grit 'crisis'

[green-hornet]

The problem is that the UK as a nation relies very heavely on transport of the engine variety, and clear roads in which to excersise that right. In the 1960's people walked to work in all weathers, ok there was local jobs at that time, remember we still had a very strong manufacturing base, from which all the traders are or where born from.

Nowadays people would frown on walking 2 miles to work,or even around the corner for a packet of fags.

I hope the cold season lasts for about ten years, so we can all learn what is important.

Community spirit, working together, helping those who can not help themselves, and most important talk about something else other than the bloody weather.

 

[androiduk2002]

But surely if they had multi use lorrys then they could afford to have more of them ? If you are paying 2 companys to do 2 differant roles and each has 10 lorrys, then if you pay one company to do both they could have the lorrys multi use thus only requiring 10 do both jobs so be cheeper to do so why not get an extra 5 lorrys.

I myself had smoke alarms fitted by the brigade (wife organised it not me ) they should up in the engine 1 fitted alarms at mine another fitted alarms at house 3 doors down but they told us if they got a call they would have to leave with out finishing but would be back once done at the "job", if they wasnt fitting alarms they would just be sat in station waiting for a call so why not ?

I wasnt meaning a specific peace of equipment and I do agree with your point about central services especially when it come to "the brigade" and they do do that , hence the nearly formed Urban Search And Rescue squads formed after the 9/11 attacks , I believe there are 10 squads bases all over the Uk these have Multi hook lorrys with a variety of containers for those special "jobs" , each lorry ir built identical so if it was a major incedent squads from other areas could be flown in and use another squads lorry with out any issues of wheres this or wheres that.

My point was they use (in the main) 1 lorry for most of there work with specials for special jobs , but when it comes to the council due to work being subcontacted out there are to many lorrys to do 1 job only this surely costs more than if you had 1 lorry that by day could do say rubbish collection but by night could do gritting or ploughing.

 

[androiduk2002]

The problem is that the UK as a nation relies very heavely on transport of the engine variety, and clear roads in which to excersise that right. In the 1960's people walked to work in all weathers, ok there was local jobs at that time, remember we still had a very strong manufacturing base, from which all the traders are or where born from.Nowadays people would frown on walking 2 miles to work,or even around the corner for a packet of fags.

Community spirit, working together, helping those who can not help themselves,

I second this

 

[Apache]

I see your point, BUT I still want my bins emptying when there's a bit of snow. A months worth of rubbish building up because of the snow wouldn't be good.

 

[androiduk2002]

well with the snow issue I know our local bin lorrys havent even left the yard since Tuesday when the snow started , Ive walked past a few times and they are still covered in snow and park all nice and neatly ; -) Id like to say they have had the staff out with shovels but alas this appears not to be true as they havent even cleared their own yard ; -)

 

[Apache]

well with the snow issue I know our local bin lorrys havent even left the yard since Tuesday when the snow started , Ive walked past a few times and they are still covered in snow and park all nice and neatly ; -) Id like to say they have had the staff out with shovels but alas this appears not to be true as they havent even cleared their own yard ; -)

Where are you mate?

 

[androiduk2002]

Milton Keynes , they sub most of their work out, and well before christmas rumours where abound about over spending in the councils and alot of projects have been shelved !.

 

[bengie]

well with the snow issue I know our local bin lorrys havent even left the yard since Tuesday when the snow started , Ive walked past a few times and they are still covered in snow and park all nice and neatly ; -) Id like to say they have had the staff out with shovels but alas this appears not to be true as they havent even cleared their own yard ; -)

have you ever cleared snow? and i don't mean sweepingyour path or drive i meana large area?

i hadn't until this week and its not simple to do by hand i can assure you, we had 5 transit/renault flat beds to load the snow onto with each load being between 500Kg and 1000Kg depending on the lorries specification and the tools/equipement on board, 4 or 5 men shoveling the snow onto each lorry then andother 2-3 men per lorry using home made snow scoops(12mm ply and 2x2) to keep the shovelers in snow and that took us 3 days to clear our two car parks that are around 1,500 square meters and a lot of it was only under a couple inches of snow(some of it was 12inches deep but only small areas). We shifted around 60ton of snow from just our car park.

its a great idea to get rid of the snow but there are major problems with this like where do you put it? and simply moving it to the side of the road is all well and good on country roads and very wide main roads but on urban roads there is no where to sweep it to as the road is either very narrow or has cars parked on it.

 

[batty]

I don't care what anybody says as far as I am concerned these councils and governments take a very large chunk of our money they should be keeping roads open. The road I live on leads on to a big estate the last lot of snow we had which lasted for quite a few days ended up as compacted ice but grit lorry never came down road once. But its not just snow and ice the roads are in disrepair and the money is not being spent on them its being used for all the wrong things.

 

[bulmer]

Don't know how our local council can be running low, as they never use it in the first place.

 

[Andy™]

A gritter or dustbin lorry is a very different specialised animal. I'm all for sticking ploughs on ALL gritters, but most of their time they only grit because there's no snow.

but the vehicle is the same - all you would need to do to turn a rubbish truck into a snowplough is add a frame to the front, and add a few lights higher than the plough. really, the roads dont need gritted, they just need cleared - for what they save in grit, they could easily add ploughs to more vehicles, even vans. if there not gritting, no need to change the body.

other times of the year, there never seems to be a problem with the amount of gritters the councils/highways agency have - they have enough time to do their routes, problem being when it snows, there is more ice to melt (since they dont clear it), so they need to put down more grit, and more often

 

[Andy™]

I see your point, BUT I still want my bins emptying when there's a bit of snow. A months worth of rubbish building up because of the snow wouldn't be good.

add a plough to the bin truck.... 2 birds with one stone and all that...

 

[bengie]

simply clearing the snow doesn't help and infact tends to make it worse we found as the snow was far grippier than the ice/compacted snow underneath. you need to do both or neither really.

 

[Andy™]

problem with that is as soon as you drive on the fresh uncompacted snow, its now compacted snow.

either way, ive never had a problem with any of the snow yet, even in 15-20cm in some area's. i dont really see what all the fuss is with people complaining that its not cleared. if your not capable of driving sensibly in snow, get the bus. and if you cant walk to the bus stop, stay at home

 

[bengie]

quite, drive sensibly and unless you need to get up a decent incline then there is no problem.

 

[wozz]

i saw snow socks lots last year in the alps, has anyone found them in sizes to fit vans cos i certainly cant find them?! i would be interested in trying them out.

 

[Andy™]

maybe have a look at snow socks for 4x4's - wheel sizes are not that much different.

 

[wozz]

ive got 205-65-16 the closest ive seen is 205-60-16. Do you think its worth ago? they are only

 

[Andy™]

there is a chance they wont fit properly - the 65 is how high the sidewall is, its only going to be a few cm difference, but if they are a tight fit at 60, they probably wont fit 65

 

[Andy™]

your tyre will be 20.5mm higher than the sock is designed for. because of tyre wear etc, it may well fit