When driving around the south east of the UK there is often a feeling of disorientation.
Partly because the roads meander around waterways, topography and so on but also because the road corridor is planted with exactly the same vegetation over and over again.
The design rationale appears to be 'screen the road from everyone and let's not think how we are going to achieve this screen.
Roll out the next 5 miles of woodland hedge'.
Many town bypasses throughout the UK appear the same as well - there is practically no difference in the landscaping between the bypass of East Grinstead, a town in Sussex, and the bypass to the town outside of the Rodings in Essex.
Yet one is north of London and the other is south.
Does this matter? Well yes.
The road system is THE LANDSCAPE for so many people.
It affects motorists, local residents, pedestrians and cyclists.
The view from the road deserves as much consideration as any outdoor area.
Furthermore it could be so much better without much extra budget.
The landscaping could be more interesting, varied and actually become part of the navigational structure for the road user.
Good heavens it could even inspire and reinvigorate the road user.
Perhaps there is a need to consider the M25 as a potential art gallery.
On view at speed and at 5km/hour.
The UK Highway Agency does not seem to be aware it is responsible for the aesthetics of large public spaces.
If it does it should be ashamed.
The UK roads systems is the definition of bad urban design.
Landscape architects with a poor understanding of horticulture get a catalogue of plant mixes and stamp them blindly over the country.
There is very little relationship between plantings in the road corridor and the surrounding landscape.
The Highway Agency needs to get in the fast lane and see what is happening in the rest of the world like Australia and Europe.