Share |
The truths they don't want you to read....

Monday, December 28, 2009

Council gritting policy

As the snow falls once again, bathing the town in a deadly sheet of snow-covered ice, I look from our house window gazing across the beautiful scene.

It surely can't be long now until the gritters make their way out and about and spread the precious load of rock-salt across the roads, car parks, pavements and collapsed pedestrians that give the town a post-apocalyptic, rather than post-Christmas, look.

The Road in Stornoway, Isle of LewisStornoway town centre this morning

Last week they made their appearance in town in the late afternoon, with the grit being carried from the back of a lorry with shovels to be cast onto pavements.

However, one service was running absolutely as normal.

At 7:45am on Sunday the road sweeper made its way through town to make sure the roads were clean beneath the snow before Church started.

Good priority choices.

20 comments:

Anonymous said...

How can the Comhairle justify that cleaning the roads on Sunday is necessary when they won't even open the sports centre and frown upon Sunday ferries.

Do they pay the road sweeper double time to work on a Sunday?

This could be one way that they can save some of their precious pennies and invest it in the greater good of us not breaking our necks on a weekday afternoon on the uncleared icy pavements.

Anonymous said...

You guys are obviously too young or too blinkered to remember why the Sunday street cleaning started. As with many so called developments it was not for the benefit of the locals, or local churchgoers, but for tourists. Indeed if I recall correctly a backlash was expected from 'the wider Christian community' although I dont think this materialised.
I find it quite sad that you had to tarnish the serious issue of road gritting with your pathetic predjudices irrespective of the truth

Anonymous said...

Gritting Policy? Are you having a laugh? I saw an old lady spreading grit on Newton Street with a dustpan. Dumping a load of grit on the pavement every ten metres is not any kind of policy, it is not even organised. Why bother putting down grit if you're not going to spread it? The minimum requirement for a shoveller is to be able to throw, not just to dump. Who is keeping an eye on all this? While I'm ranting - bus shelters in Stornoway without timetables displayed, what am I supposed to do - guess? If the council care so little for the citizen as to pay them the least courtesy, how do they justify themselves? Get into the local press and explain yourselves you useless bunch of wasters. It seems that they couldn't care less about the good functioning of this town and shame on them for it.

Anonymous said...

"useless bunch of wasters"

Unfortunately that is what the majority of people want - clearly, as they were put there by popular demand.

2.08 and 11.45 your posts don't seem to make any sense at all.

Anonymous said...

I note Bulnacraig Street is the best gritted and scraped in the islands. Seems odd for a very short random road. Who lives there? Head of the Council Angus Campbell. Nuff said.

Anonymous said...

12pm

I'm no lover of the Comhairle but do we really need such unsubstantiated comments? What evidence is there to suggest "Bulnacraig Street is the best gritted and scraped in the islands." Mind you - why let lame sense of humour get in the way of facts?

Anonymous said...

9:24 perhaps you are one of the blinkered - they seem to make sense to me

Anonymous said...

Maybe its just in case something really important happens which requires him to rapidly reverse his y-front/trouser arrangement and launch the Bat-mobile! Maybe he could put his pants on his head.

Anonymous said...

What's the point of clean streets for the tourists if you can't bloody walk on them because they are sheet ice??!!!

Anonymous said...

12:00pm

I've heard that it is difficult to get the horse and gold carriage out onto icy roads.

Also what good is our council leader if he has a broken leg and can't bend down to kiss Malcolm Burr's arse......

Anonymous said...

Last time The Dear Leader reversed his y-front/trouser arrangement he got a black eye from Mrs Dear Leader.

Dr Evadne said...

Well 1.46pm come and have a look at the roads in South Lochs. Nanouk of the North would have a job travelling on these roads. The snow plough and gritter have left us to endure cabin fever in these remote parts. Just as well the turkey is still going strong and we still have enough Bollinger to keep us going for the next couple of days. Luckily the power is still on so its....

Anonymous said...

Mrs Dear Leader also gave him a high quality penalty kick right between the legs, and a very well aimed head butt supper.

Anonymous said...

I do hope folk are not applauding domestic violence!

Heard a rumour y'day that CNES are in negotatios to spread sterilised overspill organic material from the incinerator on the roads as they will run out of grit on Friday. True? Option 2 apparently is contacting Scottish Water to see what they have left over from the sewage works to spread. I jest not.

Then you certainly wouldn't want to slip in Francis Street!

Anonymous said...

Maybe we need a bit more CO2 to get things warmed up a bit

Anonymous said...

Poor De Leader he is no half getting another kicking on this blogsite and has no undress to get back with all de comments made unanimously. Its no fair.

Anonymous said...

i've heard that streets in the town are clearer - because of the foot traffic, spreading the grit - any truth in this? Perhaps Der Fuhrer is so popular that there are herds flocking to his door ?!

Anonymous said...

2:46
Take it by ''Undress'' you mean ''redress'' and by ''Unanimously'' you mean ''anonymously''??

Dr Evadne said...

Oh help! See how I was joking that we have had a power cut....we actually have no water!! The roads are still only passable with a Chieftan tank and we are having to wee in the sea. Surely this must be at odds with some council elf and safety regulation?

Anonymous said...

The town roads are treacherous. Laxdale Bridge closed. Taxis stopped running. Run out of Grit.
Well done the Cooncil.