General Chat

We have a - not so much 'snow' day - more an 'ice' day today.
Line manager phoned me at 8:30, we've been told not to bother even attempting to go to work.
Line manager's manager lives in Basingstoke...........
We were told to leave work at 3:30 yesterday afternoon - the motorways may be clear, but pavements in the centre of Winchester were very icy, and although I live about 2 miles from the centre of the city, the council - like most places - don't bother gritting the minor roads.
I had to walk home as the roads around where I live were too icy for the bus.
Today it's impossible to even cross the road!
A colleague couldn't get home yesterday - the HIGH STREET of the town where she lives was/is closed due to ice.
FGS - a High Street!

I think the main problem is councils no longer employ their own maintenance men - they use contractors, in the belief that they will save money, as these people can be called on when work needs to be done.
It's a false economy.

If councils employed their own tradesmen instead of contractors, they'd have enough labour to grit the roads and pavements properly - like I remember them doing when I first moved here.

Those employees could then be used to clear ditches, which would help to stop flooding, clear branches from in front of roadsigns etc, mend potholes when they occur - not have to wait until there are sufficient potholes - and the road is positively dangerous, to make it worth their while employing a contracor.

We have the same problem here on the south coast. No side roads or pavements alongside main roads have been treated.

We have had a lot of rain over the last 24 hours which has frozen overnight on top of the remains of the slush from the thawing snow from last Friday:(

xx

I have just got back from the gp's surgery.... the carpark, the pavement, and the disabled ramp, are like skating rinks... I am not sure who is responsible for making sure it is gritted etc. but you would expect a medical centre to be done, wouldn't you?

Our road is like an ice rink too... we have put salt down on our driveway... the grit we used just froze over, no effect whatsoever, so we are trying the salt.

Love

Daff xxxx

It seems none of our roads have been gritted, not even the main ones. We've got a John Lewis a couple of miles away and apparently things were so bad last night they were letting people sleep in the store, kind of restores your faith in human nature

Barb

Barb - that was so good of them! Let's hope sales rocket!!

Whilst walking to work yesterday - having eventually managed to get the frozen gate open! - I followed a gritter down a main road. The amount of grit it was depositing was derisory.

I don't drive, but still pay council tax. Road gritting helps vehicles move about from area to area (if you can get onto the main roads) - but we pay council tax for our local area, so why isn't some of the council tax put to use to help 'locals' walk along the pavements and move off local and side roads?

I've been looking on the traffic websites since early this morning - all motorways have been gritted, but there is hardly any traffic - the car drivers are unable to get off the sideroads where they live!
...and won't gritted roads that aren't used just freeze up again?

It took daughter no 2 and grandson 3 hours to get home yesterday (about 4 miles) on the bus, and all because the roads hadn't been gritted. :((

Took me six hours to get from Dulwich to Bexleyheath via Charlton Catford and Dartford. The worse jams were caused by abandoned buses stuck on roundabouts etc.You would think buses would have some grit in wintry conditions.