Do people find the "natural/unkempt" look of the freeways vegetation appealing? (Austin: landscaping, shop)

[cBach]

Okay, with all the rain we've been having it is really noticeable. I'm talking about the policy that Austin has of letting all medians be "natural". It was started because in the spring the wildflowers are pretty and they don't want them to mow them down, but now the weeds are several feet high and look way too unkempt for me. Also, when the drought hits, and it may not now but it may next year, all that undergrowth is just fuel for a fire. If they kept the medians and sides of the freeways mowed, it wouldn't be an issue.

So, what do you think, should they mow the medians and sides of freeways or just keep it natural?

[kiacook]

They leave the wildflowers until they go to seed. That keeps the cycle going.

[TexasHorseLady]

What kiacook said. Just because you can't see wildflowers doesn't mean that they are ready to be mowed yet. Plus, choie two above.

[G Grasshopper]

Some time ago, I saw a video by the State (not the city) that explained why the medians are left, and it is exactly as Kiacook said, to allow the wildflowers to seed. They also stated how many millions of dollars the state saved each year by skipping the spring mowing. I don't remember the number. But if you can save money and perpetuate wildflowers at the same time, it seems good to me. Personally, I think lots of good things could happen if our collective taste would change from liking the look of mown lawns to liking natural landscapes. I imagine there will be a fall mowing. Concerning fires, that is just one drawback to a wet year. Mowing would help only minimally if the cut grass is just left there, which it would be. Mowing once a year will prevent the growth of trees and large shrubs, which you really don't want to grow in medians/roadsides in an unplanned way (like right next to the pavement.)

[10scoachrick]

Trimmed but not manicured has always been my approach to landscaping. They can certainly mow a swath to keep the weeds/bermuda/stuff from falling into the road and onto the sidewalks and let the rest run wild(although mowing once or twice a year wouldn't hurt). Even median areas are often left to natural limits and it contributes to the overall slovenly appearance. Ugly begets ugly...inviting people to leave their trash and shopping carts in the tall grass. Boo hiss!!!

Also, there are plenty of areas where the tall grass can obscure vision when pulling out of streets and driveways...not to mention the lush treescape now hanging well below the 14' overhang clearance dictated by city code(REALLY easy for a cyclist to tell where those areas are...having to duck under branches while riding in a bike lane is a pretty good indication that the trees are getting out of hand!).

Mow the darned stuff!!!

[veloman777]

A good reason I can think of is that it takes money and resources to cut it back. If it's not really needed, then why bother?

[orngkat]

I think we need to get over the manicured look. This mow-grow-mow-grow mentality seems bizarre to me. I like to watch the grasses blow in the breeze when I'm stuck in traffic. But I do agree that corners and intersections need to be kept trimmed for visibility.

[cBach]

Wow neck and neck here...

[tstwahine]

Didn't quite like the poll options. It's not really a fire hazard since it's been so wet...yet.

I am one of those people that like some of the changes to austin, call me progressive but I just don't see the attraction of dilapidated buildings and housing just to keep a place "weird"... but at the same time I think its a sound fiscal decision to skip spring mowing and also environmentally friendly to allow the wild flowers to seed. I also heard that walking on it helps the wildflowers for next spring as well.

I voted that it doesn't bother me.

[Gestbsjgd]

Patience, grasshopper. They've been mowing sections here and there. I think with all the rain, it's growing faster than they can keep up. I don't see it being such a high priority that we need to allocate funds to hire more mowing crews. The grass will get cut eventually.