Time limit imposed for roadside memorials
Families and friends given six weeks to remove flowers and tributes
Published Date:
13 September 2007
By Andrew Brookes
Grieving families who leave roadside floral tributes to accident victims will have to remove them within six weeks.
Lincolnshire County Council believes that the flowers are distracting for motorists and has said it will take down any permanent memorials.
Kerrie McNeill's brother Ryan (26) died in a collision on the A1073 at Crowland in 2003 and she was angry to see that the flowers she laid to mark the anniversary of his death had been removed.
She said: "People might think they are just flowers but it is a mark of respect for us.
"I will never forget my brother and this is how we remember him.
"We are fuming that this has happened.
"We take shears and cut back the grass and nettles on the verge and then clear it all away, including any wilting flowers.
"It's not just about us either.
"What about all the other families that have lost someone?"
This year flowers were also laid by the side of the road where 17-year-old college student Jody Smith, of Holbeach, died in an accident at Whaplode and where Deeping St Nicholas teenager Katie Shields (18) was killed on the A16.
Neither family would be able to lay further tributes to their loved ones.
Relatives need permission to place flowers on the side of the road from the highways department and four to six weeks later they will be contacted about moving their memorials.
The policy states that floral tributes can cause drivers to become distracted and are a "constant, yet unwanted reminder of a tragedy" which may upset other members of the community.
A spokesman for Lincolnshire County Council highways department said that a public consultation on roadside memorials found that the general consensus was that they should only be short term tributes.
The spokesman said: "We try and work with the families and make sure that we contact them throughout the process.
"We don't just dump people's flowers.
"We deal with the families sensitively. It's a tricky balance. We have to make sure that we perform our legal obligation to look at road safety."
l To arrange a roadside floral tribute after an accident people can contact divisional highways manager for Boston and South Holland Steve Willis on 01205 314546.
The full article contains 382 words and appears in Spalding Guardian newspaper.
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Last Updated:
12 September 2007 4:31 PM
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Source:
Spalding Guardian
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Location:
Spalding
