Forum Topic

Where are the road gritters?

I would have thought they would be out by now?

Carol Burge ● 5988d16 Comments

Maybe they were - the pavements around us were suddenly snow-free on Weds evening whilst the side-roads were still snow-covered.Those around Covent Garden had been gritted on Tuesday morning too.

Andrew Broadbent ● 5984d

I have just seen the comment re funding snow ploughs/gritters........presumably whilst the snow was at its thickest the pavement sweepers could not go out, therefore would it not have been possible to fill their barrows with snow/salt/grit and deploy them onto the pavements that, during the good weather, they are out sweeping?

Carol Burge ● 5985d

It was absolutely lethal when I stepped on the pavement there on Monday at 6.50 am as I battled my way through the snow to Hammersmith Tube Station.  Every other step of the way right from Askew Road was fine and no problem as I trod through the snow.

Caroline MacMillan ● 5985d

I agree about the surface of Lyric Square.  The paving is very attractive, but it is absolutely lethal in wet or icy weather.  After the length of time it took to finish the square and the fact that the paving is good quality and an integral part of the overal design of the square, it's unlikely that replacing it could be justified. It would be good if it could be treated in some way though.  I work on Lyric Square and have had to tip-toe over it like a frightened snail for the past few days.

Frances McAllister ● 5985d

Please see the response I got back in March last year when I raised the same question about the safety of the paving stones in Lyric Square..........On 28/03/2008, Warren Olivia wrote:> Dear Councillor PhibbsECS9461 - Paving Stones in Lyric Square - Slippery When Wet (Carol>  Burge)Thank you for your email of 17 March 2008 regarding the condition of the  Lyric Square pavement surfaces.Consideration was given to the performance of the special paving surfacing, including during wet weather, when the Lyric Square was designed and constructed and standard tests were carried out to ensure the paving met normal slip resistance requirements.We have received one complaint about the slipperyness of the surfacing  in the proximity of the fountain during adverse weather conditions and,  as a consequence, we are now monitoring the situation carefully and will  turn the water fountain off if we consider there are avoidable If you have any further queries regarding this matter, please do not hesitate to contact me on telephone number 0208 753 3056.Yours sincerelyColin GlendenningTeam ManagerHighways and Engineering DivisionEnvironment Services DepartmentLondon Borough of Hammersmith & Fulham

Carol Burge ● 5985d

The paving in Lyric Sq. is much more slippery that other pavements any time it gets wet.Does the Council have any plans to treat or replace it before they get hit with personal injury claims, I wonder ?

Andrew Broadbent ● 5985d

So you'd be happy to see Council Tax increased to fund gritters and snow ploughs for this kind of weather, even though the last time it was this bad was in 1991 ?Serious question.

Andrew Broadbent ● 5985d

I walked down King street last nite too and from the council offices down to Stamford Brook was very dangerous.I certainly didn't see any evidence of gritting on that stretch.

John Kennedy ● 5986d

Last night I walked down King Street, sorry but these pavements had not been gritted, not even outside the councils offices.  This morning Goldhawk Road was like an icerink.

Carol Burge ● 5986d

what is desperate is the council's unwillgness to accept the reality of valuable resident feedback without turning it into a party political issue.Perhaps Cllr Smith may want to comment on the accuracy of that well known socialist paper the Eveving Standard  which states  H&F is poorly equipped to deal with snow because: "Hammersmith and Fulham Council only operates two gritting machines and no snow ploughs and was forced to suspend parking charges to allow parking attendants to help manually shovel snow"

Muj Khan ● 5987d

Monday I set forth at 6am and when I found Stamford Book station closed, continued walking through the falling snow to Hammersmith to pick up a Piccadilly line train.  The pavement by Lyric Square was lethal and VERY slippy and I suspect the surface there is different to the rest of the pavements on my route.

Caroline MacMillan ● 5987d

I'm sorry, but that comment is simply not true.  There are over 100 staff out on the streets putting grit down on footways today.Labour's attempts to portray the Council as not doing anything really is desperate on their part.Out of personal experience, on my way to the Town Hall today from Fulham, I passed four separate teams getting salt grit onto footways.Full updates are available on the Council's website: www.lbhf.gov.uk.Cllr Greg SmithCabinet Member for Crime & Street SceneH&F Council

Greg Smith ● 5987d

I'm also concerned about the pavements which are treacherous with dangerous black ice and no grit at all.Schools in the borough start again on wednesday with no current sign that the council appear to acknowledge the severity of the situation and do something about it.

Muj Khan ● 5987d

Apologies - first sentence should have read: The snow has undoubtedly caused disruption to all of London, however it is not true to suggest H&F Council hasn't been acting to do everything possible to keep the borough safe and moving.

Greg Smith ● 5988d

The snow has undoubtedly caused disruption to all of London, however it is not true to suggest H&F Council has been acting to do everything possible to keep the borough safe and moving.Gritters started work in the early hours of Monday morning – worked all day, dropping over 70 tonnes of grit salt onto main roads and footways.  For most of the day this was split across two gritters.Along with our street cleansing contractor Serco and grounds maintenance contractor Quadron, the council has also redeployed staff to ensure grit salt is put down on as many footpaths as possible.  As an inner-London borough that faces events like this only once in every fifteen years there will always be practical difficulties in getting things moving as quickly as everyone would like. But we are doing everything we physically can to combat these extraordinary weather conditions.We will continue to work today and for as long as it takes.  For information updates, please check www.lbhf.gov.uk. Cllr Greg SmithCabinet Member for Crime & Street SceneH&F Council

Greg Smith ● 5988d

I phoned and asked the council just that - Lyric square is like a skating rink at the moment.  Apparently the new privatized service only has one gritter and that broke down.  I guess that's what you call cutting town hall red tape eh?

Katherine Marsh ● 5988d

They should have been out last night before the snow arrived.  What's the state of the main roads in Hammersmith?

Richard Jennings ● 5988d