Ararat crews still slashing

Ararat Rural City Council will continue its intensive roadside slashing program this month in response to accelerated grass growth.

The council’s roadside slashing program treats about 50 roadside locations across the municipality, including Ararat Airport precinct.

Chief executive Tim Harrison said the annual program involved roadside slashing in the lead-up to fire season, starting in November.

“The program greatly assists road users by improving sight distances and reduces the spread of fire, however, with a road network length of 2300 kilometres, the challenge is almost insurmountable,” he said.

“Due to the late rain in spring, some areas were too wet to work on safely, but our crews have continued to carry out cuts across the municipality.

“Having had such a wet winter, vegetation on the roadside across the municipality has grown quicker than usual and continues to pose challenges.

“We’ve engaged contractors to revisit areas to carry out a second slash in particular areas, such as shoulders and drains, to reduce the amount of long grass on roadsides as well as our strategic fire breaks and township fire prevention cuts.

“Our crews are mindful of the fire risk that comes with cutting in warmer conditions and take this into account when planning the days’ work.

“If you see our crews out and about, we encourage residents to drive carefully as you overtake. The team is working hard to keep the grass down but we also want to make sure they are safe.”