Gritting?

[Dave]

Merry Christmas everyone, and a Happy New Year (how many weeks of 2010 will pass before someone mentions 17 W*nd*ws?)    

....and the answer is: only two!  http://www.marple-uk.com/smf/index.php?topic=2637.285;topicseen       

[The Giffer]

Batman suggests that when Snow is forecast - Our Priority roads are gritted - Snow was forecast on Saturday 19th December - fell albeit fairly lightly around 7- 8.00 pm but  no gritting took place until later that evening  leaving Brabyns Brow in  a chaotic and dangerous state. It's examples such as this that frustrate  together with the responses you  get  and this isn't about the gritting teams 

[Lisa Oldham]

but theres so much.. where do you clear it too?  i half cleared my drive.. nearly covered the caravan ok ok but got mounds of the stuff everywhere now!!!

[Mike in Marple]

It could be argued that there is only 2" of solid ice because it wasn't cleared before it froze! 

[jcc]

The legal risk is my excuse for not spending lots of money on expensive salt or trying to chisel through 2" of solid ice! But anyone else is more than welcome, I won't sue!

[Mike in Marple]

While there is a theoretical risk of a claim being bought against you if someone injuries themselves on the bit of pavement you cleared, in practice it would be an extremely difficult case to prove.

The claimant would have to prove that you acted maliciously or carelessly.

See http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/magazine/8443745.stm

[jcc]

It would be great if everyone cleared the Pavement outside their home or business. In other Countries this is a legal obligation. If you do it here you will unfortunately make yourself liable to claims from anyone who has an injury on the pavement you cleared. This is just another benefit of the 'Blame and claim' culture in the UK. You do however have an obligation to make your property safe for anyone coming to your home e.g. Postman or Postwomen (PC obligation covered)

[Lisa Oldham]

i dont have a problem with the gritting or even smbc possibly running out of grit... its an unprecedented situation... we have to live and cope with it!  not so long ago we wouldnt even consider expecting the council to rovide all these services for us!!!

and yep maybe people should clear the street a bit.. many have... to the sides of their drives!!! so walking on my own and especially with my youngest kids through the mountains is .... interesting to say the least !

[Mike in Marple]

if however everyone was to clear the bit of pavement outside there home or buisiness this would help us all.

Amen to that.

[bat man]

Good point,but we have had mild winters for a while,last year though gritting commenced in October,it is difficult to balance how much grit the Council should have in stock.The adverse conditions did come on quite quickly.Now its a balance of prioritising were to put the grit.

[Neil Smith]

I hope everyone will spare a thought for the operaters of the gritters and snow ploughs and the very unsocial hours they are working,yes I know they are paid but were would we be without them,lets stop bashing the Grit teams and give them some support..One more thought who clears the roads so the grit teams can get to work???

I think no one on here is personally getting at the gritters, but more towards SMBC, I do not envy they council, buy to much grit and have a mild winter-they risk spending the budget for other areas for the next few months. Don't buy enough and have a bad winter (as we are having now) and you know the rest of the story.

[Dave]

Good grief - all that techie stuff just to chuck grit on the roads!  (Have you ever noticed how the more technology gets involved, the more things go wrong)   

[bat man]

I am sorry to hear so many people feel they have been let down by the Gritters,here is some info I hope redresses the balance.

When snow is forecast, the Council sends out the gritters. Trouble spots are identified by networks of sensors embedded in the asphalt.
On roads and highways across the UK, discs are embedded in the road surface to measure climatic conditions. Each is connected by cable or mobile phone technology to an automatic weather station, an unassuming grey box by the roadside.

 Sensors measure road and air temps, rain, dew and salt levels
GPS is now being used to provide detailed ice predictions
Authorities use data to decide when to send out gritters
 
It's a system developed in the 1970 and 80s and now widely used across the country to track and predict road conditions throughout inclement months. To have accurate information about driving conditions is invaluable to road authorities and local councils to decide when - and where - to send out the gritters.

The sensors are sited either on a representative stretch of road (no nearby trees, buildings or bridges, which offer some protection from the cold), or traditional cold spots. The weather stations then beam back data about air and road temperatures, wind speed and direction, and the wetness of roads.

This is posted on an intranet for officials to monitor, along with analysis by meteorologists using local weather forecasts.

Salt levels are also measured to ensure that grit already spread has not been blown away by wind or washed away by rain,.

Major routes have to take priority once these routes have had a sufficiant coating of grit then minor routes can be looked at.Because conditions have been so severe it is taking longer to treat major routes.Unfortunatly there is not the equiptment or manpower(pardon the pun)to treat all pavements,if however everyone was to clear the bit of pavement outside there home or buisiness this would help us all.I hope everyone will spare a thought for the operaters of the gritters and snow ploughs and the very unsocial hours they are working,yes I know they are paid but were would we be without them,lets stop bashing the Grit teams and give them some support..One more thought who clears the roads so the grit teams can get to work???
 

 

[nbt]

I had a great ride to work at 7am this morning on the bike, bit dodgy on the snow where cars had been as the packed snow was skiddy, but great to cruise past the standing traffic and then have the road till the next downhill section....

[Lisa Oldham]

Is there a point in gritting at mo with a tonne more snow expected B4 freezing temperatures?  bit of a waste as cant see it will help much considering how much was/is falling maybe best to save until snow stops and temperatures drop?

time to just be sensible instead and stay off the roads

i saw the gritters Clearing road this morning but not gritting...