Norwich grit lorries reduced
It’s been revealed there’ll be fewer gritters covering Norwich this winter. As the city gears up for the next cold snap, 2800 tonnes of rock salt have been put in storage.
And councils have a simple message for residents who clear snow from paths.
At a time of cutbacks, Norwich’s preparations for winter come under the spotlight this week. This year the city’s priority routes will be covered by 5 gritting vehicles instead of 6: “by treating the top priority[...] roads together in as efficient way as possible.” A spare gritting vehicle to cover breakdowns is to be removed and replaced by sharing a pool vehicle with other councils.
The reductions will save an estimated £40,000.
Following last year’s harsh winter, nearly a hundred more grit boxes have been requested by residents. 14 have been accepted, where they fit the criteria: “when there is a clear risk of ice causing a significant hazard such as a steep slope or bend.”
All grit bins will be filled with a mixture of salt and sand, after sand alone proved ineffective during the severe freezing temperatures in February. As reported earlier, parts of south Norwich are appealing for volunteer grit wardens to help keep pavements safe.
And this year council websites will promote a clear message that residents can clear snow from pavements, without risking being liable: “all reasonable actions to clear snow from highway footpaths can be taken and will be appreciated, without risk of prosecution.”
Norfolk County Council could take over gritting Norwich’s roads next year, potentially saving tens of thousands of pounds. John Birchall, a spokesperson for the county council explains how this could work: “There would be the potential to combine routes, runs, vehicles, staff and management required. When you consider that last year we ran 131 times, with each run costing over £30,000, relatively modest savings per run would add up over the whole winter”.
This idea will be discussed at the county council’s Environment, Transport and Development Overview and Scrutiny panel this Wednesday, 17th November.
Comments to “Norwich grit lorries reduced”
Johanna – the clue is in John Birchall’s empolyer. It apparantly costs Norfolk County Council £30K to cover 3000km+ of NORFOLK roads with 55 vehicles in 3 hours, not Norwich. For Norwich the cost is much less, but all comes out of the county highways budget.
Cllr Richard Bearman.
Comment
How can it cost over £30,000 per run with only 6 vehicles? Are they spreading diamonds?
Johanna