From knowledge to action - towards a better management of roadsides[De la connaissance à l’action - vers une gestion éclairée des bords de route]

Green roadside vegetation is a strategic issue for local authorities, at the crossroads of road safety, biodiversity conservation, climate adaptation, public finance management and improving the living environment. In a context of high environmental expectations and increasing operational constraints, departmental councils must adapt their maintenance practices to reconcile efficiency, budgetary restraint and respect for ecosystems. This report provides a national overview of roadside maintenance practices based on feedback from several departments. It offers a cross-sectional analysis of the policies implemented for the main activities: mowing, brush clearing, pruning, ditch cleaning, shoulder levelling, ditch digging, waste management and site safety. It highlights the main regularities observed (number of cuts, team organisation, management methods, frequency of interventions), while emphasising the diversity of approaches depending on local contexts (network morphology, human and material resources, ecological or climatic constraints). A typology of mowing strategies distinguishes five recurring scenarios among the departments, each involving different team configurations, schedules and levels of intensity. The report also analyses the planning approaches implemented: from rigid planning to more flexible and territorialised approaches that incorporate feedback from the field. Finally, a chapter is devoted to experiments conducted by several departments (sustainable mowing, vacuum mowing, eco-grazing, biomass recovery), which reflect a desire to innovate in methods and reconcile technical performance with ecological transition. The objective of this document is to provide a common knowledge base, share concrete feedback, and equip departmental stakeholders to collectively rethink their green space maintenance policies at the local level.