Grit and determination required to keep county's roads clear

Hamish Hutchinson • Published 5 Jan 2010 16:12 6 Comments

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CLACKMANNANSHIRE Council's head of roads is reassuring residents that extra supplies of grit are on the way as icy and treacherous conditions continue to grip the Wee County.

The council's stock of grit was down to 100 tonnes on Tuesday but Mac West, roads and transportation manager at Clackmannanshire Council, told the Advertiser that more grit was due to be delivered from Falkirk Council and also from Cheshire on Tuesday afternoon.

Mr West told the Advertiser on Tuesday, "We have certainly been getting very low in grit but we are expecting more stock from Cheshire and also from Falkirk. However, all the main roads and footways were gritted this morning.

Co-operation

"We were down to 100 tonnes and in normal frosty conditions we go through 30 tonnes a day, but if there are snowy conditions it can be more than that. It just depends on how much snow there is.

"In situations like this local authorities co-operate with each other and depending who gets in supplies they lend them out to other authorities or borrow from them. We lent grit to Falkirk just before Christmas and that is why we are now getting it back."

However, some residents are angry at the lack of gritting on their streets and a disabled woman who lives in Woodlands in Sauchie told the Advertiser she has been stuck in her house since before Christmas.

One side

She said that a council gritter put grit down one side of her road, which is in the sun, but not the side she lives on which is in the shade, meaning she and other disabled residents have been unable to get out of their homes.

She said, "Not once have they put grit down on my side of the street in 19 years. The gritter keeps going along the side of the street that is in the sun and there isn't the same need for it to be cleared. I have been stuck in my house since before Christmas.

"There are five disabled and elderly people on my side of the road.

"It seems crazy as the criteria is to grit the side of the road not in the sun and with the greatest number of properties. This is not happening."

Mac West said that the council's policy is to grit the side of the footway which is the most heavily used so at least one side of the road is open to pedestrians. If resources and time then permits before the snow melts, the council's gritting team will move on to the other side.

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Jimmy Neebur
Unregistered User
Jan 6, 12:42
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A street that hasnae been gritted since 1990 seems a bit far fetched eh. Prior tae this cauld snap ah couldnae have telt ye maself the last time ma own street had been gritted as a dinnae keep records aboot that kind of thing.

Ah wonder if yon cooncil gritter concentrates on the side that gets the sun cause the snow/ice melts during the day an then refreezes in the cauld overnight conditions.

Terrible though that the residents have been stuck in their hooses since afair Christmas - they should be phonin the cooncil helpline tae alert them tae this priority situation and see if a wee bit of grit can be spared fur them... the folk must be starvin by now.

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OmG
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Jan 17, 11:42
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I find it quite peculiar that during the recent cold snap, the time you were most likely to see gritters on the roads was either at weekends or during public holidays. Why is this??

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Ray Brand
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Jan 19, 02:11
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Was it anything to do with the worst weather occurring during the festive period when there was a high concentration of public holidays? I'm sure of course that enhanced pay rates were a nice bonus for winter maintenance staff but I don't see any conspiracy beyond that.

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OmG
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Jan 19, 07:13
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Thanks Ray. But with the recent Thaw, they are out again at evenings and weekends! I saw them last night at around 8pm but funnily enough, not this morning at 7.00am when there was a sharp frost!!

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Ray Brand
Unregistered User
Jan 19, 17:43
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grit in advance of frost and morning rush-hour traffic perhaps? Not very conspiracy-tastic I know but a plausible theory at least.

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jake
Unregistered User
Jan 31, 10:54
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The gritting is controlled from Stirling.

So get that up yi

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