WHY has the road gritting been almost non existent?
Discussion
Ok, we always get this problem of roads not being gritted in cold winter weather, but this week has to be the worst in memory. The LGA say they have been gritting but the evidence countrywide clearly doesn't back this up. I am out and about a lot and this is the first year I have not 'seen' a proper gritter lorry (I have seen one lorry with council workers hand shovelling onto pavements, that's all). It's the first time ever in all honesty I have never had the car being showered by the ruddy stuff as they fly past!
Is it this government? ...again, calling the shots.
Another bl**dy agenda?
I wouldn't trust this 'control freak' shower not to be behind anything.
Is it this government? ...again, calling the shots.
Another bl**dy agenda?
I wouldn't trust this 'control freak' shower not to be behind anything.
I read somewhere that LA's aren't stock piling salt they way they used to and workers are having to keep to their paid hours (no OT). Throughout the UK we have enough for 12days of severe weather apparently.
I drove down the A9 and seen 2 gritters/snow ploughs and the road was quite bad in places. Side Roads in Inverness were really bad as nothing is being cleared except for main roads.
More of a concern are pavements that never seem to get cleared. What happened to everyone clearing the pavement immediately in front of their property?
I drove down the A9 and seen 2 gritters/snow ploughs and the road was quite bad in places. Side Roads in Inverness were really bad as nothing is being cleared except for main roads.
More of a concern are pavements that never seem to get cleared. What happened to everyone clearing the pavement immediately in front of their property?
I drove from Oxfordshire into Cheltenham Glos yesterday eve and saw 2 'proper' gritter lorries (first I've seen so far) as I crossed into the Glos border. Obviously they have different priorities to Oxfordshire!
As for clearing your own pathways, everybody is frightened to do it now because of 'hooman rites' and 'elf and safety'. Clear your path and someone slips on your salted or gritted area and they can sue you... in fact, they probably will sue you!
Mad.
As for clearing your own pathways, everybody is frightened to do it now because of 'hooman rites' and 'elf and safety'. Clear your path and someone slips on your salted or gritted area and they can sue you... in fact, they probably will sue you!
Mad.
Problem is that with limited budgets and cuts on staff LA's only do it when nessacery, they use the weather forecast and sensor points to tell them where it is needed most, if one part of a road gives a higher reading than another then the road may not be given priority despite parts of it being frozen. They also cant spread the salt if there is rain as it is washed away, also if they spread it on a road where there is little traffic even if it is a major route then it is not crushed by the vehicles and dispersed as required to be then the ice forms around it rendering it useless. On the other end of the scale if roads are very busy there is little point in spreading as the low speeds of the traffic means the spreading vehicle cant maintain the speed in order to spread the salt across the road.
I drove from Oxford to Cornwall at 4am yesterday and saw 12 gritting trucks so they are out there you just dont see them when they are normally working.
I drove from Oxford to Cornwall at 4am yesterday and saw 12 gritting trucks so they are out there you just dont see them when they are normally working.
The Government is 'INSTRUCTING' Councils to cut back on gritting...
There you have it! My first post was correct.
They will put lives at risk for peanuts. I have just spent overnight at the JR Hospital and drove back home early this morning. Councils gritted prev eve, but not at all last eve.
Lives are being put at risk (and being lost!!!) thanks to this shower. If salt and the mix is low, use some ruddy common sense and use ordinary sand/grit like they used to do. Of course, as per usual with this shower, the salt is now 'imported' - next supplies due in 12 days.
Have the low low risk of a terrorist getting on a plane and no expense is spared.
Sooner this totalitarian control lot is gone the better, not just imo but the majority! Now we can watch more days of the economy and country grinding to a halt. Absolutely pathetic bunch of idiots. Hurry up May.
It could do with one of these morons being involved in an accident on a treacherous non-gritted road. I would certainly lose no sleep, whatsover, even if it was fatal! Why should I? They show no regard for 'our' safety and lives.
There you have it! My first post was correct.
They will put lives at risk for peanuts. I have just spent overnight at the JR Hospital and drove back home early this morning. Councils gritted prev eve, but not at all last eve.
Lives are being put at risk (and being lost!!!) thanks to this shower. If salt and the mix is low, use some ruddy common sense and use ordinary sand/grit like they used to do. Of course, as per usual with this shower, the salt is now 'imported' - next supplies due in 12 days.
Have the low low risk of a terrorist getting on a plane and no expense is spared.
Sooner this totalitarian control lot is gone the better, not just imo but the majority! Now we can watch more days of the economy and country grinding to a halt. Absolutely pathetic bunch of idiots. Hurry up May.
It could do with one of these morons being involved in an accident on a treacherous non-gritted road. I would certainly lose no sleep, whatsover, even if it was fatal! Why should I? They show no regard for 'our' safety and lives.
Edited by dandarez on Saturday 9th January 10:48
I was in a bit of 'furious' mode when I last posted. Main roads are quite clear now round here, but that's more to do with temp rising - now a few degrees above freezing. Did see a gritter last night (not gritting at the time!) on Oxford Wolvercote roundabout.
Had to laugh today on local radio when the Oxfordshire chief Fire Officer said they 'had' been gritting. What have 'they' (fire service) to do with gritting roads? I thought it was Highways?
The laugh came from me when he said they had been gritting 800 MILES EVERY DAY for the last fortnight in Oxfordshire.
And I still can't get round my head what the Fire Service has to do with this?
800 miles every day for the last fortnight. That can surely only be one thing... a downright LIE?
Had to laugh today on local radio when the Oxfordshire chief Fire Officer said they 'had' been gritting. What have 'they' (fire service) to do with gritting roads? I thought it was Highways?
The laugh came from me when he said they had been gritting 800 MILES EVERY DAY for the last fortnight in Oxfordshire.
And I still can't get round my head what the Fire Service has to do with this?
800 miles every day for the last fortnight. That can surely only be one thing... a downright LIE?
Edited by dandarez on Sunday 10th January 13:55
There are thousands of miles of roads in every county, not including back roads and urban roads of housing estates. I doubt they're lying.
The chances of you seeing a gritter are very small, you may as well say you haven't seen a particular make of car like a Lamborghini or Ferrari, etc, for days, there are 1000s of them out there somewhere.
I agree that they've cocked up with the amount of grit they hold, but it's due to penny-pinching by the bean counters. Imagine the complaints, and there would have been some, if millions of £ had been spent on grit and spreading equipment and the winter had been mild. Damned if they do and damned if they don't.
The chances of you seeing a gritter are very small, you may as well say you haven't seen a particular make of car like a Lamborghini or Ferrari, etc, for days, there are 1000s of them out there somewhere.
I agree that they've cocked up with the amount of grit they hold, but it's due to penny-pinching by the bean counters. Imagine the complaints, and there would have been some, if millions of £ had been spent on grit and spreading equipment and the winter had been mild. Damned if they do and damned if they don't.
The regular snow fall also caused problems for our local council. As soon as they cleared the priority routes we got another dusting, forcing them to go over the priority routes again to keep them clear. So even lower priority routes that were normally gritted regularly were gritted less often. In those conditions, the rest of us had little chance.
As mentioned elsewhere, Tuesday last week, incident which required ambulance at a well known trouble spot when it snows. Council requested to send help to clear road and thus improve access to location refused as they weren't sending out any ploughs or gritters due to...
... snow conditions. It's not as if this location was in the wilds of nowhere btw.
Patient transported to hospital by car courtesy of an out of area paramedic who managed to pitch up eventually. Thankfully not serious in the end, but it's a bloody disgrace frankly.
... snow conditions. It's not as if this location was in the wilds of nowhere btw.
Patient transported to hospital by car courtesy of an out of area paramedic who managed to pitch up eventually. Thankfully not serious in the end, but it's a bloody disgrace frankly.
Come on we should all know the situation by now, We pay more than anywhere else in europe for our infrastructure yet:-
In summer we run out of water as it was the wrong sort of rain.
We run out of grit in winter cause its the wrong type of snow.
Highways agency cant meet demand to neccesary information.
Trains get cancelled and its down to rain on the points or birds on the track.
We are a nation of the first excuse that comes to mind and personal greed, We get told not to evade tax and not use off shore banks
Yet all our councils have lost money in the icelandic banks scandal as they was trying to avoid tax....
So there you go all the grit and salt funds is sat in a offshore tax haven.
I'm currently in Germany which is -9 and everybody is still plodding on
In summer we run out of water as it was the wrong sort of rain.
We run out of grit in winter cause its the wrong type of snow.
Highways agency cant meet demand to neccesary information.
Trains get cancelled and its down to rain on the points or birds on the track.
We are a nation of the first excuse that comes to mind and personal greed, We get told not to evade tax and not use off shore banks
Yet all our councils have lost money in the icelandic banks scandal as they was trying to avoid tax....
So there you go all the grit and salt funds is sat in a offshore tax haven.
I'm currently in Germany which is -9 and everybody is still plodding on
Edited by youbeenspied on Tuesday 12th January 16:05
ianwayne said:
There are thousands of miles of roads in every county, not including back roads and urban roads of housing estates. I doubt they're lying.
The chances of you seeing a gritter are very small, you may as well say you haven't seen a particular make of car like a Lamborghini or Ferrari, etc, for days, there are 1000s of them out there somewhere.
I agree that they've cocked up with the amount of grit they hold, but it's due to penny-pinching by the bean counters. Imagine the complaints, and there would have been some, if millions of £ had been spent on grit and spreading equipment and the winter had been mild. Damned if they do and damned if they don't.
One problem with your response. I checked and Oxfordshire CC has just 14 gritter lorries! A few years ago it had more, and that is WHY it was not unusual to have your car sprayed in grit as the shot by. In fact, it was common of drivers to complain about being showered by grit. This year I have seen 4 gritter lorries. I am not blaming the drivers. The chances of you seeing a gritter are very small, you may as well say you haven't seen a particular make of car like a Lamborghini or Ferrari, etc, for days, there are 1000s of them out there somewhere.
I agree that they've cocked up with the amount of grit they hold, but it's due to penny-pinching by the bean counters. Imagine the complaints, and there would have been some, if millions of £ had been spent on grit and spreading equipment and the winter had been mild. Damned if they do and damned if they don't.
The said Council in question spent 1.25million pounds!!! last year on a stupid, pointless ANPR type camera system around Oxford so, they said, traffic could be controlled better. It didn't/doesn't control traffic congestion - Oxford as anyone will tell you is a nightmare. (More likely it has been installed for future congestion CHARGING!
I pay the taxes. I have right to complain about our useless council(s). And 'damned' they damn well should be!
Edited by dandarez on Wednesday 13th January 10:30
There is no grit, because all our money, we gave to the government has been given to the banks and it looks like they are recieving another lump in bonuses.After all they do deserve it!!!!!
There is a simple solution to this...
If every self employed contractor created their own limited company Vat reg etc, you have some control of who does what with your money.
On the subjest of Banks, they are scared stiff . They have our money, lent to them for say 1/2 % from the Bank of England .Lent back to us maybe,probably not, at some astro rate.The Treasury b
ds won`t allow Banks any risk at all , so the life blood of business in this country dries up.Yet again the Banks are about to screw up the country. So why the fk do we put up with it
?
Because were British
There is a simple solution to this...
If every self employed contractor created their own limited company Vat reg etc, you have some control of who does what with your money.
On the subjest of Banks, they are scared stiff . They have our money, lent to them for say 1/2 % from the Bank of England .Lent back to us maybe,probably not, at some astro rate.The Treasury b
ds won`t allow Banks any risk at all , so the life blood of business in this country dries up.Yet again the Banks are about to screw up the country. So why the fk do we put up with it ?Because were British
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