crushed glass on cycle paths in Greenwich ALERT
Discussion
All around the concourse by the foot tunnel in Greenwich the council have used crushed glass as grit. Yes sharp shards of pure glass. The cycle path near there is covered in it too. Suffered a puncture thru puncture proof tyres the other night.
Discovered why this morning! I have seen dogs limping around like they are walking on hot coals.
Are 'officials' completely devoid of brains. Is it a prerequisite on a job description to have an IQ of 7 to work at the council?
Z
Discovered why this morning! I have seen dogs limping around like they are walking on hot coals.Are 'officials' completely devoid of brains. Is it a prerequisite on a job description to have an IQ of 7 to work at the council?
Z
normally i wouldnt say things like this as i detest the blame culture that is spreading accross britain....but to be honest, i would be getting legal advice and be prepared to sue the arse off them for this, i am amazed that anyone actually thought that this was a good idea?... how sure are you it was the council that did it and not a well meaning individual who might not have realised it was glass or it was a beer bottle that has been crushed due to foot traffic?
It's the kind of crushed glass from builders merchants for using under block paved drives. Proper tiny shards of the stuff. It covers a huge area of concourse. If you know Greenwich it's all around the Cutty Sark. It beggars belief. Too large an area to be an individual and under council control
Edited by Zead on Wednesday 11th February 14:38
to be honest, and i am hoing this is true, it sounds like somewhere might have made the mother of cock-ups and used the wrong thing. still negligence on the part of the council though so get a complaint in asap and take it as high as you can. good thing about the public scetor is contact details are usually easily available... look under Johnson, B 
nah, seriously i hope its an honest mistake but it does sound like it need sorting asap
nah, seriously i hope its an honest mistake but it does sound like it need sorting asapI have written a 'shock horror' email to them as trying to phone is a waste of life. My initial post was to warn other users of this area, and to hang the person responsible. I'll leave sueing to Americans. Just want them to clear it up as I cycle there everyday and don't need more punctures or glass in my shoes!
Zead said:
I have written a 'shock horror' email to them as trying to phone is a waste of life. My initial post was to warn other users of this area, and to hang the person responsible. I'll leave sueing to Americans. Just want them to clear it up as I cycle there everyday and don't need more punctures or glass in my shoes!
Good lad.This is a note from a Greenwich Council spokesman:
Dear Greenwich Cyclists
Thank you for your comments about the use of silica sand mixed with
rock salt on some hard surfaces in the borough. I regret that I was
unable to open the images one of you sent.
I am surprised that you found sharp pieces in the mixture. The Council
used the mixture for two reasons: in order to give a better grip on
slippery surfaces, and to make the salt go further. The substance we
used is recycled silica used as a substitute for sand. It should not
contain dangerously sharp pieces, and I could find none in the samples
I have examined. Moreover, the operatives who mixed it with rock salt
and those who spread it did not detect any particles sharper than what
would be expected in coarse sand.
I realise that all sand can be abrasive and that it could graze
people's skin in the event of a fall. However, the abrasiveness of
the substance is, in part, what makes it effective as an anti-slip
agent. Please rest assured that the Council is keen to promote
cycling and our primary concern was to make footways safe for
pedestrians and other roads users. We will certainly bear your
comments in mind for the future.
We have now resumed normal sweeping and any residual sand will be
cleared as part of this process. I would anticipate that the majority
of the grit will be cleared by the end of this week, and I have asked
the Area Manager to check on the progress of the work.
Greenwich Council spokesperson
And here's a report from the Chief Executive of the council:
"2.5. In addition, we have sourced an additional stock of 20 tonnes of
'glass sand' (made from recycled glass) from Days Aggregates on
Greenwich Peninsula. We have mixed this with salt to make it available
for use on hard surfaces away from the public highway, eg schools,
parks, entrances to Council services etc."
The glass was coursely ground and contained sharp shards which would
easily puncture a bike's tyres and cause a nasty splinter should
someone slip. Using it to grit sections of NCR21 and NCR4 feeding
from the west into Cutty Sark Gardens, and the whole of Cutty Sark
Gardens was a particularly brainless thing to do.
Dear Greenwich Cyclists
Thank you for your comments about the use of silica sand mixed with
rock salt on some hard surfaces in the borough. I regret that I was
unable to open the images one of you sent.
I am surprised that you found sharp pieces in the mixture. The Council
used the mixture for two reasons: in order to give a better grip on
slippery surfaces, and to make the salt go further. The substance we
used is recycled silica used as a substitute for sand. It should not
contain dangerously sharp pieces, and I could find none in the samples
I have examined. Moreover, the operatives who mixed it with rock salt
and those who spread it did not detect any particles sharper than what
would be expected in coarse sand.
I realise that all sand can be abrasive and that it could graze
people's skin in the event of a fall. However, the abrasiveness of
the substance is, in part, what makes it effective as an anti-slip
agent. Please rest assured that the Council is keen to promote
cycling and our primary concern was to make footways safe for
pedestrians and other roads users. We will certainly bear your
comments in mind for the future.
We have now resumed normal sweeping and any residual sand will be
cleared as part of this process. I would anticipate that the majority
of the grit will be cleared by the end of this week, and I have asked
the Area Manager to check on the progress of the work.
Greenwich Council spokesperson
==============
And here's a report from the Chief Executive of the council:
"2.5. In addition, we have sourced an additional stock of 20 tonnes of
'glass sand' (made from recycled glass) from Days Aggregates on
Greenwich Peninsula. We have mixed this with salt to make it available
for use on hard surfaces away from the public highway, eg schools,
parks, entrances to Council services etc."
===============
The glass was coursely ground and contained sharp shards which would
easily puncture a bike's tyres and cause a nasty splinter should
someone slip. Using it to grit sections of NCR21 and NCR4 feeding
from the west into Cutty Sark Gardens, and the whole of Cutty Sark
Gardens was a particularly brainless thing to do.
mrmr96 said:
Did anyone manage to take decent photos and a sample of the glass which caused a problem?
I pulled 35 pieces of glass out of my tyres at the weekend, thank goodness they were puncture proof. The missus later, hoovered them up! damn.The glass is still on the cycle path and in the gaps this morning, although manual sweepers were out. Didn't think to take pics as I am not American so haven't got the 'sue the b
ds" mentality 
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