properly). Finally the farmer has, of
the other way (though l|ot without sidewaysglancesto seethat he doesall these
'booning' with stone being tolerated.
course,accessacrossthe vergeto the gatesof his roadsidefields, any ngcessaly
As well as dghts, or at least permissions,the frontager has obligations. Almost invariably he is responsiblefor the
roadsidehedge,with any trees standingin it, and its accornpanyingditch. Wherethe vergeis narlow, an overgrowt hedgeor
the lower branchesof trees may erctoach on the highway and become a hazard to passingvehicles.He must keep them
tdmmed back and keep the hedge low near cornersto allow good vision ahead lf he usesa mechanicalhedge-trimmeror
ditch-diggerhe may work it on the road verge,but is responsiblefor clearingaway the thorns and for spreadingthe spoil from
the ditch so that there is no hazardto road-safety.OftJn, where there is a traffic hazard,frontagersgive piecesof land to the
providing fencing.
couocil to allow the hedgeto be set further back on a corner, the council planting a new length of hedgeor
(many conservationiststhink too shalp a
Becausehe has these obligations, the farmer often keeps a sharp took-out
desilable.I
look-out) on the obligations of the highway authoity and demandsmore velge managementthan is biologically
has
its roots in
attitude
this
whether
I
sometimes
wonder
saying
this,
but
for
ot
N.p.u.
o.rt
ttri
,l"ii pr.l"ufv be dtu-mmed
farmsi they were
the farmer's feeling of his own shortcomings. In the past farmers took pride in the tidiness of their year.
layer them
;hedge-proud'and iere often compelled by the terms of their tenanciesto trim every yard of hedgeevery
( and 20'000
."u"ntt year, and keep atl their ditches grassedout annually ln these daysof greatly reduc€dlarm stalfs
to
more and more difficult. indeedimpossible,
"u".i
reguiarvrorkeisa year areieavingthe land) ihese standardsare Lrecoming
he doesn't seewhy everyoneelse
maintain. But even if he himself is slipping flom Fathel's and Glandfathe!'s standalds'
if he's going to make a bit of
should not be kept up to scmtch, or the m-otivemay simply be the more mundane one that,
."'gr'r'"vofftheroadvelge,hemightaswellmakeadecentquantityfromthefullwidthlathelthanjustabitfloma
narrow strip alongsidethe tarmac
t
paper.Althoughof course,no farmerwould toleratea healthvlbedof
of conflictthat loomsvery largein the farmer'smind,
Finally, a whole new set of problems has arisen from the greater accessibilityof the countryside to the modern
townsman.lt is interestingto reflect how recenttheseproblemsare, Up till the recentpast the countfysidewasreallyvery
inaccessiblelt was possiblefor the villagerto go with the commoncarrierto the local town and get back home the same
night But the other way round was extremelydifficult withbut an overnightstay,exceptfor the tiny minority who had
their own transport.For therewasno publicservicein thosedavsexceptalongmain routes.
Nowadays,as privateownershipof carsand moror-cyclds
spreadsdown throughoutthe population,many thousahds
of townspeoplelike to visit the countryside.Whenthey get therc they find that they are barredfrom most of it by private
ownership.So perforcethey make useof the roadsidevergesfor picnickingand so on, and inevitablythby leavebehindthem
the detritusof their invasion.The bottle thrown carelessly
ovdr the hedgeto breakand cut the feet of stock in the adjacent
field. The plasticbagthat blowsaway and stopsup the gut of sbmeunfortunatecow. The pieceof metalor wire that is baled
up along with the hay and either breaksthe baler or is eatenthe followingwinter bv a bullock.Th6 improperlydamped
picnic-fireor carelessly
thrown away cigarettethat catchesthe roadsidehedgeon fire. All thesearever\y'
realproblemsto the
roadsidefarmerand their only solutionliesin greaterpublicaw4reness
of the dangers.
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IN 1968
N.F'U.EXPERIENCE
ROADVERGES-HAMPSHIRE
R' J' WHITE
1968ChairmanHampshireCounty N.F U
Tiebddge Farm, Houghton, Stockbridge,Hants
Historical Background
N.F.U. as a result of
The problem of the uncut vergesin the County fir6t officially cameto the notice of the Hampshire
with the County
on
television
g".an"h,
an
petersfield
was
intetview
Resolution
to
the
fite background
a Resolutioll from the
how it was to be implemented and
Policy,
Cutting
Verge
ihe
p"."J'qol.iio"r
o"
Council's
iewer
inte
when
the
Suryeyor,
weaponssuch as televisionit was no
what eflects it would have. Knowing the ttemendousimmediatereaction to mais media
not to cut vergeswas a County one'
decision
..,rp.i." tfrut ifr" matter cameup thai sameeveningat an N.F,U. meeting.As the
matter with the authorities.
the
discuss
ihoutd
N.p.u.
;;n"i,
oi
trr"
i;;'a;r;;t
and propei th;;
;il;;;;;'*;;,ight
Meetingwith HampshireCounty Council
the County Surveyorand inlorm him of the concern
. The N.F.U. Secretaryand l, as Chairman,were deputedto meet
countv
a responsi!l:-b_.-11
represeoting
felt by the agricultural population. irvlneio ;" ,"u.""abie and fairand
1"-^.u"d,he
and the N F U as a
farmers,
as
we
probGm
which
with
eternal
is
an
,q..
money
Council what had been decided u"i''"fi'.
part of our questionfirst! It seemedthat the
voluntary organisationare all too fu,nlfiui, -" g.,essedthe answerto the.econd
a fate suffered by manv other local
ruthleisly,
quite
budget
trim
their
totoia
teen
nao
Hampshire county council
to beara heavysectionol
were
deparlment
Roads
and
Bridges
-r€quired.
authorities.and it certainlyappearedto us that the
havebeencut back'
should
wherethe budget
this cut-backin expenditure,althou;h w; are not competentto saylow ind
appear to us as
lt
would
Budget.
in
the
contained
measules
by
c;rtain
The situation seemed to be turtnei aggravated
main points at
loul
The
extreme.
the
sightedin
ratepayers,that the decision to cut dowi on cedain expenditr:'e was short
issuewere decision!
a.Nottocutroa(lvelgesinthecountythismeantthatthecutting,whenitwasdone,wo.uldcostconsiderabl]/
be cut'
more. due to the extra amount of deadgrowth, overgro$n bramble etc that would need to
b.
1969'
No new whrtelinesor catseyes thisjust meantthat twice asmuch would needto be donein
c.
No rlew sigt posts similar answerto (b) above.
d.
'Keep
pub-licto rlse litter bins and
No litter collections-surely a retrogradestep Everyonehasbeenimploring the
litter would not be collected'
Bdtain Tidy'. Now it appearedthat someof the accumulated
not understand'
Returnins to the financial background,there were two aspectswhich we as farmersand laymen could
tiing ieryes a considerablenumber of men would becomeredundant.was this so? was
n!: i iiirri .
w" *"." ilr,iiiJ
".t """
"f road
workir p;t out of his job? In one casein particular we know of stafi being taken on
any HampshireCounty Council
tedundancynot take placeand were any lossesmerely-normaIretirement1lg,Y1tj:q:i Certainlvwe did
Dii the suggested
oI
the fiampshire County Council for putting thdr employeesoul
not hear any ol the Employees'Organisations-criticising
and
machinery
-iru"tot.,.grass
ditching
cutlers,
workl rhe secondpoint concerrrsthe Hampshirecounty council *u"trina.y traveto aitow an annual figure fol depreciation'
woutd
the like. If this machinery was owned by a farmer ot a contlactor hegiu"n, it would.appealto^u.sthat the Hampshirecounty
*" ."r"
whether the machinewasusedor not. FrLm the information
might rust out rathe! than wear out:
i:o*."ii -ua".o depreciationallowancefor any machinethat
The Farmers'Concern
Why were the farmers' concerned,just how genuine was this concern and now that the decisionis out of the political
cockpit,what lessonscanbe leamed?
The farmers' concerncan genuinelybe said to coverthe following:
a.
Filst and foremostSAFFTY
The one word 'Safety' covers a multitude of different aspects the safety of small children wali(ing to school on
overgrown vergeswhereit was possiblethat they might be unseenby traffic; the safety of farmersand farm worke$ using the
narrow lanesmade narrower by the ovcrgrowngrasa;the dangersoi driving stock along theseovergrownlanesithe dangersof
warning signsbeing hidden by weed growlh. Sight lines on bendswere certainly much lessuseful as a result of interferenceof
,rh"r" the Coroner saw fit to criticise the Authorities on the grounds that the
vlsion by Ihe weeds. We know of one
"us"
in a fatal accident We do not know the facts of the caseso we are not rn a
hazard
overgrown vergeswere a contributory
positionto comment-but what we would sayis that the Coroner'stemarkswereindicativeof the dangers.
b.
G O O DH U S B A N D R Y
The uncut Hampshire verges will leave their mark on Hampshire Farming for many ycars to come-one year's
seeds seve, ye.ar'sweeds it may rlot be cornpletely true today wjth modern weed kitlers but tJle amount of weed seed,in
particular dock and ragwort, will surely make their presencefelt in many unwanted placesduring 1969 and a number of
subsequentyearstoo. By allowingthesenoxiousWeedsto seed-andthe 1959 WeedsAct definesnoxiousweedsas docks.
thistlesand ragwort-the County Councilwere of cou6e breakingthe law. Wefound the Ministryof Agriculturereluctantto
use their powers under thF WeedsAct. Many farmersfelt strongly on this matter-they felt that the Ministry would willingly
take on some poor strugglingpeasantfarmer but they did not relish a brush with such a powerful body as the Hampshire
County Council. ln the long run, on the Fawley by-passI trelievethe County Council did cut someof the seedingdocks but
by the time they took action most of the seedwasripe and cutting merely servedto shakeout the remainingseed,
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DRAINAGE
The unparalleled wet autumn and winter of 196g, and the ruIl off irom all the roads
made heavy demandson roadside
ditches Many of these were quite incapable of dealing with the sudace water they were required
to carry for the simple
reason that their sides were overgtown with vegetatiol and the actua] capacity for water carrying was considerably reduced.
This causcd widespread flooding of farm land and whilst we recognise that the abnoimally w; wirlter would have led to
flooding anyway, I submit that this was aggavated by the uncared lor state of roadside ditihes. I saw, again with concern,
that the Corcner in an adjoining county saw fit to criticise the Authorities there because their ditches were unkempt; this in
turn had led to flooding on a road which, said the Coroner, was a contributory factor to another fatal accident. How often
can I and must I stress that Safety was the biggest worry of thellarming community.
The Legal Position
The legal position regarding ownership of roadsid€ vergps segms very much to be lost in the mists of antiquity and I
believe that if you went to half a dozen leading Counsel for Nheir opinions on this vexed subject you might well get half a
dozen different answersl I think that the fairest way of looking at it is to say that County Counclls can be regarded as
'Occupiers' of the vergesas part of the road system which enablesthe Subjects of her Majesty The Queen to travel ftom point
gas,
A to point B. County Couniits are all too ready to grant various public bodies the rights to lay such things as telephones,
su-rely,theywould not be so
water, sewelageetc. in the vergesand to allow such actions as shot blasting for seismic^surveys.
lf I may just touch on a
liberai with tieir powers if thiy did not think that they w6re the dghtful owners of the verges?
fol particularly
covernment
by
the
out
thorny subject-in 1965 the farming commuflity felt that they wele being singled
posters. Hampshire
roadside
palt
which
included
campaign
public
relatiorls
was
a
maisive
our
answe-r
of
unfair treaiment.
and the posten placed ot the
county coulrcil Roads and Bridges staff were quickly on tho scene to conliscate the stdkes
a favoulable position that it can
in
such
county
council
pioperty.
Is
the
their
erected
on
had
bein
claimed
which
they
verges,
that the position will be clarified in
choose to own or not to own the verges-alwil lust as ii suits the'? I think not. I think
since we are sugggsting to our memben
out,
carded
ate
opelations
widening
made
or
where
new
are
roads
where
th" ir,u."
falmel coflcerned should make a
th€ County Council contracts with them fo! the purchases of land necessaly, the
it ot rt
full responsibility for the care and
"r-,
assume
will
County
Council
that
the
effect
the
clause
to
sale
a
of
the
condition
maintenanceof the vergesof the new road.
Where do we qo from here?
spendlhr-same.'mounl ol moncy on cutting
l n l q h q l h e H d m p s h i r e( o u n l ! C o u n c i l . w e a r e t o l d . a r e p r o p o s i n gl o
pl;ctising
farmer I would like.tO suggestthat with the
a
as
but
an
economist
t
am
not
in
196?,
roadside vergesas they spent
the budget provisions l am well prepared
within
come
the
work
will
fall in the purchasing power of the f oniy fO%-.aSZ"of
t o b e p r o v c d w r o n g w i t h m y g u e s s t i m a t e ! A n o t h e l l a c t o r t o b e l e m e m b e r e . l i simpede
t h a t t h ethe
v e lprogress
gestobe
c u t i ncutte!
l 9 6 9 wand
illha
vea
add
of.the
growth This must
ycar's gowth to be cut rn-addrtron io ttt" ,'o'-ol season's
l
h
at
a
d
m
i
l
l
h
e
v
s
l
r
e
t
c
h
e
\
o
d
d
c
u
t
c u l a rs t r e t c h .w h e r e t h e c o u n t j c o u n c i l h r v e
t ' o n s i d e r a b l yt o I h e c o s t so l c u f n g a n y p a r r i-;;;"rpona"n""
we
Countv council in the summer and autumn
the
with
thef costs have inoreased "..rid:;;iy:-i;
savesnrtle '
made this point on the basis of'a stitch in time
"oniinualv
Reaction from the General Public
by
albeit verY reluctantly' that little good would be achieved
ln the summel the Hampshire N'F U' Executivc acrcepted'
letters to the rtress we
in
and
tactics
our
ciange,l
\ir'e
tirerefore
- isis.
pressing the Council to oo ,n, *"uio.
lhat provision was made in
"ritr,u
r" io"u."t on iii"it. or"iv iiuncillors lo.ensure
succesredrhar rural dwelrers 'n"r,l";;
g e n e r a l l h e r e s p o n s ew a s
i
n
";";;:;:, a r e t u r n t o 1 6 3 d 5 i f l gv .e r e e u L l t t i n g s p e a k i n g
lh.' l,Jba county council hudgerto allow for
were a few people wno
There
madi
we
Hurfuttaty
alrU.Cooa
*lifr',fr"'iui"iy
"ui.
a n d f a u n at o f l o u r i s h '
f
l
o
r
d
sympathetic and very much.in "**"".""i
n
a
l
u
l
a
l
f
o
r
a
l
l
o
w
*re"iir;.ut to
u
,
"
*
^
,
,
i
.
'
r
'
;
;
;
;
;
;
.
;
;
"
;
i
;
r
t
r
a
r
l
o
"
o
o
o
o
r
,
,
"
e
x
t
r
e
m
e
t
h
e
r
ea r c p l e n l y o f p u b l i J
r
h
e
t
h
a
t
look
y
.lo
u n d c o o a H u s b a n d r y r n " r , _ . . t i " i i t u . i * o u t J n t . o . u whire
rnleresrsof thore wnose
the
l h e s e f e o p l e w e w o u r o r u y " r f f i 'ir"'nna""
;.;;it;;;;tc..
Prtil:
*lvr.-counirvria"
footfalhs across farm tand. 0,"",',
quite
adequately
lor
catered
be
can
rt" n..a and fauna
".""!it.
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THE LAW ON INJURIOUSWEEDS
Legislation on injuious weeds dates from the Corn Production Acts of l9l7 and 1920 and further provisions were
provisions
intioduced unde! a number of subsequentActs, In July 1959 the previousenactmentswere repealedand all the
applies
are:
Weeds
Act
the
consolidatedin the weeds Act, t 959. The injurious weodsto which
cisium wlsare
Cirsium aryense
Rumex clispus
Rumex obtusifolius
Senecioiacobaea
(SpearTh istle)
(Creeping
or field Thistle)
(CurledDock)
(Broad-leaved
Dock)
(Ragwort)
and additional weedsmay be prescribedby regulations.
The Minister has power under the Act to servenotice on an occupier of land requhing him, within the time specifiedin
the notice, to take such action as may be necessaryto prevent the injurious weeds from spreading.An occupier who
unreasonablyfails to comply with the requirementsof such a notice is liable, oll summary conviction, to a fine oot exceeding
t'75, or fot a secold or subsequentoffence, not exceeding0150; the Minister may also enter on the land and take the
necessatyaction to prevent the weedsfrom spreading,recoveringthe cost of doing so ftom the occupier'
Since 1939, there have been changesin the delegation of the Minister's powers. At presentthe councils of county
boroughs exercisethe delegatedpowerson non-agriculturalland within their arcas,the Minister's diYisionalexecutiveofficers
the powe$ on non-agricultunl land outside the county boroughs, and the county agdcultural executive committees on
agdcultural land within thefuareas.
From the WEED CONTROL HANDBOOK, 5th edition 1958,
Blackwell
Eds.J. D, Fryer & S. A, Evans,Volume 1 (Principles).
and Edinbrirgh. With
Scientific Publications, Oxford
acknowledgements.
ROADVERGES- THE AGRICULTURAL
STGNIFICANCE
OF WEEDSAND WILDPLANTS
R.J.CHANCELLOR.
M.A.,
The WeedResearchOrganisation,BegbrokeHill, yarnton. Oxford
Roadside vgrges
^oausrue
verges nave
have a ncn
rich and varied
vaned flora,
flora. whilch is derived in palt from the plants that inhabited the orlce
extersive marginal ateas of scrub and rough grassland separating cultivated iand
land from forest. The gradual expansion of
agriculture over the yeals combined with the f;[ing of foiesls ha'sresulted in many of these plants bping
i
confined to less
extensivehabitats,such asroadsides,where they can find condixionssuitableto their iequiremenis.A rnutnber of
o{ these
these species
species
te+!lryl--:eggl,.
lj:.?f::l*i,
l.^1,_c_.L,li':.'-"-{
remulenrum).
harinsa life-span
oTiio-lEii6ifrEiil
GarlicMustard
Roughchervil(chaerophylrum
!4t!sg_esliel@, *""a'*J
is incomparible
-iiE-Gi;E;;rffi"
irr.-L;iffiitiii
pastureweeds.
pasture
weeds. However,
However, there
there are
are on
plants. of various
on toadsides
toadsides other
other species
species of plants,
various life-spans,
life-sDans. that
that have
have weedy
weedv charactedstics
characferistjcs
and that are weedsof varying agicultuml importance. It is the purposeof this paperto ionsider whethor theseweedy plants
constitute a threat to agricultureor whether, like the relic biennialsthat grow with them, they are seekingsanctuaryfrom the
ever-incfeasing
demandsof man upon the countryside.
In order to assessthe agricultural significanceof roadsideplants it is necessaryto determine first what speciesoccur
there that are potentially weedsof farm land, then their capability of spreadinginto adjacentagdculturdlland and thirdly, if
they can spreadin, how important they are as weeds,To find out which wgedy speciesoccur in roadsidea surveywascarried
out by the Botany Sectionof the WeedResearchOrganisation.Becausetime waslimited only two localitjleswere investigated;
Oxford (mixed farming and wetter) and Chelmsford, Essex (inore arable and d!ye!), Within a 2o-milb circle around each
centre, 50 lengths of roadside were assessed
by recording the damesand degee of abundanceof all weedy plants.Only sites
(selectedat random) where the soil had not recently been disturbed were recorded,becausedisturbedsoil encouragesplants
that do not persistin and are not characteristicof establishedroadsideverges.Each site was 20 yards long, but vaded in width
in Augustand the Essexonesin October1968.To avoidbias
to includethe whole verge.The Oxfordshircsiteswereassessed
in selecting plants for listing, it was decided that it would bq easiestand fairest to record too many rather than too few
situationsand not only agricultulal weeds.However,illthough theseplants
speciesand to include 'weeds' of all man-managed
all have weedy charactedsticsto a greater or lesserextent, their importanceas weeds,implying a statushs an economic pest,
variesconsiderably.
a.
llVeedspresentin the road3ides
occurrenceof speciesin eachlocalityand
The resultsof the suryeyare givenin Table l, which showsthe percentage
of the occurrences,
wascommonto abundant.The commonestspecies
as a percentage
the numberof timesthat eachspecies
were lrequent in both localities, but vergesin other pads of the country may of cor]rsediffer greatly, dependingon soil,
ctmate and other elvironment lacto.s.
b.
Methodsol spreadof weedsfound in the roadsides
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Although methodsof plant dispersalare frequentlylistedin botanicalworks it is difficult to obtain any data on the
degreeof successobtainedthrough different methods.Over a quarterof the plantsin Table 1 are dispersedby wind to a
greareror lesserdegree.Dandelion [!lgI39!I_91!9il9]_g) has a pappusof hairs attachedto the seed,which enablesit to be
blown to any distance(Small,1918; Ridley, 1930). However,Seedswith a pappusdo not alwaystravelindefinitedistances.
jacobaea)travelled
One experimentin New Zealand(Poole& Cairns,1940) showedthat few seedsof Ragwort(Senecio
sphondyliunl),which are perhaps
further than 40 yards.Other speciesmerelyhaveflattenedfruitts,eg Hogweed(Heracleum
adaptation,but the seedsarecarried
,jlgd haveno wind-catching
blown a few feet, while others,eg Broomrap"(94gI!E
a long way becausethey are so light and are carried like dust in air cur(ents
It was once thought that finchesand other blrdswerevery useful
Birdstoo undoubtedlyplay a pa in seeddispersat.
that
becausethey ate and destroy;dthe seedsof cornfieldweeds,hut it hasbeenshown(Collinge,quotedby Ridley' 1930)
have
for
instance,
Pigeons,
by
them.
distribut€d
are
uninjured
and
so
pass
the
birds
though
someseedslscapedigestionand
and Knotgrass
speciesl.cleavers{calium ap-4lin€)
Docks,(Rumex.
eg charlock (Sinipis arvensis),
vi"iJea uatr" weeas-eeds,
somebirds'
pass
t
hidugh
inhirmed
sieds
can
then
30
t.
A
feiG?
( Polveonumaviculare).trom therr aropiin-lifFitGll'i6
birds excreteduring llight is apparently not very
theseseedsfThe question of whethet seed-eating
Wffi;ffiAEmFTeposit
if startled lf they do so normallythen thereis a good
(Ridley, l93b) that theydo, especially
very well known. It is suggested
the chancesate
un"" tfrut the seedswili be dropped into a field, but if they evacuateonly when pelched on a bfanchthen
it hasbeen
However,
agiculture.
to
little
importance
"t
would
be
of
where
they
that the seedswill be dgpositedin a hedgerow,
branches,as shown by the concentrationsof wild oats
1968) that overheadpo*"i linet'"utt serveis su-bstitute.
..t"Jii."g,
in dispe$ing
;'d;. in"-, una these liries do of coursepassover fiblds. Bkds may therefore be of someimportance
;;;;r-8
someweeds.
worst weedsof agdcultule' and
weeds can also spreadby their own unaidedefforts. creeping pelennialsare amongthe
of
spreadva.ies,eg couch Grass
The
distance
stems,
roots
or
creepin'
that
sprcad
by
plants
I
in Table
th*" ;;; to sfecies oi
Thistle(Cirsium?rvgnse)
Creeping
while
(Raleigh
1962)'
et al,
(Aeropvronrepens)can
,rp ,o io f""t rb in. irra year
will
de0endupon whether a
roadsides
from
"t""p
spreading
plants
of
these
The
danger
1909).
tir"dffi,5-i;'f,;'y;;;iR"g;,
prove
in$uperableobstacleto
an
may
ditch
ditch or other barrier is presentbetween the weed and the field or not. A deep
weedswithsubtertaneano""p,,,g'pu,t"suchasPerennialsowthistle(.s"l"t'"g*g:!9'buttoothe$thatcleeplalge
distanoesaboveground, such as Bellbine (Calystegiasepium),it may not'
can catch on clothing' animal fuf or wool and so get
A few weeds have hooked truits,-seedsor flower heads,which
d i s D e r s e d . T h e m a i n e x a m p l e i n T a b l e , l i s C l e a v e r s ( G a l i u m a p 4 r i n e ) , w h i mav
c h h abe.
s hdiffercnt
o o k e d b r i s t lof
e sthe
o n iplant,
tsseeds.Altho
irt"t common in fieras,TEicfiE-rgnt sugsestthat there
t,
.races
irjii'""i}'iiiai"i'it
(Oat-grass)
and
eldius
"J "ri
un utJi" *""a; tfrig is-possib-lialsotrue of Arrhenatherum
of surviv-i-ng'u.
some of which are incapable
its -?iil--,nit
bulbosum(Onion Couch)variety.
brief survey of dispersalmethods it appearspossiblethat seedsor vegetativeparts of weedscan and
undoubtedly do get into fields from roadsideverges,It requiresof courseonly one seedof a self-fertileweed or one rhizome
of a perennialto start an infestatio
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TABLEI
vergesaroundOxfordandChelmsford
andfrequencyof weedsin roadside
Theoccurrence
Species
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t.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
I.
12.
13.
14.
15.
16.
17.
18.
19.
20.
21.
22.
23.
25.
26.
27.
28.
29.
30.
31.
32.
33.
35.
36.
37.
38.
39.
40.
41.
44.
+).
46.
48.
49.
50.
51.
52.
53.
54.
Arrhenatherumelatius
Urtica dioica
Heracleum
sphondylium
Taraxacumofficinale
Agropyronrepens
Anthriscussylvestris
Trifolium repens
R u b u ss p p .
A c h i l l e a m i l l e f o l im
u
Cirsiumarvense
G a l i u ma p a r i n e
Convolvulus arvensis
Plantagolanceolata
R a n u n c u l urse p e n s
Plantagomajor
R u m e xc r i s p u s
L a m i u ma l b u m
H o l c u sl a n a t u s
Rumex obtusifolius
R a n u n c u l uasc r i s
l\4atricaria
matricarioides
Glechomahederacea
M e d i c a g lou p u l i n a
S o n c h ua
ssper
Tragopogonpratensis
Polygonum
aviculare
Epilobiumhirsurum
Cirsiumvulgare
Artcmisiavulgaris
Ceranium pratense
P o aa n n u a
S i l e n ea l b a
Agrostisstolonifera
Picrisechioides
Chamacnerion
angustifolium
Carduusacanthoides
Papaverrhoeas
Avenafatua
Calystcgiasepium
Sonchusarvensis
Cerastiumholosteoides
Tripleurospermum
inodorum
Pastinaca
sativa
Sisymbriumofficinale
L a p s a n cao m m u n i s
A r c t i u mm i n u s
Equisetumarvense
Arctium lappa
Orobancheminor
Ononisrepens
Geraniumdissectum
Deschampsia
caespitosa
J u n c u si n f l e x u s
Armoraciarusticana
PercentageOccurrence
of Siteswhere frequent
Percentage
OXFORD
OXFORD
94
88
88
82
80
78
76
64
62
62
56
)z
50
50
34
34
32
30
26
20
20
18
18
16
16
l4
14
14
12
't0
10
10
8
8
8
8
6
6
6
6
6
4
4
4
4
4
2
2
2
2
2
2
2
CHELI\4S'D
86
92
88
68
86
90
62
14
20
'10
38
2
24
14
16
24
30
64
2
12
10
2
44
CHELI\45'D
56
62
30
6
36
28
16
16
12
24
18
30
10
16
2
34
80
32
6
50
52
'16
4
2
2
8
14
2
44
2
4
20
12
18
2
12
6
2
2
6
l8
4
56
6
28
12
2
2
10
2
6
4
12
2
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TABLEI (Qontinued)
Species
55.
56.
51.
58.
59.
60.
61.
62.
63.
64.
65.
66.
67.
68.
69.
Pteridium
aquillnum
S i l e n ev u l g a r i s
Seneciovulgaris
Raphanusraphanistrum
Papaverdubium
A l l i u mv i n e a l e
Rumex acetosa
Ranunculusbulbosus
luncuseffusus
Angelicasylvestris
Cirsiumpalustre
Sinapia
s rvensis
Utmusprocera
Stellaria
media
Seneciojacobaea
The a$iculturil
Percentage
Occur(ence
Percentageof LSiteswhere frequent
OXFORD
OXFORD
CHELI\4S'D
CHELI\4S'D
2
2
2
2
2
2
14
12
6
6
4
2
2
2
2
importance of weedEfound on roadrides
Of the arableweedsCouch Grass(Agropyronrepens)is probablythe most importart, By competitionit can reduce
crop yields(Bandeen&Buchhollz , 196'l) and it is an alternalivehost to Ophiobolusgaminis, the 'take all' disease
of whoat,
It is virtually ubiquitous in agricultural land, which is due in somemeasureto its rhizomescoming in at field maryins.Othcr
. g K n o t g r a s (sP o l y g o n u ma v i c u l a r e )C, o r r r P o p p y ( P a p a v errh o e a s )W
i m p o r t a n tr r a b l e w e e d s e
, i l d O a t sl A v c n a f a t u a , ,
wild RadisFTR-iihanu-iriFfi'anistrumr. Chfil5iRSiiii'is
Si('ntless\4ayweed{Tripleurospermum ffifiiimum sspfi;A;umr,
a l v e n s l s (r ,, r o u n o s e(r) e n e c r ov u t g a n sa, n o ( n l c K w e c d( S t e a l r a m e o r a ra, l t n o u g no e n c o m m o no n n e w l y - s o wrno a o s l o e
GilEi?nd for one or tVo-Te
ones.
sowing.arc in f reqifiTo-i-Tn-dlliGbed well-established
Of grasslandweeds,CreepingThistle (Cirsium arven!e)is the most frequent and of greatestimportance.Its far- creepilrg
roots can easilyinvade fields, especiallycuJtir-itdii-6iiElTt-ii easily controlled by herbicidesin arableland, but posesproblems
in grassland.Being dioecious(ie. having separatemale and female flower plants) it only occasionallypfoducesseed,and for
somereasonthe pappusoften separates
from the seedin the head and blows away alone,so coltrary to popularbeliefthe
\eedsarr nor wind-dispersed.
Bracken(_tsfgj".jjjf]]l!Il)
Other importanlweedsof grassland.
eg Rushes(Juncusspecies).
j . e r eu n c o m m o ni n t h e s u r v e y e rdo a d s i d e(sT a b l el ) : b u t a r e l o c a l l yi m p o r t a n et l s e w h e r e .
a n J R a g w o r (l S e n e c ijoa c o b a e a w
is, however, frequent and can invade grassland,Successfulinvasion of established
Broadleaved O.ak@!131!!!5)
gassland is encouragi?-T6i-i6iT1[-iE
by poor managemen!:Ragwort, for example,is consideredto be symptomatic of
althoughany significant
neglect(Fryer & Chancellor,1956). Woody plants from thf hedgescan also invadegrassland,
of theseplantsin agriculturalland would invariablybe due to poor management.
establishment
Thele arc two additionalweedswhich are worth mentioningalthoughnot occurdngin Table l. CoitsfootGg$!bgggrit heapson roadsides.
lt produceswind'borneseedand is
farfara)is a common rhizomatousweedthat frequentlycoloniEes
is also rhizomatous, but lar lesscommon. [t
6Tiii-a problem in arable land. JapaneseKnotweed q9_Lyg$Ig_gg!p!4!@
grows mainly in Walesand the south-westof England,but occurs widely elsewhereas well. lts ae al stems,which grow to 8
feet,are potentiallya nuisanceon roadsides.
To find a road vergewith a greatdensitvo{ weedsand an adjacentfield containingthe samewqedsin lesserdensity
would constitute the only evidenceof roadsideweedsinvading agricultural land. This situation was looked for, but proved
very hard to find. A field of barley was found where there \rele Wild Oats (Avena fatua) both in the fi€ld and on the'rorBe;
but there were many Wild Oats in the field and very few on the verge.It was therefore almost certaih that the weed was
spteadingoutwardsfrom the lield and not inwardsfrom the verge.No other evidenceof movementin either directionwas
obseryed:but this doesnot of coulserule out its occuffence.
and somearevery
It appea6then that althougha numberof weedsof agriculturalimpo.tancedo occur in roadsidds,
frequent, they do not in general constitute a serious threat to agiculture. Neverthelessthey are a potentlal source of
and spread.The greatestdangerperhapsis
infestationshould local conditionsbecomefavoumbleto theh establishment
and Coltsfoot
presentedby creepingperennial weedsthat have wind-borne sded,eg. PerennialSowthistle(Sonchusarlvensis)
(!q$44g9 &43Ig). Sonchusaryensis,from the Survey data, occurs at a density of about live plants per mile of roadside
Ch€lmsford.However, the most frequently quoted danger-thistledown from Creeping
uftiiilTa o,,tora at.to;ota-fiiTFffiia
Thistle is invariably harmlessfor the seedsare left behind in the flowering head.
A C K N O W LE D G E M E N T S
Acknowledgementis madeto Mr T,W.Cox and Miss14J,Taylor for their help in carrying out the roadsidesurveys.
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BIBLIOGRAPHY
l
upon corn as modified by fertilisation.
BANDEEN, J.D and BUCHHOLTZ. K P (1967) Competitiveeffectsof quackgrass
Weeds!L 220-4.
t
FRYFR. J D and Chancellor,R J (1956) Ragwortand its control.
Agriculture,Lond,63, 65-9
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FrmsWkly.!! ( I I ), 90.
LONC, E ( 1968)The wild oat bogy movessouth-west.
jacobaeaL) control.Bull. Dept. Sci.indust.
of Ragwort(Senecio
POOLE.A L and CAIRNS.D ( 1940)Botanicalaspects
R e s .\ . Z . \ o . 8 2 .
RALF.lcH, S M., FLANAGAN, T R and VEATCH,C (1962) Life historystudiesasrelatedto weedcontrolin the northeast:
4-Quackgrass.
Univ. of RhodelslandAgric. Exptl St. Bull.,No 365
of plantsthroughoutthe world.
RIDLF,Y,H N ( 1930)The dispersal
L Reeve& Co.. Ltd.. Ashford.Kent.
ROCERS(1909) ColoradoAgric.Coll. Exptl Sta.Bull.,No. 348.
of the Compositae.
New Phytol. I 7, 200-30
SMALL, J ( I 9l 8 ) The odgin and development
VERGES
ANDTHEHIGHWAY
C. R. CHADWICK,
Fi.t.C.E,,
M.t.Mun.E.,
CountySurveyorof Wiltshire,CountyHall,Trowbddgq,Wilts.
1.
The highllray
For severalcentudesthe public have eojoyed, under Co8mon Law, rights over the highway, whi6h hasbeendescribed
as "a perpetual right of passagefor the Queen and all her subjects", This description is importalt becauseI think there is a
geat deal of misunderstandiflgas to what a highway is and what the powen and dutiesof a highway authodty are. The public
highway is in a sensean abstraction;the descdption makesnq asse ion as to ownership and no publid rights subsistexcept
the right of passageas a generalmle. It is, neverless,a most idportalt right, even if it hasbeen somewhatmodified in recent
years by legislation and orders ptescribing limitatiofls as to tle manner ol its use, such as, for example,by the making of
traffic rcgulation orders,in order to meet the requirementsof the motot age.
Different categoriesof public highways
2.
Public highwaysmay be divided into six principal categotles,viz.:a.
b.
c.
Motorways: Theseroadsare generallythe responsibllityof the Minister of Transport and Civll Aviation who is the
highway authority. They are a special classof highway and dilfer in severalimportant relpects from all other
classesof road, particularly as to the types of tmffic permitted to use them, eg cyclists,pedestdansand animals
on foot are specificallyprohibited from usingmotorways.The maintenanceof motorv,/aysis generallycaffied out
by the County Councilsthrough whoseareasthey firn, as agentsfor the Minister.
Trunk Roads: Theseare national (lo[g distance)routes which, like the motorways, are th€ responsibilityof the
Minister of Transport and Civil Aviation as the highway authority. Improvemeotsto and maintenanceof trunk
roads arc, however,generallycarried out by Couniy Councils(or County Borough and in sdme casesBoroughor
Urban District Councils)as agentsfor the Minister.
pdncipal and Non-pdncipal Roads; These are the classifiedand unclassifiedroads for the most part under the
powels and (esponsibilitiesof the
contr;l of County Coun;ils as highway authoities. (ln some urban aleasthe
and for som6 classesof road upon
cases
and
in
some
highway authorities devolveuporiCounty Borough Councils
I think is a predominantly rural
what
with
here
we
ale
concerned
as
but
District
Councils,
Urban
and
nJroug-h
Councils.)
of
county
under
control
the
p*lf"-^ f tftun confine my remarksto roads
d.
pasbagefor vehiclesbut
Non-maintainedhighways: These are highways over which there ale public dghts of
which neverthelesshavenot beentaken over as publicty repairableroads'
e.
ridels'
Bridle roads: These,as the nameimplies, are dghts of passagefor ho$es and their
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-f . F o o t p a t h s : H e r e t h e r i g h t o f p a s s a g e i s , o f c o u r s o , ' o n f o o t b u t i t s h o u l d b e n o t eexistence
d t h a t a pofu b
i c f o oright
tpathmay
a lmajor
with a .privale.v-ehicutairiehl tt inouta abo be noted that at common Law the
viz. asa bridle wav and
rights of passage,
"o'*itt
of passage, oy u"rrr"ri"",-i-tutri.rr". tr."-"r,i"t"roe of all other minor
"g.
highway.
footway, along that
T h e C o u n t l y s i d e A c t , l 9 6 8 , h a s i n t f o d u c e d s o m e c h z n g e s i n t h e l a w c o n ch€re'
elningdghtsofway'notablybyestablishinga
but with which I do not think we ne€d be coocerned
uli"*
"tvruv;u,
"iassificaiion,
of a public highlwy
features
Principal
3.
t
Generallyspeaking,thehighwayqompdsesametalledway..(thecarriagew
a y ) , o n e o l t w o f o o t w agulleys'
y s o l v eorl g e s a n d a
uno otflets from the metalledway or piped drains and
svstem of surface water o.urnug""iiitJt lv-ni*n, oi a;t"tt"t
variouscombinationsof each of thesefeatures'
Fig' I which
accordingto its layout: typical casesare illugtratedin
The extent of the highway, i.e. its boundaries,vaies
of
way'
right
of
the
,t o*, tii" verles in relation"to the rcmainder
2Q
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TYPICAL HIGHWAYBOUNDARIES
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FrG.t.
In this connexion it should be noted that the right of passageextends over the entire width betweenboundades.Any
ditchesand bourdary hedgesdo not, except in rare cases,form pa of the highway. The ditches,even where they assistinthe
drainageof the highway aro, in general,the responsibility of the owner or occupier of th€ adjoining land, and not of the
highway authority.
Similarly, the common presumption is that the soil dver which the highway runs is (except where it has been
speciiically conveyed to the highwdy 4uthodty) the property of tho owne! o.! the adjoining land up to the centre of- the
is often the causEof misunderstanding
highway.This fact, which underlinesthe conceptionof the highway as a dght of passage,
amongstthe generalpublic and not infrequently with the owrlersof adjoining lands,but is of considerdbleimpottanca when
considelingthe powers and responsibilitiesof the highway auljhority. Of these,the most important is the preservationof the
be noted that no
right of passagearld the prevention of its obstruction or closurc to such use. In this connexion it should'bus
sheltersbeing
obstructioncan be permittedwithout specificstatutoryauthority-stucturessuchas roadsideseatsarid
exceptionsconditionally permitted bV statute. Statutory urldertakings,i.e. the electricity.gas and water broads,P.O.
Telephonesand sewglageauthorities have, however, statutory powen ior the placing and maintenanceof their apparitus in
the highway.
Maintenanceof verges
4,
The principal requirementsof a v€rgemaintenancepolicy are:
a.
to ensurethe proper surfacewater drainageof the highway;
b.
to provide a footwalk or refuge for pedestmins(not necessarilypaved);
c,
to preventobstruction by overhangi{gtlees or hedges,both within the width of the highway and for visibility;
d,
to provide visibility at bendsand junctions;
e.
to control thoseweedslistedin the WeedsAct, 1959;
f.
to preserveand where possibleto improve the amenitiesof the road and the adjoining countlyside.
cenerally speaking,these objects are achieved by the 4nnual siding out of the edgesof the cariageway to prevent
herbaceouseneroachmenton to the metalled sudace; by keeping drainageofflets open; by the regulal cutting of the grass
(generally three or four times bgtween April and October); by endeavouringto ensure that the owne$ or occupierc of
adjoining lands trim or prune their hedggsor trees on the boundadesof the highway; by spraying noxious weeds with
seiectivJ weed killers, generally 2,4-D formulations, where ndcessary;and by the planting of trees and shrubs in suitable
posirioncin the roadsideverges.
As mentioned in 3 above, the highway authoity is undei a duty to ensurethat the highway is kept lree of obstruction.
Whilst this presentsfew difficulties in the caseof motorways, trunk and county roads, the lack of use of many of our old
clearanceof brushwoodand saplings,often over consideratle areas,and can be a
large-scale
greenlanesiometimes necessitates
iery expensiveoperation whether caried out by mechanicaldutting rlone or by cutting and spiaying with 2,4,5-T or similar
order to eliminate
euite apart from the obstruction causedby such growth, its clearanceis often necessafyin
land.
"frJrni"ut..
cover and breedingground for rabbits alld other pestsin the intelests of good husbandtyof the adjoinlng
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the Houseof Lords
qf
The duties of a higlway authority io the maintenance its roadsare well defined in a decisiol of
judicial
states:which
capacity,
in
its
in 1915,acting
,,lt is the duty of road authoritiesto keep their public highwaysin-a statefit to accommodatP
.the.ordinarytraffic
changelin chalacterso must
which passesor may be expect€d to pu., uiong them. As thi oldina* tlaffia expandsor
the nature of the maintenanceand repaiI of the highway alter to suit th€ change"'
pel annud-it may well double
Road
-ttte traffic in thas country is currently increasingat bdtween 57a and 8Vacompound
m
motdr vehicle,-necessitates
performa
the
odern
nce
of
ana tn is,
-rr-""Jiigrrtrit*
witt in
lr"o *itt the vast]vimgroved
wider vergesoo
"e"i-oeciJe
^i"ou
t"lJ,, i"nltiont una on u.rtical iurves. This requireslargerradius ctrrves'
typical layouts
Some
areas'
grais
metalled
to
ratio
of
the
increase
in
".r;ii".rrrt
the inside of bends and at junctions"Jnd un appi""Utfe
applicableto main loads are shown in Figs 2a and 2b'
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H !"gYi.'
MrNra?iY oF rFANsrlin1
vt6r6rlrry p.r^Nct6
0E5!6N
sraaD
Mc H
60
60
&
30
?5
20
Ftc . 2 (b)
(r{oFEoN.r^L I !€f]1car)-
ovtRtAxrNj
(sM!E c/*t
t40c
L2oo'
aao
-
6TArlO\ROt
MIJ'MVM
910rrr(l
(s66rvsrr! c,r,{a,
gso
o!o'
4aa
toat
200
rl0'
]|o
VISICILITY AT JUNCTIONS. WPICAL LAIOUT
NOI ro 6saLE
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23
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t think it will generally be ageed that it would be very foolish to spend considerable sums of rBotey on the engineedrg
works involyed in achievingthese standardswithout a1 the sametime making the necessaryarrangemehtsfor thes€standards
to be maintain€d by Foper vergemanagement.This meansthat trees or shrubs which would interfero with visibility should
not be planted within th€ desigled sightlinesand that any hffbage must bc kept sufficiently low by riowing over the entire
width concerned.On straight sectionsof road theseconsiderationsdo not, of course,apply and in such casesit will genelally
be sufficient to cut one swathewidth of $ass adioining the kehbor chalnel for the convenieoceof pedestrians.lt will alsobe
possibleto plant trees and shrubs,having due regard to their future gowth and spreadand to the pos$ibility of a falling leaf
problem and associatedrisk of skidding accidentsin the autumn.
It should be noted that trees and hcrbage naturally g.rowingon the highway belong to the owner of the soil, ie the
planted
owner of the adjoining land, up to the c€ntre line of th€ highway. This doesnot, of course,apply to fte€s o! sfuubs
powers
in
their
ownership.
whioh
remain
statutory
and
under
the
authority
highway
by the
5.
The extent of the Problem
Therc are npp(oximately 120,OOO miles of surfacedpublic highways i!! the English countiesand I estimatethat there
are about 300,OOtr acres of roadside verge under the contrOl of the highway authoriti€s. Although no official figures are
guid€ I
availablefor the cost of verge maintenancefor the country 4s a whole, taking the figures for my own county as a
gMl'5
probably
per
represents
This
tM3
annum'
arrd
per
ol
to
f
l0
betw€en
order
of
f5
acrc,
of
the
will
be
tf.ut this
".iir*t"
sn ar,d l57o of the total cost of generalmaintenanpeaccordingto the classof road' As, however, geologicaland
i"iii"
rainfall-yaly so much over tb.ecountry, thesefiguresmust be trcated with someresefle and
cooditions-palticularly
;[matic
are given simply as someindication of the prcportions of the problem.
post war yeals
The necessityto reduce costson maintenanceand the considetablyreducedlabour foroe availabloin th9
have stimulated the mechanisationof this work, and have rosulted in the virtual disappearanceof the l€ngthsmanand his
rcplacemelt by specialpurposemachinesand mobile mainteriancegangs.Whilst I do not think that there can be any doubt
Lrrt tft"t tf," ;ld; lage-lengthsmanrespoffible for his own three or four miles of road-which he often treated as his own
personal property!-was a-most effective method of maintenance,the post-war situation has made this system quite
to maintain €xcept in certain areas,Whilst acknowledgingthe inevitability of this developrnent,I would like to
i.po.*itfi
yeal and whose
take this oppottunity of paying tribute to the men who did this job in all weathels thloughoul the
dirupp"ut"n"i from the rural icene is, I am sure,a matter of reFet to many of us. The improved machinpsand methods which
traveieen developedfor this work in rece[t years have, howcver, ensuredthat essentialmaintenancehasnot beenneglected
and, from a purely technical point of view, haspossiblybeenirFproved.
6.
Amenities
on.which very diverse
The preservationand improvement of amenitiesin relalion to highway maintenanceis a subj_ect
I havereferred tends
to-which
standards
engineering
of
the
hand,
the
maintenance
l'built-in"
opinions aie held. on the one
pieservethe verge in a
iJ'wu.ar un urban neatnesswhich will be anathema to some, whilst on the other hand the wish to
;t aiuiaf" rtute with wayside plants allowed to grow,
flower.and seedwithout interference,can ploduce seriousproblems
-example
belng the Cow Parselywhich monopolises.considerableareasof
point
view,
obvious
an
of
.oua
safety
o*
it"
t
witllvisibility on bendsand at junctions. wtlatevel one's pelsonal
interferes
which
seriously
,ouo*a" u"tg" in the spring and
right of passage-andimplicitly a safe right
views on this, one must bear in mrnd the fundamentalpuryoseof the highway asa
possible
enhanceits appearance'then this is
prer"ru"
whire
same
iim;
the
If
we
can
at
road use$.
.t
"ni
"U
objective.
""r**"-iii
a most desilable
cleirly
roads,it is cleally uinecessary,and indeed
Although the engineenngconsiderationslefefied to in 4 above apply to all
volume of.{ast traffic' o'' a minor
a
considerable
carrying
main.,road
on
a
iequired
stanJaris
undesirable,to adopt the same
providqd the motodst adjusts
junciions
and
bends,
and
at
visibility
countty lane. ln such cases,provioeJ lue ieglarAis paid to
justifipble-assumption),amenity should, in my view' be given a hea\y
a
(whr"n
..
al'
t*V
his speedto th€ conditions
".ti" rond, orgbnisedtowards ihat end''This is' I sugge't' largely a matter of
on th"r"
weighting and the system o, r"-i"nin""
attentionto any uniqueor interestinglocal
meritslby paying.due
common senseand ot dealrngwrtn eactrcasetor alea)on its
countrysrde.
the
in
interesred
orsanis4tions
local naturalistsand
;;;;;;;;;il";;-operatioriwith
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Highamongstameoityconsidelationsisthequestionotroadsideplanting,forwhichtheprincisallequirementsar€:.
a.
Amenity:
i.scle€ningunattmctivefeatures,andinsomecasesmollifyingtheinevitablegeometryofroaddesign.
ii.
'framing' attfactive viewsand features'
iii.
providing contrast and relievingboredom'
iv.
noiseabatement'
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b.
c.
Safety:
i.
the prevention of dazzlecausedby headlampsby night and on east/westroads by the rising and setting sun,
ii.
the provision of soow and wind breaks.
iii,
planting to indicate summlts and bendsfrom a distance.
iv.
planting of hedgesin lhe central reserveof dual cafiiagewaysand asballiels at the tops of €mbankments.
v.
stabilisationof banksand cuttings by root action.
Pointsto be avoided:
i.
obstruction of sight lines
ii.
hazardscausedby falling leavesor branches.
iii.
icy patches causedby shading, padicularly ftom the south side of the road (particularly important on
east/westroads).
iv.
damageto the metalledsurlaceand d&inageof the road by tree roots, eg Poplars.
v.
interferencewith overheadand undergroundse ices(see3 above).
Whilst it is now common practiceto incorporate tree and shrub planting schemeson major road improvements,there is
in my view considerablescope,and much to be said, for planting oo existing roadsideverges,provided this is done with due
rcgardto the prevailingvegetationof the area,and to satisfactoryarrangementsbeing madefor maintenance.
ln my own county, a policy of tree planting wasadopted four yearsago with the object of encouragingParishCouncils
to plant and maintain trces on the highway (for which they have the necessarypowels undet Section 82 ol the Highways
Act), subject to the consent of the County Counail and of the owner of the adjoining land. Under this schemethe Parish
Council may either themselvesprovide and plant trees or sponsora private individual who wishesto do so, subject to their
acceptingresponsibility for planting, protection and future maintenanceand to the types and positions of thesetreesbeing
ageed with me beforehand.
Whilst it might be arguedthat this is somethingwhich the highway authority itself ought to do, I think there is a very
rcal advantagein leaving this kind of enterpriseto ParishCouncils who, even if their meansare slender,are possibly in the
best position to exercisea proprietorship and trterest in the appearanceof their own locality, plovided some control is
retainedfrom the engineeringand aestheticpoints of view,
In this paper I have attempted to describethe problem of vergemaintenancefrom the point of view of the highway
authority and have suggestedin very generalterms the basisof a policy of vergemaintenanceand management.The details of
such a poLicy and its implementation are, of cou$e, a matter for each individual authority in the light of its resourcesof
money, men and machinesand the importance which it attachesto the yariousfactqrs outlined above.
MANAGEMENT
OF VERGES
.
C, V. UNDERWOOD,
M.l.Mun.E.,
M.lnst.H.E.,
SeniorAssistantCountySurveyor,Leicesterlihte
CountyCouncil,Glenfield,Leicesten.
(1975. CountySuveyor,Derbyshird
CountyCoutcil,Matlock,Derby)
we havealreadyhearCdetailsof the interestsof landsca!,e
architects,conservationists
and farmersin the management
of road vergevegetation,and it is my view that these interestsarc not incompatible with those of the 4ngineerand, indeed,
must be reconciledif the valuableheritageof our countrysideis to be maintained.
During the last five or six yearsthere hasbeena rapid reappraisalof the whole concept of vergem{intenancewhich has
rcsulted from:
a.
Mechanisation(causedby the lossin the availablem0n-power).
b.
The economieseffected by the useof mechanicaleqluipment.
c.
A considerablereductiofl in the funds now availablefor highway maintenanceof all types] and a new senseof
cost effectivenessin the minds of those responsiblefor highway expelditure.
Highway vergesin this countiy consistof three main types, (a) new vergessuch asthose associatedwith motorways, (b)
well establishedv€rgesand (c) vergesin urban areas.Clearly thele is a need to adopt different standardsfbr thesethree groups
from severa.l
view points but thcy have the following engineedngfunctions in common:l.
To maintain the stability of the road structure, th4t is by cnsudng that slopesand cuttingqare not subjectedto
erosion or "slips". To prevent vegetation from encroachingon the carriagewayor obscirring kerb lines and
intedering with passingpedestriansand vehicles.
2.
To provide adequatevisibility at bendsand junctiont.
3.
To allow light and air to the road surfacethus avoiding detedoration from continuous dam$ness,and preventing
icy conditions during periodsof sub-zerod€gee (C) temperatur€in the winter.
Let us then consider the engineelingconsiderationsin more detail for each of the three group$ of roads previously
mentioned.
_!!g!glgqE are consfucted with gentle gadients and for this reasonthere are mary cuttings and embankments,Even
wherelhe route has been carefully located from the visualaspect,newly constructedbanks are a scarod the landscapeand it
is, therefore, vital to achievca rapid growth of vegetationto plevent erosionby wind and rain and to plpvent the occulrcnce
of bank "slips". As motorways are not always constructedat lhe best time of year for grasssowing,it lias becomenecessary
to devise some artificial means of achieving a quick grqwth of grass and in recent years the method known as
"hydroseeding" has been widely used. The exponents of this method claim that the adYantagesinblude a considemble
extension of the times in a year in which seedingmay take pla€, that there is no need to provide a layel of top-soil on which
to sow the seed, that broadleaved vegetation is retarded untll the grasshas becomeestablishedand fl1at the total cost of
seedingis reduced. The method employed is to apply a mixtufe of grassseedand fertiliser in a jet of lwatersplayed on the
slopeslo be treated, followed by the application of a layer pf straw or glassfibre made tacky with a-small quantity of
bitumen emulsion. The cost of this work is apploximately 6d. per squareyard, which comparesfavourlablywith the cost of
providing top-soil and seedingto the Ministry of Transpod sp$cificationat approximately ls. 2d. per sduareyard, or 2s. 6d.
p.. rqu"-t" yard for the provision of tud. The choice of seedsin the hydroseedingmixtule is mado with regard to the
indig"no.rr gra..". of the areaand the n€edto achievea strong tirrf to stabilisethe bank.
Whilst the need to considerlocal conditions has been acknowledgedby the Minister's adviseNinlthe past, the current
Ministry of Transport'sspecification for grassseed (Ministry of Transport, 1963) statesthat "untessoiherwisespecifiedthe
mixture shall consistof the following:Perennialry€ grass,S.23
Red fescue,S.59
Smooth stalked meadowgmss
Cresteddogstail
Whiteclover,S.100
60lbs
20 lbs
lO lbs
1 2l b s
10 lbs
Total
I l2 lbs"
plants
Tire SOohof rye grassincluded in this mixture givesvery little charce to the shortergrowing gmfsesor to other
of
Ofher
specifications
problem
maintenance
engineer.
for
the
gass
cutting
unnecessary
and
seates
and
Ministry
why
the
won{ers
"
"ontid"iubl"
lower
and
one
at
costs
quite
lhy
Council
successfullyby
shorter gowing grasseshave been used
clingsto this outdated formula.
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New verges,particulally those on slopes,cannot be cut by tractor mouflted equipment for the first two or three seasons
without damageto the verye or dangerto the plant operator. As a result of experiencegainedin this problem when the Ml
Motorway was constructed through Leicestershhein 1964, it would seemthat lightweight mowersusingeither the rotating
blade or flail principle of widths up to 50" are most suitablefor this task, Cylinder mowerswere found to suffer considerably
high due to
from the presenceof s_tones
on newly constructedvergeswith the resultthat overallcostswere unreasonably
rdpair bitls and a high incidence of standing time due to breakdowns.The costs of grass cutting by rotating blade and
pedestdanflail mowers were in the region of f,5 per acre.Once the grassslopeshave becomestablewith the establishmentof
a good tud, it is possibleto useheavier,more powerful and wider cutting equipment with reducedunit costs.An agricultuml
tractor suitably modified using a rea! mounted flail mower has been found most succ€ssfulresulting in a unit cost of
approximately 50s. 0d. per acre/percut.
Gmss on its own is, of course, only patt of the la dscapingof a new motorway; engineershave fol many years
undedaken tree planting schemesas part of new highway construction work. In the early 1930's this sometimestook the
form of ornam€ntaltreesand shrubsmore suitablefor Sardensthan for the open country and olten quite out of keepingwith
the natural arbodculture and flora of the arca.This kind of planting tends to highlight the existenceol the engineedngworks
whereasboth engineersand landscapealchitects try to blend the highway into the suroundings. Whilst this form of planting
is now rarely adopted, many eminent enginee$ agreethat tree planting on motorways in recent years hasotten Deenon an
gnnecessarilylargi scile and out of keeping with the arbodculture of the area.The distinguishedlandscapearchitect, Mr
Ctough Williams-Ellis (Williams-Ellis, t gOl), auttror ol the Ministry of Transpo publication "Roads _in the Landscape",
describesand illustrates a number of tree planting schemesincluding the M1 at Lutterworth in Leicestelshire,and commends
it as an example to others. This type of seiectedplanting in groupsat random is both acceptableto the maintenanceengineer
and inexpensive.
On the Ml, the massplanting of motorway vergesto forestry plantation scaleis practisedevenin the open countryside
in fact on the 38 milesof motorwaythrough the County, over 125,000treeshavebeenplanted,which is
of Leiceste$hire,
very neaily two trees fo! every yard of the motorway. I fear that the effects of this scaleof planting will be vely sedousin
yea15to come from the highway engineedngconsiderationsof shadow,wet leaves,fire risk, and accidentalcollision.
ln addition to the establishmentof trees, carclul thought is being given in collaboration with the LeicesterTrust for
Nature Conseryationand the Nature Conservancyto the introduction of certain speciesof indigenouswild plants onto the
motorway banks, As this matter is stitl in its early stagesof discussionand hasonly the approi,alin pdnciple of the Ministry
of Transport'sDivisional Road Engineer,I am not able to give any further detailson this matter at the presenttime.
of "well established
exNts,
" forms the
Here the engineer has to maintain what already
area". The engineeringand financial considerations
suggesthigher standardsfor trunk roads carrying healy volumes of traffic than for nartow, lightly traificked countly lanes,
and for this reason,the foltowing policy hasbeenadopted by my county surveyor as from the spdlg of 1968.
l.
Trurk and Principal roads, The fi$t 6 loot width of verge shall be cut thrce times per season(approximately April,
June and August) wider cuts to take place for visibility purposes.The remainingwidth of vergelying betweena hedge
of ditch and the 6 foot referred to aboveto be cut every secondyear somstimeafter the end of June,
2.
Class l l roads (non-pdncipal) and more heavily trafficked Classl1l roads, the first 6 foot width of verge to be cut
twice per seasonunlessnecessarylor visibility purposes,the remainingwidth to be cut once every secondyear after the
end of June.
3.
All other roads, the first 6 foot width of vergeto be cut once per seasonunlessnecessaryfor visibility purposes,the
remainingareaof vergeto be cut once every third year.
This policy does not meet with unqualified approval from all directionsi some sectionsof the community seekhigher
standards.it tulit, oi course,take severalyears for ihe effects of this strategy to take full effect and this-isa matter of great
interest to us in ihe County, The adoption of the standardhasto someextent predet€rminedthe type of cutting equipment
year,
to be used, in as much as we shall haveto deal with grassand vegetationrangingfrom that which is cut three times each
io onceeverythreeyears,and I am ot the opinionthat the flail moweris the only machineavailableto us at the presenttame,
that is capableof this task at an economiccost.
EnSineers
Dr F. H. Perdng (Perring, 196?) of the Nature conseNancy, in an addlessgivento the lnstitute of Highway
of the Ieciprocating
and reprinted in the iournal ;f the lnstitution in December,1967, makeslefelence to the disadvantages
grasswith
type mower and conversely,to the advantagesof flail mowing in that it achievesa more finely cut
.t
often not
is
mower
the
reciprocating
point
out
that
"gri"rit"t"f
more even distribution of the grasscuttinls. Furthermore, iwould like to
great diffioulty
into
run
certainly
and
would
growing
seison
of
the
purr-"t
the
height
in
o""
capable of cutting vegetation
cutting vergesonly once every thlee yeaN.
tracto! flail is approximately62s 6d per mile Back
The cost of mowing a 6 lbot (two swath) width by side^mounted
and costsaboul luus. per acre.
vergemowingis,of course,moreexpenslve
in Leicestershirewas of the order
In 1968, the percentageof highway maintenancemoney spent on grasscutting
'ly"X.
predetermined
routes worked out for
Ineuuork *u, cirried out by tractor mounted equiiment working on
ot
maxiumefficiencyby Work Study personnel.
I
This brings me to the chemicalcontrol of roadsidevegetation.There are three types of chemicalused-total herbicides,
selectiveherbicides(including brushwoodkille$) and grassgrowth-retardingcompounds.
Total herbicidesfor such tasks as sprayingkerb lines to kill vegetationthat would otherwise obsoureth€ edgeof the
catliageway can be either the root absorbed or foliage absorbedvariety. In practice, it is usual to use the root absorb€d
variety, applied in solution or water suspe4sionusinglargedroplets as a precautionagainst"drift", The cbst of this treatment
is approximately f,4 per mile and hassome degrceof pelsistencenot obtained with fouageabsorbedchem[cals.
Selectiveherbicidessuch as MCPA and others dcsignedspccificallyto conttol noxious weedshave,in my view, little use
for generalapplication on roadsidevergesand are normally confihed to small aleasinfestedwith the weedlslisted in the Weeds
Act, 1959. The cost of this type of treatment is in the order df f,4 per acre, but can be more than double this figurc if the
chemicalis applied by hand lanceunder awkward conditions.
Brushwood killers such as 2,4,5:f are also selectiveand oanbe used economicallyfor such tasksa$clearinggreenlanes
and bridlewaysof scrubgroMh (Chadwick,l96l).
Cmss lrowth-retarding chemicalssuch as Maleic Hydrazide(MH) have been consideredin great detdil for roadsideverge
control purposes, and the expedment at Bibury in cloucestershireis the best documented study of the effect of these
chemicals.This experiment will be referred to in detail by Dr Willis, the next speaker,but s€ealso Yemrmand Willis (1962),
Willis and Yemm (1966). The cost of using growth-retardingchemicalsis approximately gl5 per acre if applied by tractor
mounted equipment. lt must be appreciatedthat the weather conditions at the time of spraying and for approximately l8
hours after spraying are cdtical. However, in spite ol the high cost, this treatment can be economic fdr such areasas high
banks too steip ior mechanicalmowing, but up to now it hasbeen necessaryto add selectiveweed killerSto the grassgrowthretarding ageni MH. lt must be rememberedthat the stabitty of steep banks can be adv€Nely affected if deep rooted
vegetationis eradicated,which may occur asa result of the useof the selectiveweed killers.
The ethics of chemical control ol roadsidevergesmust also be considered,and I suggestthat the long term effect of
on both the indigenousflora and fauna of the vffges is to a certain extent unknown, and in Leicestershire,the
chemicals
these
policy is to restrict the useof chemicalsto control noxious weeds,ln general,the useof helbicidesfor thF control of roadside
u"g"t"tio.t was the subject of a Ministry of Transport Circular (No 718 of 3l August, 1955) addressedto councils for the
g.,idance of Highway Authodties. This document, which had been agreed with the Nature ConservancY,as a result of
ixperiments ma-rleby them, the Agxicultural ResearchCouncil and the Road ResearchLabolatory, laid down a number of
co;ditions that Highway Authodties were askedto observein the useof spmyson road vetges.
and this' in turn
The lait caleqglJ of, v,erqergferre4,tois tbe urban YeJ89H,ere.there is a needfor higherstanda'rds
usually reqlires a differenttype ol machineand more regularcutting. Mowing in urban areais, of course,a very different
problem to mowing in rural areasas vergesare usually narowqr, there are more obstructions in the fofm ofroad signs,bus
itopi ,na other striet furniture, and foithjs reasonsmaller aquipment of lighter weight similar,to that irseddudng the early
stagesof grassmaint€nanc€on new motorways is used.As, however,theseverg€sare establishedand gederallyfree of stones,
cutting at
thJuse oi the cylinder mower becomesan economicalproposition at between02 and 02 10s.per acre,for regular
mowings.
succegsive
between
in
height
inches
exceed
6
grass
not
to
is
allowed
the
when
intervalsof three or fow weeks
his advice in the
ln conclusion, I would like to record my appreciatioli to my Ch-ief,Mr R R W' Grigson' for
palt
Symposium'
in this
preparationof this paper,and for his permissiooto take
REFERENCES
CHADWICK,C.R,
(1961)
Local Govermmentapproachto the prcblem of weed control.
Irdustrial WdedControl Symposium-British WeedControl
CouncilJun6 1961.
MINISTRY OF TRANSPORT
(1963)
Road Specificationfor roadsand bridgeworks.
3rd ed.,Clarlse2952.
P E R R I N GF, . H .
(t961)
V€rgesare vital-a botanist looks at our roadsides.
J. Inst Highw.Engrs1d 13-16.
WILLIAMS-ELLIS,C,
( t 9 6 ' 7)
Roadsin the landscape. Ministry of Transport Publn,
StationeryOffice,55/437.
WILLIS, A.J. and YEMM, E.W.
(1966)
Sprayingof foadsideverges:long'term effects of 2,4-D
and maleic hydrazide.Proc. 8th Br. WeedControl Conf.
? s0s-10.
YEMM, E.W.and WILLIS, A.J.
(t962)
The effectsof maleichydrazideand 2, 4-dichlorophetoxyacetic
acid on roadbidevegetation,WeedResearcha 2440,
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With advancein knowledgeof the elfects on vegetationof grouth-retardingand herbicidal substances,improvementsin
the folmulation of these chemicals,and the rising costs of maintaining roadsidevergesby traditional cutting procedures,
chemical spray techniques have been progressivelyadopted for the effective and economic control of plant growth along
roadsides.tfre neeOtoi good visibility for the road-usercan be met by meansof growth-retarderswhich restdct the height of
the vegetation,and weeds can be reduced or eliminated by selectiveweed-kille$. Of particular value for the control of
roadsid"evegetation is the combination of the growth-retarder maleic hydrazide (MH) with the selectiveherbicide 2,
l-dichloropienoxyacetic acid (2 4-D); a mixed spray of this composition applied annually leadsto a grassysward which is
largely weed-freeand remainsshort throughout the Srowingseason.
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The use of chemical spraysraisesmany important considerations:among these ale the elfectivenessof the treatment;
the effect of the application; the effect of aifferent spray constituents on plant growth; the duration of the effects of
spraying:and, oi particular significancewith regardto nature conservation,the long-termeffe.ts of spray treatmentson the
ecoiogy of verges,many ol which form important and distinctive habitatslor plant and animal life, A sequenceof progressive
changl resultsfrom long-continued spraying, and a new community structure, olten of contrastgd nature to the former
semlnatural vegetation,is gradually developed.Of considerableinterest are the degreeof permanenceof the new community
structutesresultingfrom the spraysand the rate at which former vegetationcan re-establishon cessationof spraying.
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lnformation on these aspectsis availablefrom study ol the vegetationon vergesnear Bibury, Gloucestenhire.ln this
experimentalsite closely controlled sprayinghas beenundertakenover a considerablenumber ol yearsand detailedrecoJdsof
here:fuller accountsof earlier
the vegetationmadefrom 1958 to the present,A summaryof the main findingsis presented
obseryations
havealreadybeengiven(Yemm and Willis,I 962; Willisand Yemm, 1966).
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ON THE CHEMICALCONTROLOF GRASSAND WEEDS
ROADVERGES-EXPERIMENTS
A, J. WlLLlS, Ph.D,,D.Sc.,F.L.S.,
Departmentof Botany, University of Bristo-l.Bris,tol
(1975: Departmentof Botany,Unive$ity of Sheffield,Sheffield)
lnlrcduction
ExperimentalProcedure
in fairly uniform vegetation
A sequenceof 28 plots, each about 22 yds long and 3-5 yds wide, was established
developedon the Oolite of the Cotswoldsalong the wide vergeof Akeman Street,near Bibury, Gloucestershire,Recordswere
made once a year (in July) or three times annually (spring, summer and autumn) of height and flowering, and subjective
were madeof the relativebulk of the differentcomponentsof the vegetationof the wholeplots,and of quadrats
assessments
permanentlymarkedwithin them (Yemm and Willis,1962).
Eight plots not sprayedseNedas controls;the remainingplots were spnyed with MH only,2,4-D only or MH + 2,4-D
once a year in early April, mic April or early May. After treatmentsuccessively
for four years('1958-61),
certainplotswere
not subsequently
sprayedso that reversion
of the vegetationcould be studied.
were used.MH wasappliedat 5lb aminesalt ln
of MH ('Rsgul61')and 2,4-D ('Vergemaster')
Commercialpreparations
80 gal water/acre,and 2,4-D was applied asan acid-in-oilemulsionof the oilin-water type at 3 gal(of 12.5o/.wt/vol 2,4-D) in
80 gal water/acre(about lTamilesof a 6ft width of verge).The combinedIVH + 2,4-D spray was a mixture of the two
preparationsat the rates given. For spraying,a boom with cone-typenozzlesfor high volume application at low pressurewas
employed,
The Vegetationof the verges
ln the expedmentalsite the vegetationof the untreatedvergesnormally forms a fairly complete cover and is dominated
by coarse grassesand tall herbaceousplants such as Hogweed (Hgg_glgln_-l!!gl_qy!!I1) and Cow Parsley(Anthriscus
sylveslrist.The compositionof this vegetarion
variesonly little from-yeaitolFiiTi?1rcand broadleavedplanrs-isiaii!
conTJibuteabout equally to the bulk of the vegetation.All of the dominant plants flower freely, the tall forms reachingover
heightof the vegetationis approximately3 ft, Table I showsthat in 1968the vegetationof the
4 ft in July, whenthe average
unsprayed plots was fairly diverse (averaging 27 species/plot), but that False Oat grass (Arrhenatherum elatiui) and
Umbellifers(Hogweedand Cow Parsley)madeup overtwo-fifthsof the bulk of the vegetation.
The effects of maleic hydrazide
Areas sprayed with MH only developedat first a fairly short Srassysward with abundant CreepingFescuc(Festuca
Ig_&) and Meadowsrasst J9g_pl3lgl!j!); the large tufted FalseOat and to someextent cocksfoot -(lgggll:gplllglglg) were
reE"iced.Althoueh MH haslimited herbicidal powers.Umbellifers were adverselyaffected and considerablyreduced.
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Table 1
The effects of a rangeof spray treatmentson the compositionof tho vegetationof roadsidevergesat Bibury.
The figures give percentagetelative bulk (averagevalues)of the chief componentsof the vegetationin mid July 196g, and are
based on assessments
of the whole plots. Vergestreated with MH or y and MH + 2,4-D were sprayed once annuaily from
1958 to the present,ard with only 2,zl-Donly from 1959 onwards.Reversionplots were spnyed anngally with the MH + Z,-D
from 1958-61inclusive,but havenot heenspnyed since 1951.
Treatment
Control
(unsprayed)
Numberof plots
8
G"ass(Agropyron
repens)
F alse Oat (Arrhenatherum
elatius)
MH+ 2, 4-D
[henreversion
IVH+
2,4-D
2
v
6
3
7.5
1 1. 2
't2.5
t
2.2
5.8
15.6
t.J
3.8
0.9
12.5
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5.6
5.0
6.3
5.2
Creeping Fescue ( Festuco
rubro)
3.4
20.0
25.0
8.3
0.3
Meadow Grass(Poa
protensis)
7.2
6.3
JO.J
14.2
1.4
AII grasses
43.'l
45.0
96.2
91.3
Cow Parsley(Anthriscus
sylvestris
1 1. 2
0.1
0.1
0.1
1.5
Hogweed (Heracleum
sphondylium)
't
4.1
0.5
0.6
0.1
10.8
0.1
20.0
0
0
56.9
55.0
3.8
8.7
plants
All broad-leaved
Average
numberof species
Average
heightof
(ins)
vegetation
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2, 4-D
only
t\4H
only
Cockslool (Doctylis
glomeroto)
Plantain (Plontago
lanceoloto)
t
29.3
29
15
12.5
1 7. 5
14
7.8
t
0
63.3
18
35.0
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Flowedng of grasseswas almost completely suppressed,and vegetativegrowth held substantially in check. After spray
treatment for 3-4 yeats, False Oat becamea minor component of the vegetation,CreepingFescueincreasedfurther at the
expense of Meadow grass, and several low-growing dicotyledonous herbs became plentiful, notably Ribwort Plantain
{PlanLasolanceolata).Crosswort(Calium cruciata)and CreepinsThistle (Cirsiumarvense).In 1968,as shown in Tdble l.
a"d Plantain(which wasuerysparsein lhe other plols) dorninatedthe vegetation.which stronglycontrasted
C.eening-Fes.ue
and wai rather more diverse than that originally present. A number of low-growing annuals,eg. Buxbaum's Speedwell
Gtlqaica-pglt.lld, Chickweed(Steliaria media),inraded the sprayedareas.
The effects of 2,4-D
Repeatedannual spraysol 2,4-D only resulted in th€ progressivereduction and extinction of broad-leavedplants and
the developmentof a more uniform and shorter vegetationthao that of the unsptayedplots, Dicotyledons resistantto 2,4-D
persisted.but grassesbecamevery strorg dominants. However, important
such as the Field Scabiousq@glilgEJ
Meadow grassand CreepingFescueincreasedv^erysubstantially wheleas
gradual changesoccurred in tfrGFi6iii6i6nts;
wassomewhatreduced;this feature,coupledwith the
Fabe Oat wis much diminished(Table 1). Flowedngof the grasses
for
the shorter vegetation.
large
extent
accounted
to
a
False
Oat
Umbellifers,
of
and
tall
decline
The effects of MH combined with 2,4-D
When MH and 2,4-D were used together, their effects supplementedand reinforced one another. A very short and
uniform grassysward rcsulted, from which some dicotyledonousplants were completely eliminated;othe$, such asHogweed
and Cow palsley, wete teduced to negligibleproportions. Good contlol was given of troublesomeagricultural weedssuch as
spp.),Docks(Rumex spp.)and StingingNettle(Urtica dioica),as well asof annuals.
CreepirgThistle,Sow Thistles@,
Of the broadleavedplants, only-Bindwe-ed(ConvolvuliiiiE-nsis), which developssufficiEn[IyTaTi-intFe seasonto escapethe
Spraying led to the progressivespread and overwhelmins
major effects of thi spray, pe$isted in oii?ffi5F-dfiiifiil
of the vegetationin 1968(Table 1), in someareasbeing
dominanceof Meadowgass, which constitutid about thrce-quarters
grass
has undergroundrhizomes,increasedto someextent,
almost the only cornpoient. CreepingFescue,which like Meadow
grass
formed a thick mat. FaiseOat was rcduced nearly to
which
to
Meadow
ce
ielative
the
of
an
usually
minor
import
was
but
Also adverselyaffected by the spray were
spray
treatment,
the poirt of extinction, being severelydiminishedeveo by the first
years,
Cocksfoot; the latter, however, often
artd
in
recent
(Agropyron
a
decline
has
shown
which
g*r
re-pens),
iloo"f,
end
of the season.Flowering was almost
growth
towards
the
spray and made appreciable
,""ou"r"d f.ofr-ifiiET?EiiliT-iI"
(it
year
only about one-quarterof the heiSht
was
the
quiie
short
thr;ughout
vegetatiorrrdmained
the
suppressed,
and
entirely
of the vegetationol the untreatedareasin July 1968).
Reversionof sprayedareas
Cessation of the MH only spray treatment let to gradual changesin the vegetation in the direction of its former
to some extent paralleledby an increasein False Oat,.a.ndwith the progressive
composition, Loss of Creeping F"rir"
"ou.
re-esiablishmentof tall vegetation,including large umbellife$, many of the low-growingplants_whichcolonizedand become
in Plantain and
successfulunder the spray lcglme *"." sippr""sr"d or eliminated. In particular, considerablereduction
up (as in the
made
once.mote
Parsley
Cow
Hogweed,
and
years
Oat,
False
for
seven
Crosswod was evident. Alter reversiot
plots
where
theseplants
MH-treated
the
control plots) over two-fifths of the bulk of the vegetation;in striking contrast were
and
was
stopped,
year
spraying
in
the
(Table
ptants
well
flowered
of
Most
the
1).
total
constituied only one-fiftieth of the
madegood gtowth in height then, although the veggtationwassomewhatsholtel than that of unsprayedareas,
MH t 2'4-D reverted
The community dominatedby Meadowgrassdevelopedundel the influenceof the combined
plots. Meadow grasswas
graduaily, on cessationof spray tr;atment, tol vegetation quite similar to that of the contlol
of the unsoravedareas(see Table l) and False Oat increased
i.opg""#"ty reduced to a relative abundancesimilar to that
Fescuedeclined'
grass
showed some increase,whereas.Creeping
plant.
also.
Couch
Oominant
tne
to
become
uniformly
fairly
and
in an increase
speoies
finer-leaved
shorter,
of
loss
the
a
The large changesrn the grass
mainly by
some
"ont"quentl/involved
seed
and
from
maioly
some
"o-po"""tt
pia"is gtaauauv re-eslablished,
in the taller, coarser forms. ui"otiteaono",
Hogweedand
that
ceised
treatment
years
spray
after
five
until
not
it
Ju,
io*"u'"i
vegctativesprea6from uajoining uleur.
y"uri th" u"getation of the revertedareaswassubstantially
Cow parsley becamewidespreadonce more, and even afte,. "u"n
feature,the vegetationof the reversionplots aft er five
(fable
this
from
I
Apart
).
less diversethan that of the control areas
freely in the year in which sprayingwas stopped and'
quite
years was like that formerly pr"r"nt.-lur-unyoiirt" plants flowered
soon bicame similar to that of the unspraved
vesetatio;
of
the
height
series,
the
only
;;;;;r;;;;
il;
of.i, .i tfr" VH
areas.
The effects of time of spray
MH + 2,4-Dsomeplots werctreatedin the
the influenceof the time of sprayingwith MH only and with
To investigate
in
early May. only small effects of time ol
later
t*o-*"ets
iurther
a
and
otheri
later,
first week in April, some a tortnrghi
about by thesprays ln all ol th€
brought
vegetation
cornposirionof the
spraying were found with ,"g".d ;;;:;;g;s-in
treated with MH + 2,4-D the
areas
in
similarly
declin;.
False
oat
and
-uit"ary
MH only plots creeping Fescue-"r"ur"oof Meadowgrasswas
increase
pronounced
plots
a
the
all
seouenceof changewas tu.g"ty ini"p"rra"nt of time ol spraying;in
of FalseOat'
fountl.and alsoa decrease
I
The most obvious differenc€sresulting from time of ssray treatmeflt were seenin the height of the vegetatiol; the
differenceswere found to deperd appreciably on the lcason and weather conditions during spiaying. Usually only lit e
growth had occurred by the time of the €arliestsprayingbut, $atticularly in some seasons,substantialgiowth can havetaken
place by early May, the latest sptaying date investigated.The effect ofthe spray was to hold the vegetatlonin checkfrom the
time of its application for a considerableperiod. Consequentlyby €ady June the height of the vegetationof the eaily sprayed
plots was often only about 4 inches, comparedwith about l0 inches for the late sprayedplots, much bf this growth having
been made before spray application. Later in the season,diffetencesin h€ight evenedout, becauseresufnptionof growth set
in fhst in the early spnyed aleaswhilst the vegctatior of the l4ter spruyedplots wasstill held substantidllyin check. In all of
the spray treatment$,however, the height of the vegetationat th9 end of the seasonwasonly about hdlf that of the control
(unsprayed)areas(Table 2).
Table 2
The effect of time of application of the combin€d splay MH + 2,4-D on the height of roadSide
vegetationat Bibury,
The figuresgive averageheights,in inches,basedon three seriesof plots in 1960.
12 Jnly
Mean height on:
26 September
Date of spraying
4 April
4.2
I 1.5
t3.7
I 9 April
4.3
8.3
t2.o
2 M^y
3.5
9.5
t2.3
6.4
26.6
24.6
Not sprayed
The managementof road vergesby meansof spray treatmGnt
The use of chemical sprays to restdct the height of rdadside vegetation and to eliminate nox[ous weedscompares
favourably with other methods of vergemainteiance, all of which must inevitably result in some depaiture from the normal
herbicide 2,4-D are
flora and fauna of the untreated verie. Fortunately the widely used groMh-retarder_MH and.selective
to animals (cf. thJ destructiyeaition of flaii machines),although the fauna is in time affected bv changes
'."r"il"iv ,..-t.*i"
bv a sinsle
a_chieved
brought auoui tv .piuv tr""t-"nt. _cood. cont-rolof plant glowrh..on vers€scan bd
;"g;i;;;
;;'l;;
permissible)'
is
sptavins
in
time
of
flexibility
(as.
somJ
indicated above,
co-6ination rr.lri i'2,+:n i" ipting
vision is much
"iirr"
"ppri""tl.'"
of a band O ft wiae is aa'equite (a greater width may be requircd on bends Where
Genemlly treatment
(cf' the high
sward
per
6lft
mile
ol
95
is
about
materiali
tie
mixed
restricted), and at standardratesot apptcation tfre'cost oi
of
control of
qtaldard
very
high
lfa
is also nee6ed)'
labour costsinvolved in cutting sev€raltimes a year, especiaUylf carryinj
the first
than
later
weekrs
12-14
be
applied
u-lt
may
g,r."gr,."i-1n"
of
recona
ipray
v"ir, a
lensth of qrassis rcquired
aoplicafionof the combinedmaterialsin the spring'
Conditions at the time of spraying influence its effectiveness.As the substancesinvolved are dbsorbedby the plant
largely through the shoot system,ind especiallyby the leaves,penetrationis extensivein spring wh€n new growth beginsand
yoiini leaues'unfola. I moderatety humid atmosphereand 4oist soil favour absorption, but heavy rdin tends to wash the
which are
ip-*v -"i"ri.rr .fiihe plants. However,recent advancesin formulation have led to the developmentof materials
sitong winds increagethe hazardsof drift, although the high volume application
J""1,"i pro.r to a considerable
"*t"ni.
recommendedminimizesthis dangel.
As discussedabove, vergetleatment with MH + 2,4-D teadsto a short gassy swald of pleasantappearancein which the
fine-leavedrhizomatous Creeping Fescue and Meadow grassare prominent, and the lalger tussock fbrme$ False Oat and
Cocksfoot are diminished. Several factors may be involved in the differential susceptibility of the grassesto the spray
mhy result partly flom their tussockhabit dnd wide leaveswhich
materials.The geater sensitivity of the taller, tufted grasses
catch and absoib the matedalsextensivelyand also partly frorn the greater exposureol buds to the spray as comparedwith
those of specieswith rhizomes.
The action of MH is to stop flow€ring and to check vegetativegrowth, suppressingcell diyision Ft the growing points;
grassesremain short and only rurely flower. The findings detbil€d aboye indicate that MH, used alono, leadsat first to the
developmentof a sward with much CreepingFescue,the nanow waxy leavesof which are not easily wetted. However,the
combined spray (MH t 2,4-D) results in a vegetation dominhted by Meadow gass, which, with rep$atedspray treatment
continues to increasein abundanceover a considerablenumbtr of yea$. There are someindications that Cr€epingFescueis
more sensitiveto 2,4-D than Meadowgrass,and the somewhatquicker recoveryof the latt€r from the effgcts of the combined
spny may promote its more rapid spreadinto bare areasresultingfrom the lossof dicotyledonousplant$ and the reduction of
other glasses.The development, under the influence of MH + 2,4-D, of a short grassyturf largely flee from broad-leaved
plants, and in which Meadow glassand CreepingFescueare abundant,is of widely spreadoccurrenceit Great Britain (where
6oth grassesare common and genemlly distributed) anC also On the Continent; there the more droughl-resistantFescuemay
be preient in somolocalities(eg in Belgium,Gerirany, Austria) in geater proPortion than found at BibUiy.
32
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The ecological effects of spray treatment are of substantial interest. The roadsides and the diminishing hedgerows
support chatacteristic assemblagesof plants and animals which strongly merit conservation. For this reason the width of the
spiayed u"rge shoLrld not be greater than that compatible with the need for visibility; then the original, usually more diverse,
gradation of
fiora and fauna can penist in the unsprayed part of the verge immediately adjoiniog the hedge. Fudhe-rmore the
which may
of_conditions
range
a
hedgebank
creates
ditch
and
tali
vegetation
of
the
to
the
sward
height from the low treated
can ultimatelv
fav6ur some organisms and enhance their succesi. While the herbicidal action of MH is small, and MH.alone
such as |\'4CPAand Mecoprop adversely
result in grearer diversity of ttre roadiiOe nori, Z,q-O ind other selectiveherbicides
where a stretch of verge.is-knownto support a
affect manv dictovledonous plants, some of which may be rarities, However,
precludedatthe particularsite'
J.""iiliill" ttt" i"i"-.p""i"r rii"iiur i.rung"^"nli io. piJ.".ation maybe sougittandspraying
The.djrect effect ol MH
Another important ecoiogcal consideration is the persistence of the effects of spray treatment.
t-o_its odginal status is,
vegetation
the
reversion
of
the
but
single
season,
and 2,4-D on gowth and floweiing is essentially for a
number of years fhe Meadow grass
like the changes in vegetation composition which arise from spraying, spread over a
influence of MH + 2,4-D, is difficult for other
sward, especially when purc and th;k, which is gradually a",retoped ,riaei ttre
poor. Quickest to re-establish are
germination
and
is limited
."!O-p..Ji.ti.t
species to invade, especially tV tnorr'*ito."
treatmenr'
spray
survive
which
quantities
(iat,
small
very
the
spread
from
which
iirose plants, such as ialse
c o n t l o l o f w o o d y g l o w t h o n v e l s e s i s r e q u i r e d l r o m t i m e t o t i m e . F o l t h i s p u r p o s e t h parts
e h e r of
b i c2,4.5'T
ide
to one part of
two
2,4,5-trichlorophenoxyacetic acid is effectiveiand may be used as an emulsion conraining
treated with this brushwood spray in February,
2,4-D lowvolatile ester, lJ bushesare cut during the winter. and the stumps
l\4archor April, regrowth is prevented
Ad<nowledg€ments
l a r n o u c h i n d e b t e d t o P r o f e s s o l E . w Y e m m f o l c o l l a b o l a t i o n t h r o u g h o u t t h e r e c o l d i nHaywood
s o f t h € v eLtd.
g e t who
a t i o osupplied
ofthe
and iurt, Boulton &
Bibury plots, to Mr V. F.. Woodham who undertook the spray treatment
the materials.
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References
WlLLlS, A. J. & YElvllvl,E. W. ('1966)Sprayingofroadsideverges:long-termeffectsof 2'4'D and maleichydrazide Proc
8th Br. WeedControlConf. 2, 505'10
acid on roadside
yEtvll\4,E. w. & wlLLls, A. J. (1962) The effecrsof maleichydrazideand 2.4-dichlorophenoxyacetic
vegetation.WeedResearch2, 24'40.
R O A D V E R G E S _ R E S E A R C HO N M A N A G q M E N T F O R A M E N I T Y A N D W I L b L I F E
J. M. WAY,T.Dl,M.Sc.,Ph.D.,
Toxic Chemicals
andWildlifeDivision,MonksWoOdExpedmantal
Station,AbbotsRipton,Hunts.
The vegetation of road verges has got to be managed,not only for highway engineeringieasons but also for
conse ation and amenity rcasons.If they are not managedthe grassvergeswill turn to scmb, or whore squb and hedges
already exist they will grow out of control and cettainly lose tlteir amenity if not their conservationvahle.Although we hive
been considelingiI! the other paperspresentedat the symposiuh all kinds ol vegetationbetweenthe edgeof the ro;d and the
highway boundary, the major managementproblgm in most garts of the country at the plesent time ls the control of the
glowth of gass, tall growing herbaceousplants and noxious weeds.
From a conseryationpoint of view the aim is diversity of habitat in order to encoulagethe gehtest vadety of wild
animalsand plants. However, in any one place once a suitableform of maoagementhasbeen evolyed,it will be impoda[t to
try to apply the samemanagementfrom year to year. Many plants and animalshavequite stdct requiromentsfor a placeto
live, and a community that has beenbuilt up over a period of yearsunder one form of managementcan quickly be destroyed
by another. The commuoities of wild plants of grassvetgesthat exist now, and whose conseflation i$ so important, have
evolvedunder particular forms of managemelt over many year$.We can try to simulatetheseforms of ilanagement with the
powerful machinesand gowth active chemicalsthat are now rEplacinghand labour, glazing and hay ma{ing. We can also use
these new tools to qeate differert conditions and oew corsmunities of plants and animals. In addition we have the
opportunity on the new vergesto managethem io such a way thFt they contribute somethingreal to the oountryside.
Amenity is not only visual but also includes tracks and paths for riding and walking, areasfor pilcnickingand similar
activities. lt is a common expedencethat areasthat look ilLkempt attract vandalismand dumping of drbbish. Nature when
left to helself is rarely tidy and not necessarilyattractiye. Fdr instance, dense stands of once atiractive flowedng plants
becomewithered and brown as the seedsdevelopand lipen, NEvertheless
if the plants are cut as soon as the flowers go over!
there will be no seedfor succeedinggenerations.To cut the plbnts at this time might be good amenity but it would be bad
conseryation.The visual aspectsof amenity are subjective but in any given situation many people v,lill agree on what is
acceptableand certainly o1rwhat is not.
Maoagementfor amenity and conseNationhas got to be designedwithin the fnmework of the edonomicsol highway
maintonance,the capabilitiesof machines,the weather, time and labour available.Managementof vdrgesis an expensive
businessand frcm a stdctly economic standpoint shows no leturn. lt will therefore be desirableto evolve management
proposalsthat make the minimum demandson highway authbrities and yet which provide the gr€ate$tvadety of wildlife
habitats of acceptableamenity standards.Within this broad framework) howeve., there are likely to be somesituationswhere
geater expenseand effort is required than highway authoritips would normally be prepared to consider.Some economic
'valuecan be put on the conservationol palticular plants and animals, or in presgrvingplacesof espocialbeauty, and we
should be (and often are) prcparedto pay lor this. Likewise in the interestsof conseryationwe should be preparedfor limited
periodsol time to put up with reducedamenity in order to enableplants to seedor birds to [est.
The Nature Cooservancyis supported by Govemment funds and is officially respousible for giving advice at a
National level on the conservationof wild life. It hasbeeninvohredin the questiol of managementof road verges,particularly
in respect of the use of chemicalweedkillers,sincethe early 1950's.Early Conseryanaywork was publishedby Balme( 1954,
1956); co-operationbetween the Conservancy,the A,R.C. Unit of Agronomy at Oxford and the Road ResearchLaboratory
resulted in the productioa in 1955 of the Ministly of Transport's Ckcular 718, for the guidanceof Highway Authodties
about the use of weedkillersin controuing roadsidevegetation.It is hoped that th€ researchwork now being undertakenby
the Conse ancy and other organisationswill lead to a revisionof this leaflgt, to take account of developmentsin machinery
and chemicalssincethat.time.
The $'ork by the Conservancyon roadsidevergesnow falls under three headings
i,
Managementexpedments
ii.
Surveywork on the physicalstructure and cons€rvat[onvalue of verges
ni,
Through Naturalists' Trusts, the Botanical Society of the British lsles (B.S.B.I.) and othQr organisations,the
cataloguingof road vergesitesof particular conservationimportance.
Managementexpeliments
A. Country RoadsTwo experimentshavebeenin progress
on the effectsof a rangeof management
practibessince1965.This
year (1969) the plots are about to be treated in the sameway for the fifth year running. The treatments are listed below.
(Table I ).
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TABLE 1
Trcatmentsapplied to experimentalplots on road verges
in Cambridgeshireand Huotirgdonshile
Operationin thlrd week of:
April
May
June
Julv
August
September
cut
L
2.
Untreated
Untreated
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
l\4aleichydrazide
l l a l e i ch y d r a z i d ae n d c u t l a t e r
l\4aleichydrazideand 2, 4-D
M a l c i ch y d r a z i d ea n d 2 , 4 - D ;
cut later
2,4-D
2,4-D andcut later
9.
10.
F l a i lt w i c e
F l a i lf i v e t i m e s
cut
cut
cut
cut
cut
cut
11.
12.
13.
Haymowertwice,cuttingsraked
Haymower5 times,cuttingsraked
Haymowertwice,cuttingsNOT
raked
Haymowerfive times,cuttings
NOT raked
cut
cut
cut
cut
cut
cut
cut
cut
cut
cut
cut
15.
16.
Rotary mowertwice
Rotary mowerfive times
cut
cut
cut
cut
cut
cut
cut
17.
H a y m o w eor n c e
14.
spray
spray
spray
cut
cul
spray
spray
spray
cut
cut
cut
cut
1 8 . H a y m o w eor n c e
cut
19. Spare
20. Spare
Eachtreatmentplot is 6 ft wide and 20 yds long,and is repeatedfou! timesin a statisticallayout.Oneexpgrimentis on
Oxford clay itr Huntingdonshire and th€ other on a chalk soil southeastof Cambddge.The botanical composition of the
swardsat the two placesis different, and the chalk site is naturally richer in herbaceousplants. Recordsare taken monthly of
the mean height of the vegetationand of the speciesof plants in flower, including grasses.In July/August assessments
are
madeof the relativeabundancaof the plant speciesby meansof presence/absence
recordingin forty l5 cm squarequadrats
per plot. In addition photo$aphic recordsare madeand also subjective
assessments
of the amenity('attractiveness')
of each
plot, Theseexperimentsare of a long term nature,and althoughgrossdifferencesbetweenthe differenttreatmentsarenow
becomingapparcnt,the vegetationhasnot yet 'settleddown'to a more or lessstablesituation,in the way that the plotsat
Bibury may now be assumed
to havedoneafter ten yearsof the sametreatment,
There has not been the well marked decline in tall tufted grasseso! increasein rhizomatous grassesas a result of
applicationof maleichydtazide(MH), that was describedby Yemm & Willis( I 962) overa similarperiodof time at Bibury.
MH has consistentlyreducedflowerilg in grassesand in growth of the culm (flowering stem) but effects on the generalheight
of the vegetation(seebelow) haveworn off in most seasons
six to eightweeksafter treatment.Effectsof 2,4-Dhavebeento
reducethe numberof broadleaved
floweringplants.The haymowerhasgenerallynot cut so evenlyor so closelyaseitherthe
flail or rotary cutter. Both the latter machinesalrd especiallythe flail have sometimescreatedbare patches.These have,
however,usually been rapidly colonisgdby low-growingcreepingplants.In generalthere are quite obviousvisible differences
betweenmany of the treatmentsbut, becauseit is the growth of the plantsthat has beenaffectedrather than the actual
composition of the flora, especiallythe dominant grasses,it is difficult to descdbe these differencesin precisebotanical
terms. Nevertheless,as one might expect, certain speciesor groups of plants with particular ecological prefercncesare
becomingmore common in some treatmelts comparedto others.Thus low growing plantssuch as CreepingButtercup
(Ranunculusrepens),Birdsfoot-trefoil (Lotus corniculatus),White Clover (Trifolium !epens),Hop Trefoil (T. campestre)have
bt6'iiF-fr6iE-io-fr?non
in rhe plots w-Ee-iFTf-e
r:f,ifion
is kepr shoritiT66-ulliliTThe
season. In tFTiIIFiTl6G
rhe
the
CompositesHardheads(Centaureanigra) and GreaterKnapweedG.:gg!'ortt, the Field Scabious(Knautiaarvensis),
have been favoured.lt is worth
umbellifersCow Parsley{Anthriscussylvestris)and Hogweedtl:t9glggLThglgylg!)
noting that the umbelli{ersand compositesare usuallyvery valuablefood plantsfor a wide rangeof insectsincludingbees
and also for some birds-eg Goldfinchesand Linnets,whilst other birds feed on the insects.In the completelyunmanaged
plots the agriculturalweedsCreepingThistje {Cirsjumarvense)and Bindweed(Convolvulusarvensis)havebecomecommonThe heisht of the vegetationin selectedtiiifili66iG
ca^b.idg".hi" iiE-iiTD67iElfr6i^
in Flss I and 2.
J:'
Fie 1.
Meanheight of vegetationln salectedtteatmelrtssprayedwith MIt ard 23-D, Cambridgeshhe196?
MH+Cut
2,4-D+Cut
36
Fig 2.
Mean height of vegetation in selecled treatments cut with a haymower and the cuttings raked off. Cambridge 196 7.
tr
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(il
o(N
(N
€o{o{
€{c{
.rl
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In both figures the curvesfor the untreated plots are the sameand show growth to a maximum height in the middle of
the seasonfollowed by a gradual collapsemainly caus€dby wind and rain. Of the chemical treatments (Fig l) maleic
hydrazidedepressedgowth for 6-8 weeksafter which there was someresumptioni howeverif the MH trcatment was followed
by a cut 8 weeks after application there was little further growth. In these expeiments there wasno eflect on growth from
2.4-D (or additional effect where it was combiled with MH) and the effects of cutting 8 weeks after application of 2,4-D
were the sameas cutting once in June (Fig 2). With thesetwo treatm€ntsand the si[gle cut in July (ie Treatments8, l7 and
I 8) no further cDt duling the seasonwas necessaryto preventgrowth of more than l2 in. but a visibility hazardwould exist
jn
in the early part ol the season,Wherethe grasswas cut five times at monthly intervalsit is interestingto note the drop-off
through
the
effect
lasting
grass
was
a
considerable
was cut in May there
the late of gowth following each cut. Whele the
seasonto the second cut in August. Where it is not desiredto protect spdng flowering plants such as Cowslip (Primula veds)
and a height of vegetationof 12 in. is tolerable,a singlecut in May by itself or followed by another cut in June might well be
all that is necessary.From a conservationpoint of view it would of cou$e be desitableto time the cuts to avoid the peak
flowering and fruiting periodsof the herbaceousplants present.The resultspresentedhere are for one year only and it should
be noted that the pattem of growth hasvaded in detail from year to year dependingupon growing conditions.
B. Motorways.A further expedment was set up in 1968 oo the embankmentsof the Ml in Leiceste$hire,where 20
nndomised trcatments arc repeated at three sites between Lutterworth and Shepshed.The treatments are shown below
(Table 2) and are all made by flail machinesexcept when the banks are too wet, when rotary cutten are used,
T ABLE 2
Treatmentsappliedto experimentalvergeson the l\41l\4otorway
in Leicestershire.
Cut in third week of:
1
2
3
4
5
6
1
8
9
't0
1t
12
13
14
15
16
11
'18
April
l\4ay
X
X
X
X
June
July
September
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
19
20
t
?o
X
X
X
These banks are a sampleof the hundreds of acrcs of rocently establishedgassland associatedririth the culrent road
building programme.As no economic use seemslik€ly for this land, mansgementsympatheticto the conservationof wildlife
would be justifiable, This experiment is again of a long term nFture. Recordsbeing taken at the mome4t ale of height of the
vegetation ard of plants in flower in the different treatments at monthly interyals,In due coutse,whOnthe yegetationhas
'settled down' to the effects
of the treatmentsmore detailcd anllyseswill be madeof the botanical aomdosition.
C' Discussion. Very few grasseshave leaveslonger than 30 pm (12 in.); notable exceptionsamongqtcommon road verge
tl":i".,
found
(Anhenatherum
FestucE.(fescues),also C_ockls-footfelyUr
et.^.tgl"), False Oat-gFass
{:
^in the_-g€nus
(Phleum
elatius).Timothy Grasr
and Tor Crass([email protected],-e choiceof ai acc6lTiu-iETe-i!ffi
i'Tratense)
to preventthe developmentof the culm
@iiiion by ttishway .t-lifi6iiliEiFiFerefore fairly cdtic;fT;ffi3;ifil-i!l-6l3i5l;
(flow€ringstem)by cuttingor the useof MH, subsequent
grovlthof l€avosof the majodtyof grasses
is rinlikelyto exceedl2
in. This heightis recommended
for manysituationson trunt to&dsandmotolwaysby the Ministryof llransport(1968).As
sltown(Fig. l) it is possibleto keepto this heightby the usaeitherof a singlesprayof MH in April anda subsequent
cut
about mid-May, or (Fig 3) by a cut in May and another in June; Howeverif a height of 6 in. is the maxinum permissible,this
can only be achievedby very frcquent cuttilg of the leavesof the plants, perhapsevery three weeksor go at the beginningof
the season(Fig 2). It should be noted that theseobservationsprcbably apply to the Midlandsand eastemtparts of the country
but not nccessarilyto the wetter parts of the west. Also that they apply to velgesor parts of vergeswhete the height of the
vegetationhas to be controlled. From a conservationpoint of vlew, many broadleavedplants are flowerihg during the months
of May and Ju[e and this is rot the best time to cut them. One hopes, therefore, that v{hereheight of vegetationis not
important, managemsntcan be arangcd to avoid the main flowpring and seedingperiod for many plants.
Surveys
A survey was made in 1967 of the physical structute and flora of a sampleof road vergesin England and Wales.lt is
hoped that it will be possibleto relate the botanical compositionof thesesitesto the managementthat they havereceivedin
the past;thus providing additional information about the effepts of different types of managementot the developmentof
plant cammunities.This work is being extendedby membersof the B.S.E.I. and other organisationstO whom we axemost
grateful. Further survey work is planned to relate the vegetatidnof road vergesand other boundary situlationswith the weed
flora of agdculturalland. This is important in relation to the prqssuresfrom farmersol Highway Authodties to manageverges
to control or elimiqate agdcultural weeds.The status of these plants on yergesand their significancethere as sourcesof seed
or propagulesfor infestation of farm land has not been studied in any detail. There are, hourever,reasonsfor supposing(see
Chancellorin this symposium)that they may not be so important as is often made out.
Cataloguing
The work of the Conservancyin collectingdata from NatUralists'Trusts and other organisationsabout vergesof especial
interest hasbeen mentioned by Paring (this symposium),aod there is no needto discussit further here.
Conclusions
It has to be rememberedthat different speciesof grasses
hnd other plants responddifferently to different management
treatments, especiallyin relation to time, and that geo$aphic{l and climatic factors will also modify trheeffects. What we
hope to do from our experiments is to show the sort of effe0ts that may occur and to indicate how they might apply in
general.As divenity is our aim there is no questionof our maktinggenemlblanket proposals-eachareaought to be managed
in the way that gives the most favourable result. This is a courtsel of pedection but it does point the rleed for close liaison
bctwoen Highway Authorities and local conservationand amenity organisations.In this work, becauseof their special
knowledge of the wildlife of their onn areas,the County Naturslists'Trusts should play a leadingpart, and many are aheady
doing so,
In conclusion it is a pleasureto acknowledg€the interest and help of the Cambddgeand Isle of Ely, the Huntingdon
County Councils,tog€ther with the Ministry of Transpod, with whoseco-operation
and Peterboroughand the Leicestershfue
the experimentsrcferred to in this paperare being made.
REFERENCES
BALME, O.E.
(r954)
Preliminaryexpedmentson the effect of the selectiveweFdkiller
2,4-D on th€ y€getationof roadsideverges.Proc. 2nd Brit. Weed
Control Conf.,219-28.
BALME, O.E.
(l9s6)
Conclusionsof qxpe ments on the effectsof the selectivdweedkiller
2,4-D on the yegetatior of roadsideverges.Proc. 3rd Brit' Weed
ControlConf.,?71-?5.
MINISTRY OF TRA,\ISPORT ( 1 9 6 8 )
YEMM, E.W.& WILLIS, A.J.
(r962)
Instruction for xhe establishmentand maintenanceof gra6sedareason
trunk roadsand motorways,useof chemicalspray$and ttoatment of
planted areas.Ministry of Transport, TechnicalM€morandunNo. T5/68.
The effects of 4aleic hydrazideand 2,4-dichlorophcnoxyaceticacid on
roadsidevegetat[on.WeedResearch2, 24-40.
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MORNING
SESSION
Sir GEORGE TAYLOR. In opening the morning SessionSir Georgereferred to the work of the LandscapingAdvisory
Committee of the Minishy of Transport. The Committee's principal concern was with the new motorways and trunk roads
which were causingdnstic disturbancein the countrysidebut at the sametime cleating new enyironmeltts.A great challenge
to the Committee was presentedby the large areasassociatedwith the intenections on these roads, sometimesas much as
30/70 acres, and with the grass verges.It was their deliberate policy, endorsed by the Ministry, to restrict planting to
indigenous speciesand to discourag€any unnecessaryplanting. The yistas of the countryside openedup by the new roads
should not be obscured and the rcads themselvesshould be maried as fully as possible into tha countryside. As far as
herbaceousplants were concernedit was the object of the Committee to ensurethat natural vegetationwas encouragedby
managementand if possibleincrcasedby deliberateeffort. Seedsof wild plants could be sown on slopesbut the emphasis
again must be on indigenousspecies,It wasvery satisfactoryto know that numbersof wild plants, for instancepdmrosesand
cowslipson the Ml, had spreadin naturally. He wasawarethat all the Committee'spolicieshad not beeofully successfulbut
he believedthat thek efforts should be more widely known thatr they were.
Lord NUGENT of GUILDFORD then welcomeddelegatesto the symposiumand gavehis openingaddress.
Mr M,R. PORTER presentedhis paper and said that the ideas expressedthere on how an ideal road in its various
contexts should look, should be kept in mind as a background to the other ideas being put forward by later speakers.
However,the most important factor of all was road safety for the road user.On minor roads small improvementssometimes
led to higher speedsand demandsthen followed for furthe! improvement. Theseattracted a different kind of road user and a
different classof traffic. In these circumstancesthe local inhabitant was likely to suffer as weu as generalconservationand
amenity interests.The designand maintenanceof highway landscapingwas largely a matter of good mannets,looking to see
what was already there and repeatingit, perhapson a bolder scale.Diyersity of desigoto suit the local countryside,so that
the road itself becameless conspicuouswhen seenfrom the outside and more intgrestingand sale for the driver, was most
likely to satisfy the majority of interestedparties.Careshould be taken in the formulation of maintenanceproposalsto avoid
imposing too many different programmesand techniqueson the responsibleauthorities.
Mr Porter showed a number of slides. One of these showed a verge with the edge next to the hard shoulder cut
frequently, progressingthrough less frequently cut zones to a state where natural regenerationof scrub and trees was
beginningto occur, This was contrastedwith a similar length where thc grasscutting had followed hard, unsympatheticlines,
thus incr€asingthe man-madelook of the whole area. An old railway cuttiqg at Twyford with mature treesand an attnctive
woodlandground flora might be the model for some road vergesof the luture. A seriesof slidesof Germanmotorways
emphasised
the needto retainthe wide opencharacteroJ certainlandscapes.
wheretree plantingwould be contradictoryand
out of scaie.In anothersituationfull useof an areaof woodlandhad beenmadeto give the maximumfeelingof the road
being in and part of the wood. However,in many casesit w s often not advisatile
to savetreesalonga motorwayunlessihey
occurredin sufficientquantity and it was reasonablycertainthat they would survivethe disturbancicausedby engineering
works; ;t was usually more important to get the contours right and then replant as necessary,Mr Porter brjefly surveyedthe
problemsof minor roadsand the especialvulnerabilityof banks,hedgesand stonewallswhich are likely to be replacedby
post and rail fencesor by wire. The needfor a positiveapproachto landscaping
was emphasised
in a final slideof a multiintersectionclover-leafcrossing,which might cover up to 100 acresin the future, with all its implicationsJor conservation,
m a n a g e m e an nl da m e n i t y .
Dr F.H. PERRING,in introducinghis paper,stressed
the differenceb€tweenqld vergesassociated
with ancientroads
and the newly created velges associated with modern developments.In both caseshe pointed out the conservation
importance of these areasand mentioned dumping, hedgeremoval and the useof aggressive
grassspecigsin seedmixtures as
heineunfavourable
in this conrext.lllanagement
of the vergeswasimportanland the encouragement
of a diversitvof habitats
bv varvingthe type and frequencyof m;nagementoperifionswii io oe eniijurjiea lnd iduiii-prooiutv oti a,jni'iii-r,ii-rii
way as to satisfyall parties He spokeaboutthe numberof nationallyrareplant soecies
that occurredon road veroesand the
importance of conservation orgarisations liaising with the highway authorities ior'ttriir piotection. t" ioaitiirir-,' C6utiiv
Naturalists' Trusts were dmwing up schedulesof vergesites of generalimportance for conseNationin their own counties.So
lar some 300 miles had been selected,mostly for assemblages
of wild plants,in a number of Englishcountiesand Lothian in
Scotland.
Mr D. T. STREETER also spoke of the importance of road vergesfor conseNationand stressedthat the main object of
verge managementshould be to enhancethe local characterof the vergefrom amenity and conservationpoints of view, whilst
meeting the requirementsof the highway authority for the maintenanceof the road and salety of its usen. As management
was a local problem it was impo ant that local organisationsaod particularly the County Naturalists' Ttusts should work
closely with the County Surveyols'departments.The need for local co-operationwasemph;sisedby the fact that it was quite
impossibleto have a genelalpolicy for the managementof vergesthroughout the British isles becauseof the geat diversity of
envfonmental factors; and also becausethe objectivesof managementwere so vaded in different parts oflhe country. Mr
Streeter hoped that all County Trusts that had not so far completed the survey of vergesof conseryationimportince,
mentioned by^ Dr Perring,should now do so and start to make arangements for establishingschedulesof managementfor
the$e areas. Once the scheduleshad been agreed it was lecessary that there should be-the fullest understandineand
co-operationon lhe ground betwe€nthe people concerned.
Mr R.J.WHITE, putting the farme$' viewpoint, said thdt farmers as the inhabitants of rulal are4swho were proud of
their countryside lelt a very real concern about the state of the verges.He appreciatedthat his written paper dealt only with
an occu[ence in one year and that maintenaflceproblems usrlally were concelned with happeningsover a numbsr of yeats.
The consequenceof not cutting the Hampshiievergesin 1968 had beell unsightly and umafe and had elrcourag€dthe gowth
of broadleaved dock. He wasglad to know that the Nature Cotservancyand the Ministry of Transpo were concernedabout
what was happening on road vergesbut doubted that farmerb had really thought about them as being sanctuadesfor rare
plants. His own view was that the 20 acresor so of internal tlacks and bddle paths oII his own 900 acrFfarm were probably
much more of a sanctuaryfor wildlife.
Mr R. J. CHANCFILLOR in presentinghis paper gaveadditional evidenceof sucaassfulweed disdersaloccuring in his
garden, 1/3 acrc in extent. Over six years,thrce separateplants of PerennialSoMhistle (Sonchusarvensib)becameestablished
irom wind-borne seed.Assuminga i09loestablishmentraie, thls gavea total of fifteen ?iab*. seTls-6?tTrisspeciesfalling on
each acre in each year in the Oxfurd area.Sowthistleand ColtCfoot(Tussilagofarfara) another creepingperennialweed with
weedsin road
wind-bomesced-were potentiallythe most harmful weedsoccurriffiiGTiGiiies-. Most other ag.ricultural
possiblesourcesof
vergeswere either uncommon or lacked efficient dispersalmethods,but vergeswere none-the-lesg
infestations,
Dr BRUCti CAMPBELL (Editorial Adviser,The Countryman)said that althoughthe well-beingand alertnessof the
driver must be the lirst care of the roid planner, more topographicalsignswould help to make long shetchesof motorway
moreinte.esting,particularlyfor passengers.
Sir GEORGE TAYLOR said that this question had be+n consideredby the Minister's Landsca$ingCommittee, who
were in favour of more signsto identify localities,but their sug*estionhad not so far beenaccepted.
Mr PORTER referred to another aspectof this questioni He was often askedto screenthings wftich people felt were
ugly, but a vierv of, for instanceJLuton from the Ml, or a pqwer station, helped the driver to locate himself, and addedan
interest to the route. lt wasalso sometimesdiflicult to screenhousesbacking onto a motorway, becauseto do this adequately
would cut out light from them,
Mr R. C. JENNINGS (Technical Manager,Chipman Chelnical Co., Ltd,,) commented on the abutrrdance
of weedsand
poor maintenanceof the grassswald on the early sectionsof the M1 where no chemicalsprayshad beEnused, comparedto
the more parkJike appgaranceon later sectioos in Leicester$fre and Nottiaghamshire. These sectio[s wete treated with
chemicalsand gangmown. M! Porter in his paper seemedto infer that the latter approachto managemerltwasundesiable but
wasit not a fact that thesevergeswere more aestheticallyattraqtiv€as a result.
Mr A,P, DUNBALL (Horticultural Adviser, Ministry of Nransport) rcplied that the later sectionsof the M I illustrated
the Ministry ol Transport'schangingpoUcy oII vergemaintenanceand weed control. The earlier policy had beento keep grass
cutting to the minimum to encouragedevelopmentof the natlve flora, but rapid invasion by weedy speciesof newly sown
vergeshad necessitateda changeof plan, More recent instructlons were to cut the grassas frequently bspossiblein the first
two or three years, together with the use of h€rbicides,to producea tight cleansward.When this was dchievedfrequency of
gnss cutting could be reducedwithout the dangerof an invasionof docksand thistles.
Mr J, D, LEEFE (Lindsey Project for Improvement of the Environment) raised the question of planting beyond the
highway, suggestedby Mr Porter. With the advent of the Couhtryside Act and its plovisions for tree planting, was there not
now a great oppotunity for local authodties to preparesupqlementaryplanting schemesin conjunction with th9 adjacent
owners, the Countryside Commissionand road landscapeadvife6, to give a better landscape?Emphasishad beenplacedon
the importanceof vergesas a nationalheritageto a future 100%car-owningpublic, Could use be madeof the Countryside
Act to providegrantsfor extra land for picnic placesfor the public,in additionto other amenitiesprovidedon main roads,
possiblyin suitableinstances
associated
with vergenaturetrails?
Mr PORTER ageed that there were great possibilitiesfol local authoritiesto preparesupplementhryplanting schemes,
but funds might not be available.
Sir GEORGE TAYLOR said when trunk roads were planoed, the governmenttried to acquire phrcelsof land suitable
ior planting, but that the Ministry of Transport's powe$ to blant only extended to land actually po$sessed
by them. The
Ministry did, however, try to get the sympathy of the adjacentlandorrnersto ensurcthat the roads wele landscapedinto the
countryside.
Mr R.J. S,HOOKWAY (Countryside Commission)said that there appearedto be powers in the Countryside Act for a
wide rangeof oeative landscapingusingCoveromentfunds. Hdwever,there was considerablecompetitidn for thesefunds and
agreementabout individual schemeshad to be teachedwith local authorities.The authoiities might be loathe to take on small
schemesof the sort being suggestedwhich could involve them ln a lot of effort for a small result. Howerler,he agreedwilh Mr
Leefe's suggestionfor the deation of amenity areasand natule trails along roadsidevelgesso long as (hey did not involve a
safety hazard and could be adequatelymanaged.There was gleat potential here for public authodties to make agreements
with pdvate landownersfor creativelaadscaping,thereby not only contributing to the countrysidebut also to the individual
landowne$'s holding. In addition if the managementcould bo caried out by the farmer or landowner,possiblyin return for
payment, this would materially reduce the authority's costsaid there would be lesslikellhood of conflict over the form of
management.If agreementsof this sort could be encouragedit was possiblethat local authorities would be interestedand a
great deal of progressmight be nade.
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Mr ALEC LIVINGSTON (Council for the Preseryation of Rural England) stressed the economic importance of tourism
and the pleasure tourists got from the sight of wild plants in flower in the roadside verges. Attractive verges were an integtal
part of the English countryside and probably had a greater elfect on people than was commonly lealised.
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l\,4iss.F.p$Ll\4ER (Berks,Bucks and Oxon Naturalists'Trust) expressedconcern about the. removal of hedgesduring
widening operations on minor roads, without any sign of subsequent replanting. She suggestcd that this problem could be
faced by planting coppice trees, which would not require as much t mming and would perhaptbring some revenue when cut.
She asked who would be responsible for this sort of replanting and the maintenance of it
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Mr C. R, CHADWICK said County Councils would be responsibleexcept on motorways and trunk roads. A good deal of
this was in fact being done.
Mr WHITE said that he thought the farmers' attitudes towards prairie farming were changinS: many latmets wete now
planting hedgesand would welcome roadside hedgesfor protection of stock and clops,
Mr W J, CHAFFE (Couoty Surveyor, Devon County Council) asked Mr Chancellor whether there was any frior means
of treatment of soil to control broad-leaveddock during the construction of new roadworks, chemical control later being
difficult and experlsive.
Mr CHANCELLOR said that referenceshould be made to the Weed Control Handbook.
Dr S. R. J. WOODELL (Berks, Bucks and Oxon Naturalists' Trust) sdid that roadsidevergescould act as Nature resetves
for weeds especially as it had been indicated that they were relatively unimportant as soulces of secd for infestation of
farmland. Many so-called weeds were attractive plants and it was important to distinguish between these and the few
'gene banks' lor weedy species in case hetbicide
aggressive injurious species. In addition the plants orl verges could act as
resistant forms developed on farmland. ln reference to Mr White's remarks, Dr Woodwell said that he thought that internal
farm roads and tracks were just as important for conservation as the public road verges,but were perhaps often in more
danger lro m snraying.
Mr WHITE said that there was constant pressureon farmland from town development, etc., so that larmets werc forced
to make lullest use of all ptoughable land. There were! however, lanes and bridleways on the farms with high hedgeswhich
were protected from drift of spray, and the chemicals used were in any case Senerally selective sprays.
Mr STREFITER added that nature reservesfor weeds such as corn-cockle and cornflowers, which werc considcred
part of the national heritage,had been consideredfor a long time, and, he thought, did exist already in Holland.
Mr H. N. JENNER (County Surveyor, Hampshire County Council), reporting on the experience of the Hampshirc
County Council in 1968, said that the decision not to cut the road verges had been forced on the Council by financial
considerations.The expedment was not likely to be repeated becauseof the weight of opinion against it. Development of
noxlous weeds, effects on road safety (although in fact there had been no increasein accidents), and many other reasons
outweighed any advantage.
With rcgard to weeds the legat advice he had had agreed with that given in the note on page 28 of the Symposiunl
papers. He had noted a difference of opinion between Mr Cornwallis' paper and Mr White's over the rights and responsibilities
ol the neighbouring landowner vis d vis the highway authority with respect to the management and cropping of grass verges.
He had previously contended that the highway verge and the growth on it were ifl the ownership of the neighbouring farmer
or landowner. His recent legal opinion was that so far as injurious weeds were concerned it was the responsibility of the
highway authority to control them. In general the authority's interests were in meeting its liabilities with respect of the
highway and in ensuring that the Queen's subjectscould get along it. The owne! of the subsoil was entitled to any other asset
provided it did not intedere with the propei functions and right of passage.
Mr Jenner did not think that the complete lack of management of verges would be acceptable to conservationists.
particularly when one saw the very rapid growth ofrank vegetation that had occurred in Hampshire in 1968. This growth
quickly overran and suppressed many more attractive flowering plants. This was especially noticeable when new verges had
bcen formed from improvements and this was upsetting for neighbouring owners or tenants who had surrendered land and
then seen it run to seed.
With fegard to co-operation between County Suryeyors and Nature Conseryation interests, Mr Jenncr said he had had
difficulty in getting information about speciesand sites lor preservationand identifying the reas of interest and would be
glad of advicc. ln general he thought that co-operative elforts should be directed to prese ing species wherg they wcre known
to exist arld where they were important, and not to alienate the goodwill of road user and farm interests by attempting the
inpossible task of preserving everythilg everywher€.
Mr MARK JOHNS (Keep Bdtain Tidy Group) said that efforts to make vergesattmctive would probably be spoiled if
problems of litter were not kept in mind. Was it an accident that no reference to this question was included in the papers?
Sir GBORGE TAYLOR felt that litter control was not entirely relevant to the day's proceedings,but that it was in the
mind of the Landscaping Committee. lt was the responsibility of the local authorities to deal with the litter problem on
roads, and that they could receive help from the Ministry for this.
Dr T. LEWIS (Rothamsted Expedmental Station) pointed out the value of verges as habit4ts and reservoirs of
pollinating insects, which were essentialto produce satisfadtory yields in many crops. The Bee Research Association
published leaflets recommendingtrees and shrubs suitable fot amenity plaating, and at the same tirbe valuable for bees.
Although therc werc still many orchards, particularly in the West Country, where good sets could bd obtained from wild
pollinators, many orchardsin the easterncountiesdependedon the introduction of honey beesbecauseff the lack of enough
wild insectg.
Agr, Ing. ZWIJNS(Netherlands)said that the vergesof thE smallerroadsshould be efficiently maidtainedby mowing or
spraying.He consideredthat spraying was the only way to do this, becauseglowing weeds spreadingonto the hard surface
pushedthe traffic into the centreof the toad, thus incrcasingthtedanger,particulady on winding roads.
Col. E M.HILL(Council for the Preservationof Rural Englatd) said that the morning'ssessionhad dealt almost entirely
with the flora of rcad verges,Wastherc any fauna which existed mainly in the road velges?
Dr N W.MOORE (Monks Wood Expedmental Station) roplied that oo thorough studieshad beenimadeof the fauna of
roadsideverges,although a very high proportion of British butterflies, farmland birds, etc., bred and/or nedon them, One fly,
so far, had its only record from a vergein Dorset,and there might be quite a lot of specieswhosemain llau[ts, particularly in
eastem England, were now in roadsideverges,becauseof the ditappearanceof rough land from the neighbouringcountryside.
Dr PERRING added that io the recent suney he had me1tiored, it wasnoticeablethat very few of the vergeshad been
selected becauseof their fauna, apart from a few in Lincolnshire for butterflies, There was a potefltial here which the
Naturalists'Trusts had not yet recognised.
Miss N. FAIRBROTHER (LandscapeArchitect) asked whether it was possible to obtain gxalts for the amenity
managemcntof roadsidevergesin National Parks and Areas oi OutstandingNatural Beauty, where this exceededthe cost of
normal routine methods.
Lord NUGENT thought that this would only be possiblqby the formation of a Country Park uirder the Countryside
Act, but as previously mentioned, becauseof financial restrictlons, the chancesof doing this for a small sttip of vergewete
IIot very good.
Dr M.B. USHER (Yorkshire Naturalists'Trust) askedfor I definition of "Conservation" as usedin the context of newlv
cleatedhabitats,eg the enclosedtrianglesof motorways,
Dr N. W MOORE (Monks Wood Experimental Station) said that although "conscrvation" did not generallymean more
than a prevention of wasteof lesources,"nature conservation"was more positive, It implied a need to maintain, and where
possible enhance, the biological diversity of the environrnent for the benefit of our own and future generations.
Cons€rvationistsshould be forward-looking and oot just concomed with the past. lt was therefore possibleto considerthe
creation of new areasof biological interest asbeing a form of nqture conservation.
Mr JAMES FISHER (Countryside Commission)said that under the 1968 Act, there was a possibitty of the grant-aided
developmentof transit picnic sites,particularly for holiday traffic, and this vas being investigated.
Mr Fisher suggestedthat the smallishareasof roadsidefotmed during road-stnighteningoperation$,and too small to be
used as picnic sites, would be useful for the provision of lavato!'yfacilities. The cut-off laybys were in fact "weed-farms" and
had researchpossibiliti€son the problems of their fauna, flora, managementand future development,and could be a subject
for co-operatior betweenthe highway authoritiesand the County CountrysideCommittees.
He said that the Countryside Commission welcome( the deployment of County Countryside Committees or
sub-committees of the Planning Committees, and looked forward to evely county having such a committee, with
representationof the County Naturalists'Trusts.
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AFTERNOONSESSION
Mr E L.BROUGHTON openedthe aftemoon sessionby sayingthat the contributions were to be from people whosejob
was actually the careof roadsideverges.The County Surveyorhad a thanklesstask in pleasingall and satisfyingasmany as he
could while peforming his statutory duties. County highu'ay personnelpresentconstitutedjust under a third of all delegates
and this showed that county highway authorities took the subject of roadsidevergesand theit maintenancevely seriously
indeed.
He then had pleasurein introducing Mr C.RCHADWICK, county Surveyo!for wiltshie.
Mr C, R, CHADWICK said that in his paperhe had refered to comrnonmisconceptionsof what the highway wasand to
whom the land over which it ran belonged.There were six principal categoriesof public highway, all of which might have
verges.The dght of passagesubsistedover the whole width, including the verges,and was not confined to the metalled
cariageway. He said that a gleat deal of attention was devoted to motorways and their effect on the landscape,although at
presentthey coveredonly one per cent of the mileageof public highwaysin this country. In addition to the highwaysalready
mentioned, there were also two categoriesofrights of way, namely bddle-waysand footpaths, which were seldom considered
but the mileageof which was c.onsiderablygreaterthan that of lepairablepublic roads.In Wiltshire there wele somethinglike
5,000 public footpaths acrosscountry, and in most casesthe only maintenancecaried out wassimply to keep then open, as
the right of passage
had to be maintained.
Part 4 of his paper dealt with the principal requirementsof a verye maintenancepolicy. There was sometimesa conflict
of intercst between road safety on the one hand and amenity on the other, but this was often greatly exaggerat€d.The
solution was largely a matter of common sensoand co-operationwith local naturalistsand amenity bodies.One aspectof the
subject which was sometimesoverlooked(and uoderestimated)was the positive contdbution that the construction ofroads
could make in goviding new habitats for wild plalts and animals. A good example in his own county recently wasa newly
construct€d cutting, a retaining wall of which had been back-fited last year and produced a densecarpet of snowdropsthis
February presumablythe corms had been imported with the in-fill. D! Perringhad complainedabout the dumping of soil on
road verges,and whilst he agreedthat this could haveunfortunate effects, Mr Chadwicksuggestedthat it could also encourage
wild plants, suchas poppi€s,
He could not accept that roads wele an intrusion into the countryside: they might be so in a jungle but if by
countryside one meant what man had madeof the jungle, roads were an integlal part of it. He saidit was not an accidentthat
in the British Isles, where there was the geatest density of minor roads,there wasalso the most efficient agdculture.He did
not suggestthat the latter sprangfrom the former but it was not a pulely casualrelationship.
Mr Chadwick said that he still had to be convincadof many ol the criticisms of the geometry of road designin this
country. He would not contend that mistakes did not occur, but would say that geometry afld formal design were not
necessarilyout of plac€ in an intensely cultivated landscape.He personallygot much pleasurefrom lookiog at well designed
improvementschemeswith flowing lines and well-managedswardsrunuing through fertile farmland,
A point had been madeabout the useof indigenousplants.He whol€heartedlyagreedwith this in generalbut thought it
unwise to be dogmatic. He had been intrigued in Czechoslovakiato s€e that trees of the edible cherry were planted as a
matter of policy along their roads, to produce a "free" crop, and were very easilytended by machines.He thought that this
showedinterestingplanningof the countryside,evenif it wasnot very natural.
Am€nity needed to be an ally to road safety, one oi the most important concernsof the road engineer.This was
particularly true on motorways, where the problem of monotony had to be overcome: this might not be significant on a
50-mile run, but becamequite a problem on ajourney of 500 miles.With regardto laybys and toilets, Mr Chadwick said that
many counties were introducing toilets in laybys, to avoid the nuisanceqeated on quite a largescalein the vicinity of laybys
without them.
Mr Chadwick summed up by sayingthat roadsidevergesshould be consideredas part of the cultivated couotryside,and
should be managedin sympathy with the country scene,It must howeverbe recognisedthat everythingone did cost money.
Mr C.V. UNDERWOODpointed out a corectioo in his paper:on P. 49 3rd line, the referenceto 80s.0d. pe! acle
shouldbe 100s.0d. (Amendedin the reprintversionof the papers:Editor).
There were three nain goups of vergesto be consideredin the problem of maintenance:(a) new verges,from the
building of motorways and by-passes;(b) establishedverges,which formed the majority; aod (c) maintenanceof vergesin
rcsidentialareas.There were a number of engineeringconsidemtionsfor vergemaintenaflcewhich included stabilisationof the
soil. removalof obFtructionby overhanging
bushesand other vegetation,and properdrainageof the road. Drainagewas a
very real function of vergemaintenance.
By making new embantments and cuttings the natural soil conditions were destroyed.It was necessaryto establish
vegetatior cover quickly and in the past this had been done by applying top soil, not necessarilyfrom the samedistdct, and
seedingit. This was very expensive.The modern technique of hy&oseeding wasa very quick way to eltablish a swardand it
was also cheap: at 6d per squareyard it was half the cost of taditional mothods.No top soil was applled, only a sprayingof
water, certain additiyes,seed,and chopped straw, madetacky with bitumen emulsion,sufficient to est{blish the gjasson the
bank, Three weeks aiter application the grasswould be growi4g. Refercncehad aheady been madeto rye gass, which ceused
a great maintenanceproblem, particularly in the 50% specificEtionof the Ministry of Tmnsport. He thought in any casethat
often the corect specificationof seedwasnot suppliedto surteyors when ordered accordingto the Mi4istry $pecification.In
They would also Uke to
Leicestershire,a different specificationwasusedon new work!, which containedlow-growinggtrasses.
include seedof ildigenous wild plants g.ov/ingin the areabut it wasa problem to collect the seed.
In discussingthe best way to managenewly establishedv€getationon verges,he felt that the Ministry of Transport's
Bnd in no caselonger
to keep vegetationto not more than 6 inohes,for 6-7 feet from the carriageway,
recommendations
plarlting
problem.
too
much
was done on the
big
He
felt
that
sometimes
tree
brought
a
maintenance
alsd
than 12 inches
pfoblems
suchasshade,
from the amenityand expensepointsof view,whilsttreescreated
motorways.This was unnecessary
for the established
country verges,they
wet leavesand could be quite out of placein open countryside.In Leicestershire.
had introduceda grassmaintenancepolicy, and this was ourtlinedin his paper.They had only one year'sexperience,but
points of view. He saidthat althbughfarmersliked to
from both the wildlife and engiheering
indicationswere encouraging
both to the animalsand
animalsto grazeon the vergeand this wasdangerous
seefrequentmowing,a short turf encouraged
to the motorists.
Of the managementtechniques that were available,the tractor side-mountedflail mower wa$ a geat boon to the
highway engineer.In his county they did not approve of the generalapplication of chemicalson vergesand said that useof
them was restdcted to dealing with injurious weeds.Although a lot had beensaid about weeds,the polnt had not beenmade
that there were only 5 speciesof injurious weedsfor which th€fe wasa statutory obligation to control.
Summing up, Mr Underwood said that it was necessaryto keep the matter of verge maintonancein perspective,
especiallyas it lepresentedprobably not more than lth% of m4inter.ar\cemo[ey spent by highway authorities.
Dr A.J.WILLIS in presentinghis papel referred to a number of methodsof chemicalcontrol of road vergevegetation,
expedmental work on the long-term and ecologicaleffects oi their use, and what advaltagesthey might be expectedto have
over other methods. Total eradicto$ were of rather specialis€dand limited local use,as on kerbsidesa0d at the foot of walls.
The most interestingand promising techniquesof generalapplication in vergemaintenancewere tho$e involving the use of
gowth-retarden, Over the last 20 years a good deal of work had beenput into studying the effects of thesecompoundsand
especiallyMaleic Hydrazide (MH), the best known of them, in terms of their effectson road vergevegetation.Dr Willis then
went on to describewith the help of slidesthe experimentsit Bibury in Gloucesterhsire,detailed in his written paper' MH
when used by itself led to a changein the compositionof grassswardstowards low-growingspecies,it preventedflowedng of
grassesand io some extent had a herbicidai effect on thd tall-growing umbelliferc. Th€ gowth-- regulator 2,4-D had a
terbicidal effect on the majodty of broad-leavedplants but also over a period of time did lead to a shift in the compositionof
the grasssward. Mixtures of 2,+-o and MH led to a grassswdrd kept short and not flowgring and laclting most broad-leaY€d
gmdual
species.If plots that had been previouslysprayedwith this mi,(ture were not sprayedfor a period of yeb$ thele wasa
pedod
short
in
compamtiY€ly
However,
the
began.
present
befole
treatment
iversion to the plant commu;ity that hai been
presentalthough
Lf +-S y"urr at Bibury there was no complete reversionto the original flora in terms of numbersof species
been made at
-uny f"ut,rr", of the former vegetation were by therr evidont, Measurementsof height of vegetatiJonhad
next paper. He
inteivals after treatment anOhe notecl that some of the results did not agreewith Dr Way's reported in the
of swardsof
ft p"J in"t they would be able to discussthis later. with rdgard to the effects on the botanical composition
*^purid to sptayinl, Dr Willis said that cutting could strongly reducedive$ity'
"uiting
mainly what
Dr J.M.WAY introduced his paper by sayingthat in addltion to the managementof gxassverges,which was
narow
country
in
especially
vegetation
\toody
of
question
of
management
aiso
ihe
had been talked about so far, there was
destruction
lanes. control of this vegetationonly really poseda conservdtionproblem u'hen thete wasa dangerof wholesale
expedmentshe was
of roadside hedgesand trees. There was less-needfor researdhon their managementand sOin his ovn
velges' contdbuted
scrub
wide
and
on
concentrating on the grass problem. Neverthelessroadside hedges and trees,
tleatmQnt' ln
sy-npathetic
requ]ed
and
occured
in
which
they
areas
of
the
amenity
significanfly to the coflservatlonand
of habitat' to
DIVERSITY
need
to
create
the
as
reiation to-grassverges,wildlife conservationlnterests might be summadsed
of new
crcation
the
by
afforded
oPPORTUNITY
grasp
the
al1d
to
detail
in
techniques
ensureCoNTINUITY of management
plant
effect
on
have
deva$taling
a
could
areasas a result of road Uuifaing piogammis. Sudden changesin management
periods of time lt was
over
long
oi
management
form
constant
or
less
mor"
.,ndir
a
developed
communitigs that had
should be usedand theri asfar as possiblestick
important to decide as soon a, porribG no* tt " new techniq!.[esbeiog_evolved
animal populations
wele encoura$ed.
communities
uni,u"tl"o
L"fiftv
fhnt
to them. so far as animals *"t"
but this was not
amenity
talking
about
also
was
often
""r""it"a,-ii
one
*ftfr them. When one talked about conseNation
*"riJ-i"*f.p
when plants went to
as
for
instance
amenity:
irdifferent
to
could
lea-d
p"1ioa,
of
time
r"i
good
consewation
;i;;v. ;;,;.e
vith f€sealchon load verges
had been-associated
seedor long glasswas left to ptot""i tiatti"glilas. Tlre Natute Conservancy
co-operationof these
the
continuing
orgadisations,and hoped with
since the early 1g5gs, togeth$ *liir-olr"ii"t"r"rted
his lesealchwolk
detail
in
on
to
discuss
organisationsto be able to produce agreedadvice for the future. Dr Way th€n went
and resultsto dato desc bed io his paper.
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Alderman H,B,WEBBER(Devon County Council), who wasnot able to be ptesent,in a written 1lotecommentedthat it
was interestingto seethat thought was being given to the introduction of indigenouswild plants onto motorway banks.In
South Devon some of the amenity societiesin co-operationwith the County Council had scatteredthe seedsof wild flowers
over trial areasof road vergeswith a vi€w of extending this processto raw banks following roadworks, although the 1968
experiment seemedto have met with limited success.We.e there other similar experimentsbeing caried out, and if so, what
were the rcsults?
Mr STREETER replied that there was not a geat deal of experienceof this ploblem, but he thought that t als wete
also being made in Cornwall. One of the problems of introduaing indigenousplantshto establishedroadsidevergeswas that
the vegetationthere was usually already a closed community. Oo thc other hand, new verges,particularly those which were
likely to be least disturbed, would be very valuableif properly managed,especiallyfor the conseryationof padicular species
which were locally becoming rare. lf tmoslers of platts ol this sort were made he emphasisedthat the details should be
accuratelyrecordedand sent to the Biological RecordsCentreat Monks Wood.
Mi UNDERWOOD said that his Council felt that the laying of turl was the best solution to the establishmentof
vegetationoll motorway banks, although it was difficult to find sufficient suitable material. (It was suggestedfrom the hall
that railway bankswould be the placesto find the turf requh€d).
A representativeof the County Surveyor'sDepadment (Gloucestershire)said that they had been sowing seedof red
fescuealong new highway improvementsand had hoped to re-establishscabiousand cranesbill,but could oot find a sourceof
seed.They would be most grateful if the Naturalists' societiescould show them where seedcould be obtained, so that these
arld other wild flowering speciescould be reinstatedin such areas.
Mr T. A.W DAVIS (WestWalesNaturalists' Trust) said that seedof suitable flowering plants should be collectedfrom
plants grown in specialnu$edes or p vate gardens.Naturalists' Trusts should collaboratewith Highway Authorities in this.
The gass€s included in seed mixtures should be dwarf: sweet vemal (Anthoxanthum odoratum would be suitable in
addition to others already mentioned.
Dr BRUCE CAMPBELL commented on the value of motorway "clover-leafcircles" and similar areasfor conseryation,
'improvements' elsewhere.He
especiallyfor the re-establishmentof specieswhich could be savedfrom destruction dudng
mefltionedthe daffodils betweenthe ca(iagewayson the RossSpuf, swely the safestwild plants from the picker.
Mr R. C.STEELE (Monks Wood Experimental Station) reinforced the plea for more careful choice of trees alld
shiubs in roadside planting; he was disappointedto seenon-native trees, such as sycamore,being so extensivelyused, and
strcssedthat native specieswere far more valuablefor wildlife conservation.
Mr CHADWICK agreedin generalwith Mr Steele,but emphasisedthat exceptionscould be made to every rul€ and he
would not like to seenon-indigenousspeciesruled out in every case.
Mr J, D. LEEFE suppoded Mr Chadwick in sayingthat highwaysshould be regardedas part of the countryside,and that
stronger liaison was required between the highway authodties, the planning authorities and the newly formed Countryside
Committees. He also strongly supported Mr Chadwick's suggestionthat Parish Councils be eocouragedto ca(y out tree
planting schemes.His contact with Pa sh Councils showed that there was a potential fund of goodwill and knowledge and
alro mon"y for tree planting. If local people participatedio thesetypes of scheme,they would havea Sreaterinterest in them.
Mr CHADWICK replied that although he had suggestedthat ParishCouncilswere the appropriatebodiesto h€lp in trce
planting schemes,the rcsponsein Wiltshiri had not in fact been as widespreadas he would have liked. He hoped, however,
that more attention would be givento this matter.
Col. E M,HILL (Council for the Preservationof Rural England)saidthat the amenity interestsoften felt that there was
a lack of co-operationbetween the more junior officials of the County Surveyot'soffices and the planning departments,so
that minor rcad widening and removal of hedgeswere caried out, which alteredthe whole amenity of country roads,villages,
etc., without proper consultation.
He alsoaskedwh€ther anything was being done to produce shortgrowinggrassspecies,in order to reducethe amount of
mowing necessaly.
Mr BROUGHTON replied that for certain works it wasnecessaryfo! the County Surveyorto obtain statutory planning
approval, and in thesecase;there wasof coursefull co-operation,In his county of Cumbelland,there wasa good relationship
beiween junior officials ol his and the planning departments,particularly in the Lake District. In generalhe thought that
there wasa vely good degreeof collaborationall the way down.
Mr CHADWICK addedthat he and his staff in Wiltshire wele very well awareof theseproblemsand would not willingly
do anything to spoil the countryside; they were always willing to take part in any desirableor necessaryconsultationswith
other deparlmentswith this in minc.
Dr WILLIS, referring to a commeot made on short grasses,said that these aheady existed in nature, and one of the
effects ol maleic hydrazide was to promote the developmentof some of these relative to the broader-bladed,taller, tussock
forms.
Refering to Dr Way'spaper, Dr Willis said that he wasnol surprisedthat no changecould be dotectedwhen using 2,4-D
as it was s€vetalyears before he became aware at Bibury thdt there were slow changesin the grassOompolentsof plant
communitiestreated with this chemical;there was therefore a lpossibility that chemicalscould be used for a pedod without
any apparent effect, but, if usedrepeatedlyover a number of ydars,miglt lead to fundamentalchangesiit tlle veg€tation.The
griss wi. .hotter afier a iong period of treatment with 2,4-D bebausethe taller grassesdisappearedand sliolt forms took over.
With regard to the differencii between Dr Way's and his resulls in the heights of maleic hydrazide spr4yedplants,he could
not olfer any obyious explanation. He had recently collected lnformation on the effects of spray treatments with MH and
2,4-D in many differert parts of Britain and also on the continont: of l5 reports, 10 specificallyreferred to an incieasein the
of coa$e grassFs'In no casedid the
finerleaved meadow graJsesand fescues,but every report refefred to the disappearance
height of the vegetationexceed15 in. afte! treatment with MH {nd 2,4-D.
Mr R.Q JENNINGS (Technical Director, Chipman Chemlcal Co., Ltd.,) askedDr Way if he could bayhow many of the
300,000 acresof roadsidethat had been referred to were regularly sprayedwith chemicalweedkillersdnd gowth-retarders.
With reference to the Minishy of Tlansport memorandum of 7 Feb. 1965, providing the recommeddationsof this were
obseryed,did Dr Way not think that there were still ample areasin which wildlife could floudsh?
Dr WAY replied that no-one seemedto have any detailep information about the amoult of cherhicalsprayingcarried
out for vegetationcontrol on road verges,His impressionwasttat it wasnot very great,However,it might be possibleto find
out irom manufacturershow much matedal wassold for this pluposeand so arrive at a figure that way. The main concell of
conservationistswas not so much with the main trunk roads and the 6 ft (not l0 ft) strip that wasnorv being talked about,
but with country roads. On a wide vergethe treatment of a 6 ft strip would not be significant but on a surpdsingnumber of
roads, particularly narow country roads, the vetge! were ofteh not more than 6 ft wide and if a substahtialmileag€of these
were sprayedin the country with certain matedalsa good deal df harm could be done.
Dr B.fL GREEN (SoutheastRegion, The Nature Consemncy) said that the pres€otmanagementtechniquesof leaving
grasscuttings along the rcad verges,insteadof removingthem as was done in the past (e.g.as hay), encouragedthe growth of
lushvegelation.asil actedasa fertiliser,
On railway cuttings, there was a very flodstically rich sward, and that was probably due tro the fact that the
managementregime was essentiallyone of buming. Recent regearchhad shown that burning took out plant nutrients from
the soil. Dr Greenaskedfor County Councils'viewson the practicability of burning asa managementtedhniquefor verges,
Mr CHADWICK replied that it would be illegal to burn prasson the highway. The managementr4ethodsin generaluse
were not designedto producethe best type of sward,but the most economic.The post-wardevelopmeniof the flail machine,
which reduced the cuttings to a fine mulch and did not tequiro collecting,had made cutting the most ebonomicproposition.
Miss E M.BIRKETT (Cumberland)supportedother spealterswishingto seeplanting of indigenoustrees.The motorway
verges,which were protected ftom the public, offered an uniqlueopportudty to coose(vesomeof our flowering plants. If a
way could be found to establishtheseplaots on them, and the tegetation height could be controlled by bhemicals,motorway
vergescould form a lesgrvebank of plants at a time when there wasso much destructionof the native flola elsewhere.
Dr PERRING emphasisedthat planting should not be done indiscriminately. Anybody wishing to introduce plants
widely on road vergesshould consult with thet Naturalists' Tfust before doing so, so as to ensurethalt any speciesplanted
were native to the areaconcerned,and not just of the country ds a whole.
Mr UNDERWOOD added that since the building of motorways causedvery considerabledistulbance of the natural
conditions, it would be many yeals befole soil conditions had been sufficiently amelioratedfor many \vild speciesto suryive,
Mr E,P.WHITTAKER (Fisons Ltd., ChesterfordPark RdsearchStation) refered to the oppositiofi to the largeamount
of rye grassin Ministry of Transport mixtures, and suggestedihat the addition of speciessuch as chaniomileand bird's foot
trefoil would reduce the amount of cutting necessary.He was gateful to Dr Willis for bdnging attention to the fact that the
chemicalengineercould improve the flora as well as destroy it, and this was now a developingaspectof their research.He
hoped that they might bc able to help the naturalist in extending the flora as well as meeting the dertands of the highway
engineersin reducing the height of the vegetationby maleic hydrazideand other compounds.
Mr G.G.FISHER (Fisons Ltd.. Chestetford Park ResearchStation) asked whether the conservatlonof road vergeson
motorways wasof any real value if the public could not find acpessto them.
Dr WAY replied that although it had alrcady beenstated that conservationand am€nity interestswere very similar, the
qeation of reservoirsfor wildlife did requhe protection from seriouspublic pressure,so that motorrtay verges,as nilway
embankmentsin the past, were of enormous yalue in this rospect. If these reseryoirswere successfillthey would provide
sourcesof propagulosoi plants for colonisationof areasthat wore accessibleto the public.
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l\4rA.P. DUNBALL (HorticulturalAdviser,l\4inistryof Transport)took up threepointsraisedby Mr Underwood:
l.
The grassseedmixture recommendedby the Ministry of Transport was constantly under review. lt was formulated
aft€r advicehad been soughtfrom bodiessuch asthe GrasslandResearchlnstitute, the Spods Turf ResearchInstitute and the
Ministry of Agdculture, in an endeavourto meet the varied requirementsof the different intelests. Sowing of the standard
mixture usuallyresultedin varying herbagecompositionaccordirlgto the soil conditions,which had a great effect on the type
of community which would develop.Grasswould also developfrom seedsreturned to the site with the top soil.
2.
Referring to hydroseeding,he said that although Mr Undelwood stated that this was a cheapmethod oi establishing
grasses,he had overlooked that the top soil had to be disposedof if it was not retumed to the site, and rhat he personally
prefered to grow glasson top soil rather than on subsoil.
3.
Replying to Mr Underwood'scriticism of overplantingof treeson motorway verges,Mr Dunball said that the width of
the planting arca had to be taken into account, and if there were 20 acresof land per mile, the tree planting schemeon the
M1 in Leicestershire
represented70 acresplanting out of 660 acrcsof motorway.
Finally, Mr Dunball agreed with Mr Underwood's criticism of the Ministry of Transport grass-cuttinginstructions,
becausethey could not apply dgidly to all parts of England with different soil types, rainfall, etc. They must, as Mr
Underwoodhad suggested,
be regardedasa guide,and treatedaccordingto localcircumstances.
Mr UNDERWOOD replied that the amount of tree planting, for instancein Leicestershirc,which waspredominantly an
open county, seemedto conflict with the Ministry's stated policy of pla4ting to match the surroundinglandscape.He pointed
out that planted trees had to be tended in the early years, which was very expensiveand quite unnecessary,and refered to
the booklet "Roads in the Landscape",by Mr Clough Williams Ellis of the Minister'sLandscapeAdvisory Committee, which
containedquite acceptabletree planting schemes.
With referenceto rye gass in seedmixtures, he saidit was necessaryto mow the rye before the fescuescould establish
themselves,so it seemedunnecessaryto plant a grasswhich would causea maintenanceproblem. Referringto the Roadsin
the La[dscape conferenceat Keele, where foreign speakeGhad reported on strains of shod glasses,he said that it would be
interesting to investigatethese, import restrictions permitting. He suggestedthat the Ministry of Transport should find out
how much of the Ministry's specifiedred fescuehad beensown over the last ten yearsand comparethat with the amount of
559 (red fescue)produced,ie were the SuNeyols getting what they askedfor?
Finally he said that if there wasa genemlshortageof top soil, it would not of coursebe thrown away, but that if it was
kept in dumps for over six months, its qualitieswere lost. Top soil wasin great demandamongstbuilders.
Dr D.S. RANWELL (CoastalEcololy ResearchStation, The Nature Conservanry)saidthat the meetingmight be
interested to hear that the Nature Conse ancy was also enquiring into the effect of salt on roadside verge vegetation.
Evidenceof this in America was reviewedat a Symposiumin Connecticut and resultssuggestedthat salt accumulateduoder
certain conditions and death of roadsidevegetation,including trees,had beenattributed to this. In someinstancesthe level of
salt residuesfound in America had dsen to that found on coastalheathsin this country.
Dr J.P. G RIME {NatureConservancy
GrasslandResearchUnit, Sheffield)returnedto the problemof the introduction
of diversityinto grassland
of motorwaymargins.Naturalcommunitieswith high floristicdiversitywerecommonlyfound in
habitatsof low productivity,but it was the practicewhen constructingmotorway marginsto build up a faarlydeepsoil.
therebycreatinga fertile situation.This led to a needfor cuttjng programmes
or the useof chemicalspraysto suppress
the
vegetation.Would it not be possibleto examinethe basictheory of constructionand investigate
meansof producinginitially
unproductiveconditions?At Sheffield,researchwas beingcarriedout on the effectsol insertingperforatedplasticsinto soil
profilesin orderto producerocky limestoneoutcropsituations,wheretherewasnaturallya high diversityol species.
Mr CHADWICKrepliedthat it wasnot his experienceto havea surplusof top soil,or of a particularlyhigh grade.He
thought it would be an exception to have any appreciabledepth of nutdent-rich soil on a road construction.
Dr MOORE (Monks Wood ExperimentalStation) askedwhether Dr Willis thought that in the long run maleic hydrazide
would continue to increasedive$ity, if it preventedflowering, thus eliminating sourcesof seed,
Dr WILLIS agreed that thete was a limit. The effect of MH on flowering was particularly pronounced on
monocotyledonousspeciesand many of the annual broad-leavedplants which invadeddid in fact flower, ftuit and seed.High
diversity, as Dr Grime pointed out, was an indication of infedility and an open community, MH had the effect of creating
open conditions by keeping some of the larger-growingplants down and therefore allowing colonisablepockets to develop.
Thesewere invadedby many of the low-growingannualsand some perennials.
Mr J. C.CADBURY (County Councillor, Worcestershire)asked whether in the useof the flail the threat to birds' nests,
small mammals,insectsand plants, had been saieguardedagainstby the introduction of the newer modelsmentioned by Dr
Way. There had beena great dealof devastationin his county by the flail, perhapsevenmore than by chemicalspmys.
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He also asked for advice for esiablishingnatural growth on rocky sandstoneslopesand whether other plants than grass
could be used on central reservationswhich would be less liable to damagefrom salt and passingtraffic and require less
upkeep.
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Mr J. R. DEACON (Highways and B dgesDepartment, WorcestershireCounty Council) said that in Worcestershirethe
main use of chemicalsfor contlol of grasson vergeswasfor safety reasonswhere there was poor alignmentand poor visibility
on ClassI and lI roads, and certain other spots. Rather lessthan 15% of grassvergesin Worcestershirewere treated with
chemicalsand il commons and bddleways were taken into account the figure would be nearerto 7% of the total acreageof
grassto be controlled. He hoped that these figures would help to allay the fears of a number of people in the country who
claimedthat the Highway engineerswgre destroyingthe countlyside with chemicals.
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Dr WAY said that the newer flail machineswere probably better than the old ones, but that tne men who used th€
machinesmust be instructed to use th€m sensibly.The fitting of somc form of height control facility, silch as a jockey wheel
or a skid wasvery destable,
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Mr UNDERWOOD agreed with Dr Way, but said that if flail mowing was only done the 6 ft width from the
carriageway,there was still a laue part of the vergein which the animals could sti[ thrive. He felt tlhat the rcciprocating
mower would causeas much damageto nestsas the flail machine,and olrce levell€doff the flail wasable to give a good gtass
swardof 2-3 inches.
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with regard to establishinggtrasssward on rock faces; he said that these were usually left as a feature without
vcgetatioo,but if a glol}th wasrequied, the possibility of hydroseedingcould be investigated.
He agreedthat salt had be€r a problem in the last five or six years since its introduction into gereml use againsticy
conditions, but that the grassseemedto recoyer,although hA did not know whether the concentrationsmentioned by Dr
Ranwell would eveotuallykill the vegetation.
Mrs J. K.BELLAMY (British Ho6e Society) said that it 1\f,as
gjatifying to hear Mr Undotwood and Dr Way refer to the
impodance of vergesto liders. She said that although horse rruers' irterests might eventuallyb€ coverddby the provision of
Country and Regionalparks, therc was a short term problem that existing b dle ways, particularly noar towns, were quite
inad€quateto meet reqeational pressures.Someto$,ns had made provisionsfor rid€rs to usesuitablevengesto rgachth€ ope4
c.untry, and rideN' tracks had been marked out, but othe! local authoritieshad passedbyelawsto prohibit the useof verges
by horses,thus forcing them on to the road, which wasundesirhblefor motorist alrd rider. Sheaskedthdt when consideration
was being given to highway programmes,the riders' intergstsshould b€ borne in mind and consultationmadewith their local
Spods Advisory Council or the British Holse Society.
Mr CHADWICK said that the training of raceho$esand hunting were important in many countiesand the councilswere
well awareof this.
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SUMMING
UP
G . R . S .P E P L E R
Deputy Clerk, Lindsey County Council, Lincoln.
(Fdited transcript of tape-recording)
Thank you, Mr Chairman, very much for your warm personal welcome to me. I would like to convey to you a pe$onal
apology from Mr Lane for his not being with you; I know it is a great disappointment to him, because of his indisposition,
not to have the opportunity of being here. I wondered whether I ought to avoid any suspicion that I might be subject to any
bias in summing up by declaring my interest as a Council member of my County Naturalists' Trust, but then I thought that t
could equally well declare quite a variety of other interests as ao adviser to a County Highways Committee, an adviser to a
County Road Safety Comaittee, Education Committee, and a group of County Council agricultural committees. I mention
these and, ol course, as a result, a responsibility through my local authority to some 350,000 people of all ages,to illustrate
the very wide diversity ol interest which you find brought toggther in a County Council. lnterests which cove! all aspects of
what has been concerning us all here today. And I think that this is important and significant and I would like to lead on to
develop one ol two points from it.
First, I think that it illustrates perhaps that the issues that we have been talking about are not issues of "we" and
"they" we are all "we" in this, and I think the way in which at the County level all theseinterests come together under oDe
roof does emphasise this. It also emphasises the very great responsibilities that the local authority and the County Council
have. A heavy responsibility and a tremendous opportunity, and I say this with all due deference alrd respect to the Ministry
of Transport and other bodies with National responsibilities. You do lind at County level a coming together of interests
which you really do not find anywhere else to quite the same degree in a silgle organisation. I think one moves on from
there, of course, to emphasise the great burden which County Surveyors carry in this particular matter; a burden of which
they take a major share as being the member of the local authodty top managemeot team most olosely concerned with roads
and highways. But they need a great deal of sympathy, advice and practical help in discharging their responsibilities, and this
must come both from within the authodty which they serye and from without. So far as help from without goes, it is quite
clear that County Naturalists' Trusts have here the very finest opportunity of taking a lead on behalf of the whole of that part
of the public which is concerned about the countryside and road verges in particular; of taking a lead in establishing the
right sort of contacts and the right sort of working arrangements with the County Councils, with whom they ought to be
working very closely together, And of course it is not only County Naturalists' Trusts. Parish Councils were mentioned.
Women's Institutes, and many other bodies. But I believe in this particular matter of road vergesit must essentiallybe the
Coulty Naturalists' Trust which takes the major responsibility. We have had today the greatest opportunity of establishing
contacts and it will be important to keep them up and ever develop them.
In this I want to come onto a point which has beentouched on once or twice, that what we have be()ntalking about is
not just a sort ol top-dmwer issue to be talked of in assemblieslike this Symposium, or London clubs, ot the lounge bar. or
leamed societies.It must be a down-to-eath matter which needs to be talked about much more widely and at all levels.And
if I can just take up a point about a comment, a not entirely unmerited criticism, that although County Surveyors and
County Planning Officers may be on the vgry best of terms, and work with great harmony, it doesn't follow automatically
that this will happen at all levels unless conscious eflorts are made to ensure that it does. I believe there is a constant
responsibility on top management to provide the best opportunities and the best climate in which this kind of co-operation
can tick over automatically all the way down through the different departments. With this in mind, you could well consider
at the County level some sort of gathedng of the same kind that we have had here today on the National level. There must be
lots of people both within the official organisations and the voluntary bodies who could profit from this kind of discussion
on this kind of topic at that kind of level. I hope that this is something that might be done-it may indeed have been
done-but one commends it to placeswhere it might not yet have been considered,
This again leads one to emphasisethat this communication must be worked on at all levels,and this means,of course,
within a highways organisation right down to the county roadman. The fact that he works now in a gang makes it even more
important that he should understand the sort of thing that we have been talking about here, in the sort of language which he
can easily comprehend. Because,il he does not understand what he is supposed to be doing, and why, he will neither enjoy
doing it nor contribute as we would like to the objects we are after. All the more so now he is in d gang the old typical
country lengthsman on the roads inherited the sort of built-in know-how which enabled him to produce the right sort of
answers. But his modern counterpart does not always come from the same background and he needsto be helped and helped
constantly, I think. to understand the part that he must play. I would look forward to the occasion when a meeting like
this is next organised,and among those addressingthe company is a county road foreman. This seemsto me to be the sort of
basis on which people ought to be participating.
This leads me on to education. a word that I would have liked to have heard mentioned more today, and from two
points of view'.-one from the obvious one that without constant education ol junior oificials, county roadmen, and the
general public, they cannot be expected to appreciate what is being done nor why, nor indeed to make obiective sugSestions
how things might be done differently. That is terribly important, but there is also the very important point about schools,as
very often in some pafts of the country the only natural habitat for study that exists within reasonable distance of many of
our schools is road verges. Speaking as one coming from a county where almost every inch is cultivated, this is something not
to be overlooked. It is, I suppose,basicallya matter of communication communication up and down and all round.
Now what thoughts should one go away with? I think teauy I would put it this wey. That I thinlk we ought to go back
home convincedthat whateYetwe've been doing and howevetrwell we think we havebeen doing it, there is somethingmorc
we can do, and there is somethingmore we ought to start dding tomorow. This sort of gatheringonly hasits real purposeif
it leadsto individual rcsponsibility being acc€ptedby people who go away out of this toom and are detetminedto take stock
of what they arc doing or not doing and then take some new step forward. The sum total of all that from a largegathering
like this can be very telling. So don't keep it to you$elyes. Spreadthe news around, and take sode further action, And
fina[y, Mr Chairman,may I be allowed, with apologiesto anypne elsewho may hayebeen instructed to do this, to exprcsson
behalf of all of us who hayen't bean taking a major part in this Symposium,our grateful thanks tq the organisersand in
patticular to thos€ who have written papers,who have spokdr, and particularly to oul two Chairmen.We all thank you yery
much.
Mr BROUGHTON. Thank you very much indeed, Mr Pepler, for those very wise words indeed,and fdr the very able way in
which you have summed up our symposium today. Thank you also for doing what I thought was going to be my tasi in
thankhg aU concemed.It merely falls to me now to closethe oymposiumand to thank you all vely much fot attending.
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