I mean, have you seen similar problems with overgrown hedges and roadside vegetation in your area, and h- and how significant is the issue on the smaller regional link roads and local roads that maybe don't form parts of the council's main hedge cutting program?

Yeah.

Good morning, Alan, and yeah.

Um, you see the, the, the, the thing here is that all landowners are responsible for, for maintaining their, their hedges, hedgerows, overhanging branches, and all of that.

So, and yet the council will cut the regional roads, which is, which is great, because unfortunately, not a land-- if it was left to the landowners on the regional roads, we'd have an awful, uh, dangerous situation altogether, you know.

So the-- And I compliment to the council on the work they're doing this year in particular, where they're really going, um, you know, up higher with the hedge cutters and, and more severe, if you like.

Now, not everybody will want to hear that either, but that's okay this time of the year because it's the open season for hedge cutting.

Do you believe the current complaints-based system is sufficient? Should there be more proactive i-i-inspections?

What would you say were some of the findings or wins and failures through that period?

Oh, good question.

I mean, so many.

I think really in that the reason we've embarked on the strategy we have is we had a program for a long time called Target Creator.

And so we've had creator partnerships.

We've partnered with you all for a long time.

But I think as the creator community really went, I would say like three to four years ago for more of a niche part of the marketing ecosystem to a major, major force in how people discover and shop.

So what's going on with beauty?

Is that something you'd welcome across the county?

I would indeed, yes.

We had a briefing today from Sir Luffini and predominantly to do with the urban areas and urban core centres he spoke about where speed limits that are currently 50 will be reduced to 30.

Now that's in built up and residential areas and that has to be welcomed.

There's too much speeding taking place in residential areas that needs to be addressed.

So this is one way of addressing it.

But of course, we'll need enforcement there afterwards.

But even that, focusing on school children, what do you hear from constituents? What are they telling you is the most pressing road safety issue? Where around the East Clare MD do they feel is the most dangerous hazard?

Okay.

He does a lot of cycling.

He goes off every Saturday morning early and gets in his cycle, and he f- he finds it good for the mind and good for his physical health and everything, as, as you can imagine.

So he texts me actually one night.

He said, "What's the most easterly point in County Clare?" And I was there, "Gosh, go down into Kilcooney now-

Yeah

... you know, through, through the county.

He said, um, they went from, came into in, into Clarecastle.

So I would put it in that space whereby we sort of change attitudes on the roads.

Yes, yes.

And part of when I spoke at the council meeting was, you know, calling for a campaign by the RSA.

We hear all the ads on radio and television to don't ever, ever drink and drive or you know, don't be using your mobile phone while driving and that.

So why they can't highlight this more prominently, I'm not so sure.

You know, the RSA in conjunction with the Farmer's Journal, for example, at the National Plowing Championships, they throw out all these free high-vis jackets to families and kids and everyone who walks by.

But that's not enough, obviously.

I am anyway tired of the combative nature of the road safety conversation when you talk about cyclists and lorries and cars and pedestrians all using the same space.

And do you think this would be popular?

Yes.

I don't know, but I've come across, you know, and I get lots of complaints from people, that why not wear a high-vis jacket? That's the whole point.

If you're wearing a high-vis jacket, a motorist can see somebody from a long ways off, whether that's in daylight or in darkness.

Why do all modern cars have lights on full-time? You know, day or night, the lights are on, and there are signs on the motorways going into Dublin, lights on daytime.

In the interest of safety, when are people going to realise this? But the laudable intent to

But that does, I mean, what you're now saying, Pat, is that you would have a situation where everybody walking through the city centre of every city in the country is going to get ticketed by the guards because they're not wearing a high-vis jacket.

Again, as I said there, Anton, Dublin City is well lit up, so maybe that's an exception then, or other cities, but certainly in the countryside and in the rural areas.