Flowers of romance

In the UK a couple who planted flowers in a roadside verge recently faced a charge of criminal damage from the local authorities. The elderly couple started planting the flowers 15 years ago in a bid to dissuade motorists from parking their vehicles illegally on the verge, explaining that this churned up the grass and left it looking unsightly.
September 29, 2014 Read time: 2 mins

In the UK a couple who planted flowers in a roadside verge recently faced a charge of criminal damage from the local authorities. The elderly couple started planting the flowers 15 years ago in a bid to dissuade motorists from parking their vehicles illegally on the verge, explaining that this churned up the grass and left it looking unsightly. A local council official visited the area after being called to inspect the remains of a fallen tree nearby. The officious official spotted the fuchsias and after making enquiries as to who had planted them in the verge, warned the retired couple that this was a dangerously illegal activity in breach of regulations. The couple then received a letter from the authorities requiring them to remove the flowers and replace the turf on the verge in question, threatening a fine and court action if they refused to comply. A representative for the council later explained that in the event of an accident occurring on the verge resulting in injuries, it would not be clear who to sue for damages due to the presence of the flowers. European road safety standards do not so far include vehicle impact tests on fuchsias.

Related Content

  • Advances in road markings
    March 16, 2012
    Recent months have seen many major and vital road marking projects and products completed and tested in different parts of the world. Guy Woodford looks at some of them in Europe, North America, the Middle East and Africa. The London borough of Kensington and Chelsea now has one of the most dramatic streetscape designs in Europe. Exhibition Road’s striking chequered granite design, featuring a single surface running from South Kensington Station to Hyde Park and the full width of the road from building to b
    Read More
  • Road safety challenge for Europe
    June 25, 2012
    The latest official figures on road safety in Europe are giving cause for concern, with data showing that casualty reduction has slowed. EU transport commissioner Siim Kallas recently announced disappointing progress in casualty reduction on Europe's roads. The joint European police association, TISPOL, has added that it is also concerned that improvements in cutting fatalities on Europe’s roads significantly slowed in 2011. The overall figure shows a reduction of just 2% in the total number of people kille
    Read More
  • Digital cameras and VMS improve London and Scottish road safety
    March 18, 2016
    London and Scotland are using VMS and digital cameras to successfully lower road deaths. Road safety measures such as variable message signs (VMS) and digital cameras have boosted road safety in the UK capital London and also in the Scottish Highlands. And the systems need not be a drain on electricity supplies. Full matrix driver information signs from SWARCO Traffic, one of the UK’s leading traffic management technology providers, are being installed for the first time across the Transport for London (TfL
    Read More
  • Modal shift in city transportation
    March 4, 2016
    The TV footage of the recent heavy smog in Beijing and other Chinese cities has shown clearly why attitudes to personal transportation need to change around the world. Vehicle transportation is a major source of air pollution, with the particulates from older generation diesel engines being particularly dangerous to health.
    Read More

Highlighted Content