Concerns over ‘ lack of grit’ as cold snap hits
Councillor tells of fears from constituents about roads
UNTREATED icy roads and streets throughout Glasgow have resulted in fears that the city’s cleansing department may be facing a funding shortfall.
It comes after Conservative councillor Thomas Kerr claimed he was inundated with emails regarding the weather conditions in his ward and throughout the city – particularly within the Carmyle community.
Mr Kerr said that the lack of grit in grit bins and treatment of these “treacherous” conditions could be damaging for people’s mental and physical health with the city enduring another lockdown.
He said: “These weather conditions are absolutely horrendous. It is probably the worst I have ever seen.
“My ward includes Carmyle and a lot of people have been in touch with me regarding this situation. The grit bins are empty. There are icy conditions every year, but this year is particularly bad. There seems to have been a break down in council services.
“I am not sure if the cleansing department are getting enough funding to allow them to carry out their work but there must be a reason as to why this is happening.”
The Shettleston representative has raised concerns about bin collection services which may be unable to proceed due to the road conditions.
He is concerned that further cuts to council services could make the situation even worse.
He added: “Bin lorries are struggling to enter residential streets and the council says this is because of the bad weather. The council has already changed the collection rate to three- weekly which is making the situation even worse.
“Everyone is being affected. A lot of bins are overflowing. I have been in touch with my local neighbourhood officer who has made sure all the grit bins are refilled but I have not been able to speak to any politicians about this.
“We have now been put into another lockdown and have been asked to stay at home. We are allowed to exercise to help improve our mental health but it is hard to walk in icy conditions where there is a risk of falling, injuring yourself and putting the NHS under more strain.”
Priority roads and footways have been identified and have been routinely gritted throughout the recent cold snap.
A council spokesman said: “There is no question the recent conditions have been very challenging for all road users.
“Rain falling on to surfaces that are already below zero, as happened earlier this week, is one of the worst combinations for road conditions.
“Rain not only washes away grit that has already been laid down but also creates black ice almost immediately.
“We have continued to follow our winter plan throughout the festive period and into the new year and all of our available resources are currently being deployed to combat the wintry conditions.
“Staff are working around the clock to keep the city’s main priority roads, footways and cycle routes as safe as possible and we have also made headway with other routes across the city.
“We are also regularly refilling the city’s 1500- plus grit bins so that residents can help to make areas in their communities safer for use and are dropping extra one- tonne bags of grit where there is community demand.
“If anyone finds their local grit bin is empty then we urge them to use the council website to request that it is refilled.
“Even if it were feasible to grit all of the city’s 1900km of roads and 3100km of footways everyday, wintry weather would always pose risks to road users.
“The weather forecast is predicting a significant drop in road surface temperatures overnight into Friday and so difficult conditions should be anticipated, especially on untreated surfaces.
“Our teams will be out overnight and from early tomorrow morning to lay down grit in line with our winter plan, but we urge anyone using the road network to use the greatest possible care when travelling.”
There seems to have been a break down in council services