Cattle crossing public road

Count Mondego

My farm is split straight down the middle with a public road, single lane but not boreen iykwim. This is great for road frontage but a balls for moving stock as you generally need two people to do any kind of crossing. Road would see anywhere from 20 to 40 cars passing a day, often nothing for hours. Bones of a km stretch along road.

Today auld lad is away and I have a calf with scour who had to go untreated as I couldn't do this on my own. Neighbours are part time and couldn't be depended on at the drop of a hat like this.

There are two locations along the road that would be suitable for a gated crossing; two 14 foot gates that would cross the road, blocking it fully and allow stock across. I'd have no problem putting up signs or even temporary hazard lights if I had to. Is this possible to do or legal? Any experienced you've had would be great.

mf240

A small pen and crush across the road would mean you could treat a lad like the calf today without crossing the road.

C0N0R

mf240 wrote: »

A small pen and crush across the road would mean you could treat a lad like the calf today without crossing the road.

Agreed we have a secondary road passing through farm and I made a pen for that reason. Pain in the hole crossing it daily at times of the year with milkers.

Count Mondego

mf240 wrote: »

A small pen and crush across the road would mean you could treat a lad like the calf today without crossing the road.

Would work at one end but each side of the farm is narrow, 2 fields deep. You wouldn't be able to go from one end to the other with meadows in between.

Reggie.

Count Mondego wrote: »

Would work at one end but each side of the farm is narrow, 2 fields deep. You wouldn't be able to go from one end to the other with meadows in between.

What about a mobile crush with a few gates. Gates would make your pen as required.

severeoversteer

have a national primary road splitting a few acres on the farm

seriously busy road, had 100 yard of traffic backed up both ways the last time I crossed cattle, f3ckin cattle were afraid of the cats eyes or something and had a sh1t fit on the hard shoulder

and to make it worse there was a squad car at the front of the traffic watching me tryin to coax them across

would be a lot easier with dairy cows, beef cattle are too f3ckin wild for crossin roads.

Count Mondego

Reggie. wrote: »

What about a mobile crush with a few gates. Gates would make your pen as required.

Not bad Reggie, could be setup anywhere.

irishgeo

the rules of the road state cars must stop for someone in charge of animals so your perfectly entitled to cross the road with them.

Reggie.

Count Mondego wrote: »

Not bad Reggie, could be setup anywhere.

That's the beauty of it. Might do it myself

whelan2

do you have to get permission to make a new entrance/gate on to a public road ?

Reggie.

whelan2 wrote: »

do you have to get permission to make a new entrance/gate on to a public road ?

I think you do or at least inform the coco. But if it's on a quiet road id chance it and if anyone questions ya just say you widened an exciting gate that was overgrown

Count Mondego

whelan2 wrote: »

do you have to get permission to make a new entrance/gate on to a public road ?

The entrances are there already in my case, question more about blocking off the road with gates.

Count Mondego

irishgeo wrote: »

the rules of the road state cars must stop for someone in charge of animals so your perfectly entitled to cross the road with them.

Fair enough, but if I have a gate across the road and someone drives into it, irrespective of signs etc, am I at fault? In this scenario there is no person on the road.

Connemara Farmer

irishgeo wrote: »

the rules of the road state cars must stop for someone in charge of animals so your perfectly entitled to cross the road with them.

They do state that. However I wouldn't move animals on a public road on my own. What everyday rules state and the kind of tangles that can be made if something were to happen on the road are different.

Rule no.1, look after thyself, so I'd either make a permanent or temporary handling facility, or make sure I had enough help moving animals across the road. Don't expect people to do what they're supposed to, there's always someone more important than me or you on the road ready to use the magic horn to clear the road.

WheatenBriar

You need planning permission for a new gap/access point to a field onto a public road
There's a dairy farmer in my area who on a busy road closes it off completely with hanging gates to get the cows in
They've been doing that for years
There's another one who walks his cows from a field 300 metres up the road to the yard (slowly as you like too )

An off duty Garda was helping a friend move cattle up a busy road near me when a woman started beeping the horn (for no good reason) shouting they were delaying her and should get off the road
Said Garda went over to the angry lady ,showing his badge and told her to shut up an cop on or he would summons her
She soon shut up

whisky_galore

I very much doubt you would be allowed put gates across the road. I see a lot of lads using white fence tape and a red bucket lid as a warning 'target', should someone run into it it wouldn't cause as much damage as colliding into a solid gate would.

whelan2

A place I milked in had sort of rubber strips that where electrified that you could drive through across the road. Only put them across at milkings

cute geoge

whisky_galore wrote: »

I very much doubt you would be allowed put gates across the road. I see a lot of lads using white fence tape and a red bucket lid as a warning 'target', should someone run into it it wouldn't cause as much damage as colliding into a solid gate would.

But if a cyclist or a biker ran into the fence without seeing it I say you are in bigger trouble

JeffKenna

Would you not bring a second gate into the field and tie it onto an existing gate in order to make a mobile crush. Bring a bucket of nuts and entice the calf in between the two gates. Surely don't need two people to manage a calf?

joejobrien

Its a public road .,meaning its is council property. I would seek professional advice not hear say from others. Try defending your case in court. Irrospective of what the legal requirements for motorist using the road, ie stopping for someone in charge of livestock, there can and issues as to how one signals cars etc.. seek Profesional advice, imo

whisky_galore

cute geoge wrote: »

But if a cyclist or a biker ran into the fence without seeing it I say you are in bigger trouble

True that. And there a lot more of both these days.

WheatenBriar

whisky_galore wrote: »

I very much doubt you would be allowed put gates across the road. I see a lot of lads using white fence tape and a red bucket lid as a warning 'target', should someone run into it it wouldn't cause as much damage as colliding into a solid gate would.

On this particular straight stretch of road,you'd want to be blind not to see the gates blocking it in perfect time to stop
I do not know the legalities,except this is what they've done for a couple of decades

WheatenBriar

joejobrien wrote: »

Its a public road .,meaning its is council property. I would seek professional advice not hear say from others. Try defending your case in court. Irrospective of what the legal requirements for motorist using the road, ie stopping for someone in charge of livestock, there can and issues as to how one signals cars etc.. seek Profesional advice, imo

Actually,on many older roads,if you have land at both sides,you may own the ground the road is on
If you own the land on one side your property may include up to half the road
I know this is a fact in my case

whisky_galore

WheatenBriar wrote: »

Actually,on many older roads,if you have land at both sides,you may own the ground the road is on
If you own the land on one side your property may include up to half the road
I know this is a fact in my case

I know of an old road that had been bypassed years ago and a lad has a farm gate across it. I'd say strictly speaking he shouldn't have it there but it's just himself that lives up there so not a problem. Pain in the hole for the postman though.

Milked out

People can be more unpredictable tgan cattle especially on busier roads. Have had people drop the twine and go thru the cows as they were crossing the road here and this road is only a minor road. It was late summer so cows were fairly settled but if they did that early in the year when heifers were joining the herd they could of been sent in all directons

The Cuban

Can I bring cattle on the road by myself or do I need a people front and back of them? whats the law say I wonder?

whisky_galore

The Cuban wrote: »

Can I bring cattle on the road by myself or do I need a people front and back of them? whats the law say I wonder?

p.208 Rules of the Road...quite vague http://www.rulesoftheroad.ie/rules-of-the-road-eng.pdf

whisky_galore

1964 Road Traffic Bye Laws

PART V. ANIMALS ON ROADS.


Driver's duty when passing animals


30. A driver meeting or overtaking an animal on a road shall either reduce speed or halt the vehicle, if requested to do so (whether by signal or otherwise) by a person in charge of the animal.


Duties of drover


31.—(1) A person in charge of an animal which is being driven along or on to a road shall take all reasonable steps to ensure—


(a) that the animal does not obstruct other traffic or a pedestrian,


(b) that, save when being driven to or from land or premises, the animal is not on a cycle track or footway, and


(c) that traffic overtaking the animal has room to do so in safety.


(2) In this bye-law " driven " means conducted without a rein or lead.


Horses to be led on right side of road


32. A person leading a horse along a roadway shall, notwithstanding any other provision of these bye-laws, do so on the right side of the roadway.


Duties of drovers in darkness

33. During lighting-up hours a person in charge of animals on a road shall so carry, as to be likely to warn other road users of the presence of the animals, a lamp showing a white light visible for a reasonable distance in the direction in which the animals are travelling and a red light visible for a reasonable distance in the opposite direction.

ganmo

whisky_galore wrote: »

(a) that the animal does not obstruct other traffic or a pedestrian,


(b) that, save when being driven to or from land or premises, the animal is not on a cycle track or footway, and

These 2 bits seem contradictory to me
When aren't aren't animals being driven to/from land or premises

whisky_galore

ganmo wrote: »

These 2 bits seem contradictory to me
When aren't aren't animals being driven to/from land or premises

I'm guessing the people that draft our legislation wouldn't be milking cows an awful lot.

Count Mondego

JeffKenna wrote: »

Would you not bring a second gate into the field and tie it onto an existing gate in order to make a mobile crush. Bring a bucket of nuts and entice the calf in between the two gates. Surely don't need two people to manage a calf?

Not sure about your setup, but come up here and catch this 3 month old calf in the corner of a 3 acre field, with her mother and seven aunts in tow. Not addicted to nuts either.

ganmo

whisky_galore wrote: »

I'm guessing the people that draft our legislation wouldn't be milking cows an awful lot.

Well they've been milkin the state for long enough

joejobrien

WheatenBriar wrote: »

Actually,on many older roads,if you have land at both sides,you may own the ground the road is on
If you own the land on one side your property may include up to half the road
I know this is a fact in my case

Yes on map measurement I agree If it a public road then is the property of the council. Argue it in a court of law, see where it goes

Cow Porter

Saw this on grass tech twitter page from Wales, would it work on the right road in Ireland, cheaper than a tunnel etc.

Reggie.

Cow Porter wrote: »

Saw this on grass tech twitter page from Wales, would it work on the right road in Ireland, cheaper than a tunnel etc.

Nice job but I'd have some reflective panels or a stop sign on the gates tho

Cow Porter

Reggie. wrote: »

Nice job but I'd have some reflective panels or a stop sign on the gates tho

Reckon council would kick up a fuss anyway cos nor enough Engineers involved? Simple solution for alot of roads in this country

Jimlh86

You would want to be very careful obstructing the road IMO. At least you'd want it very well sign posted but you'd always get some clown flying with his he'd in the clouds!! Very sad case I know of a farmer used to pull baling twine across and had a horse shoe hanging off it for weight, chap came along hit it with the car and the horse show hit and killed him. Know a dairy man at home, serious operator recently built an under ground tunnell to cross the road! Very impressive looking!

ellewood

Jimlh86 wrote: »

You would want to be very careful obstructing the road IMO. At least you'd want it very well sign posted but you'd always get some clown flying with his he'd in the clouds!! Very sad case I know of a farmer used to pull baling twine across and had a horse shoe hanging off it for weight, chap came along hit it with the car and the horse show hit and killed him. Know a dairy man at home, serious operator recently built an under ground tunnell to cross the road! Very impressive looking!

Was that in Kilkenny? same thing happened round here if not

Jimlh86

ellewood wrote: »

Was that in Kilkenny? same thing happened round here if not

Yeah it was in Kilkenny a few years back