The RM of Dufferin is reminding residents to keep lawn clippings off municipal roads.
Loose clippings pose safety risks for all vehicles, including motorcycles, cars, maintenance equipment and large machinery. They can also affect road drainage.
Sharla Murray, Dufferin’s chief administrative officer, said while this is a recurring problem, complaints have been higher than usual this season.
“The biggest issue is it makes it really challenging for our graders to blade the roads,” she said. “When you have this decomposing material on top and you go to put gravel on it, it essentially turns into dirt, which is not a good thing to help maintain the roads.”
The RM of Dufferin covers nine-and-a-half townships and maintains more than 400 miles of roads. Road safety is a constant priority, and keeping roadways clear of clippings helps meet that standard.
Murray recommends property owners push their lawn clippings — or snow — into the bottom of their ditches instead of onto the road.
“Summer is our time of maintenance and we don’t want to make the job any harder or riskier than it already is,” she said. “This issue extends to all seasons. Once the snow comes, we don’t want you pushing it into the middle of the road either.”
