The beginning of spring usually marks mowing season across the national capital, but this year the ACT Government is mostly revving up for “priority areas” to comply with lockdown restrictions.
“The focus for our crews will be mowing at roadside intersections to keep grass maintained to a safe level and prevent any line-of-sight issues for drivers,” said ACT Minister for Transport and City Services, Chris Steel.
“We will also be mowing the irrigated parks around town at staggered times and ACT Government sportsgrounds, which are seeing extra traffic at the moment with more Canberrans doing individual exercise outside.
“We ask for the community’s understanding and patience as our crews work to mow priority areas across the city while also complying with current health directions.”
Mr Steel said that once the lockdown period ends and more teams return to work, efforts will gradually rev up towards regular mowing operations.
“After a wet winter when more than 215mm of rain was recorded at the Canberra Airport and above average rainfall forecast during spring, we’re expecting to see grass grow quickly when the warmer weather returns,” he said.
The 73-mower fleet underwent pre-season mechanical servicing and testing of the GPS systems that are used to capture data on which areas have been mown.
When the mowing program is in full operation after lockdown, this information will be used to populate a live mowing map that will indicate where crews have been and where they are intending to mow in the coming weeks, meaning Canberrans can ensure their locales will be attended to. The mowing map and more information on the ACT Government mowing program can be found on the City Services website at www.cityservices.act.gov.au.
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