Galway County Council has moved to defend its record on hedgecutting.
The issue has been raised repeatedly by councillors in recent months - with some saying the roadsides are in their worst state in recent memory.
Galway County Council is in the process of drafting a new hedgecutting policy - outlining where and when works will be carried out, and how they'll be funded.
At a meeting this week, Councillor Tom Welby said he knew of a local road where exasperated residents simply stumped up the cash to have the work done privately.
Councillor Mary Hoade said there's countless local roads so overgrown you couldn't possibly dream of letting a child walk or cycle on them.
Meanwhile, Councillor Declan Kelly pointed his finger at what he called overly restrictive bird nesting laws that prevent cutting during the summer.
Councillor Gerry King said in his time on the council there's been no major clearing done, and at this point the local authority has to suffer the financial pain and just get it done.
In response, council management claimed it's already at the upper end for doing hedgecutting, when compared with every other local authority nationwide.
And it warned more cutting will impact on the annual budget, and will inevitably mean less of something else - whatever councillors decide that will be.
