Winter Gritting

Following on from problems over the last few winters around the lack of gritting done in the local area, you would think that plans from the county council would be around improving the service, rather than making cuts, however in a proposal to the conservative county council's cabinet on Tuesday 2nd August, that's exactly what's being put forward.

By clicking play below, you can hear Cllr Anne Western, leader of the labour group on the County Council talking about the issue to the Radio Sheffield Breakfast Show.

Environment Select – Special Winter Maintenance Meeting

Last night (Tuesday) saw a special meeting of the council’s Environment Select Committee take place to consider issues around the theme of winter maintenance, the ‘offical’ phrase for issues around gritting and bin collection amongst other issues.

As well as the usual officers from the borough in attendance, Ian Stevenson the strategic director for Environmental Services from the County Council to answer any comments or concerns we have in that direction.

The meeting saw a proportionally higher number than you would normal expect from the committee’s membership of Glossopdale Councillor’s in attendance with several Glossop Councillor’s substituting for other’s not able to attend along with one or two extra’s.

A wide range of concerns mainly were raised before I spoke, but interesting nothing about the pavements in Glossop even though a number of Glossop councillor’s spoke before I did. There were however useful and valid points that I hope the county will address around ensuring the when road’s such as the Snake Pass are shut, signs details the road are shut, are placed far enough away (ideally at the end of the M67) to ensure HGV vehicles etc don’t reach the bottom of the Snake Pass where there is not enough room to turn around essentially blocking the road further making access difficult for both local residents and gritters !

For my own contribution to the meeting I started off with concerns other the lack of road gritting around the estate, including the absence of a snow plow until quite late on in the weeks of snow. The problems that this lack of gritting caused along with the apparent poor communication with local bus companies that meant Gamesley (although not as bad as parts of Hadfield and Tintwistle) had a number of days without buses.

I flagged up concerns with school closure information with the county council’s website referring you to a BBC website for details of school closures that was Derby based and didn’t include in particular any details on schools in Glossopdale, and limited information on the High Peak.

Moving on to High Peak issues, I flagged up concerns with the speed of the response to starting gritting, the mixed messages in some of the media releases that were made, such as the early statement saying no pavement gritting would be done by the borough, which people from outlying areas of Glossopdale would have seen in the papers, yet if they went in to the centre of Glossop the pavements were been gritted.

I also flagged the need once the borough had made arrangements to start pavement gritting for the county for a clear approach on gritting been needed, to cover all areas in the council’s ownership and not passing the buck by saying the council have no responsibility on areas within the management of High Peak Community Housing.

Bins were next with like most other members in attendance an initial thanks to the frontline staff doing the work and trying to keep the service running, but a need for clearer feedback on information on how the service is running, and better updates on when there are delays how things will be caught up, I flagged this because towards the end of the period the Council were advising local residents to put green boxes out as normal but it was several days after the normal date when they were actually collected, and it would have been better to revise the schedule and advise local residents accordingly then just keep the advise boxes etc should be left out until they would be collected.

I flagged up concerns over the steps to the co-op which whilst several in attendance commented that they are owned by the co-op and as such not the council’s responsibility, it was the council’s scheme to do them up and there are a well used route through to the station, that shouldn’t have been left so long before any effort’s on gritting them were made.

I also expressed the concern that now almost a month on since the end of the snow, the steps are still full of the grit that was put down, and haven’t been cleared up making the area not look as intended which is apparently again due to the issues over ownership, but something I hope will be tidied up whilst work on resolving those issues is ongoing.

I finished with questioning that when the county council made the review, what consideration was given to how the service would be provided once the original arrangement for the borough to do pavement gritting had ended, and was October / November when the review took place really the best time to be considering changes to winter arrangements.

Many of the issues I raised were noted, however the response over what arrangements had been put in place to provide the service was ‘woolly’ at best with no clear answer been given that any arrangements had been put in place, there was however agreement that perhaps the review should have been considered at a different time of year !

The meeting continued with a whole host of other issues been raised including more on the paths in Glossop, with a general view that the paths in Glossop Town Centre are more than just a winter maintenance issue, along with issues around grit bins and people steeling grit, questions over why community payback / service people weren’t been used to clear the paths, and the general issue around whether people should be clearing the own paths / shops fronts and if the can get sued for it.
So what comes next – Tuesday’s meeting was a useful opportunity to raise the various concerns and issues we had, which I hope will be taken on board by the officers from the borough and the county despite in some cases there been a view that the technology in place for monitoring some things was more reliable than what people had actually viewed happening on the ground.

For the county there will be a review of performance around the gritting network, a review of grit bins, but they expect no additionally routes other than those already covered will be gritted.

For the borough a winter maintenance policy will be put together and will come back to the environment select committee in the summer covering such issues as what pavements will be covered and there priority, arrangements for salt and grit supplies, issues around the ‘bin’ service, grit bins along with how all of this will be communicated to the public.

It’s nice to be wrong occasionally

SnowClearJan2010 005 Originally uploaded by AnthonyMck.

After checking with officer’s at the council, last week I advised that no gritting etc was been done on the estate’s footpaths as the instructions received had prioritised elsewhere within the High Peak.

Not been advised of any changes, after been contacted at the weekend over who had gritted / cleared some of the black paths on the estate, I advised (on the basis of what I’d been told earlier) that I didn't think it was either of the council’s and it must just be someone trying to help.

However after further checking yesterday, I can advise it was the borough council that has done the work, and they have cleared a path on the following black paths : Langsett Lane, Bamford Lane and Riber Lane

I understand at current that it’s not been possible to do the same on Hollins Lane, Eyam Lane and Bidworth Lane due to the various bollards that in place at the start of / along these paths.

In addition the work was checked yesterday to ensure that where possible none of the ploughed snow is blocking access to other paths.

Buses update 12/1/10

As most services have returned to normal this will be the last buses update for now unless the weather turns worse and causes further problems to services

Speedwell Buses - All services are running to there normal route and doing there best to keep to time

Stagecoach - 237 Now operating normal 237 route between Manchester and Glossop town centre. Not serving Royal Oak.

Stagecoach - 390G Not serving Old Glossop and Uplands Road

Bowers - 393. This service will not be serving Padfield

Bowers - 61 Service Buxton - Hayfield -Glossop will be operating but will but will not be serving Longhill, to be continuously reviewed throughout the day

Buses / School's update 11/1/2010

Speedwell Buses 341 - Simmondley and parts of Hattersley and Backbower are still quite icy. We will assess these parts of the route again later. Other than this 341 will run to normal timetable

Speedwell Buses 397 - will not operate via Dinting Road but will use the A57


Speedwell Buses 394 - service is running to a normal timetable


Speedwell Buses 239 - service running to a normal timetable


Stagecoach - 236 Normal Route


Stagecoach - 237 Running as a 236 to Henry Street not serving Royal Oak, Tintwistle or Hadfield

Stagecoach - 390G Glossop. Temporarily suspended


Stagecoach - 392 Now operating normal route

Bowers - 393 - currently suspended will be reviewed at 9.00am

Bowers - 61 - currently suspended will be reviewed at 9.00am


St Philip Howard and Glossopdale open from 10.00am (A level students should attend at normal time) but no school buses are running (this is a decision from Glossopdale School - not the bus companies)


Gamesley, St Margaret's, Dinting and Charlesworth Primaries - Open as normal


Update 8.00am - Speedwell Buses Services in Glossop are running delayed due to accidents in Broadbottom, Glossop and Hadfield.

Update 11.30am - Bowers Service 61 is now running but only between Hayfield and Buxton, Speedwell services are delayed due to a number of accidents within Glossopdale, one of which has shut Long Lane, so the 239 / 341 are re-routed via the A57 to Hyde / Ashton at current.

Buses update 9/1/2010

Speedwell Buses 394 will run normally.

Speedwell Buses 397 will run to a normal hourly timetable between Glossop and Hyde. Buses will run via Hadfield Road, Green Lane and the A57 into Glossop. Hattersley cannot be served, buses will run down Mottram Road into Hyde.

Speedwell Buses 341 will run to a normal hourly timetable, but still cannot serve Simmondley, Hattersley and Backbower.

Speedwell Buses 239 will run to a normal timetable, but via Mottram Road - Staly Hill Drive is still not safe.

Stagecoach : 

• 236 Normal Route
• 237 Running as a 236 to Henry Street not serving Royal Oak Tintwistle of Hadfield
• 390 Glossop Temporarily suspended

Bowers : Sat 9th Jan 9.am, Bowersbuses Service 393 Padfield - Glossop - Shirebrook Park, this service has now been withdrawnhttp://bit.ly/5n3NJf

Bowers : Sat 9th Jan 9.am, Bowersbuses Service 61 Buxton to Glossop is operating with delays. http://bit.ly/8PHY6v

School's update - 8/1/2010

Most school's in Glossopdale remain closed this morning - however St Margaret's is back open.

Buses update - 8/1/2010

Speedwell Buses 239 will run to a normal timetable today, Mottram Old Road and Staly Hill Drive cannot be served so buses will run via Mottram Road.

Speedwell Buses We are running a special timetable on 341 today. We can only serve certain parts of the route however, no service for Simmondley, Hattersley and Backbower. Sorry. Timetable details to follow:

Speedwell Buses 341 from Glossop at 0740 then every TWO hours until 1540, plus 1740 to Mottram only. 341 from Hyde at 0840 then every TWO hours until 1640.

Speedwell Buses 394 will run to a normal timetable today.

Speedwell Buses 397 will run at normal times between Glossop and Tintwistle only. We are able to provide a service to Hadfield today, but Chapel Lane, Carriage Drive and Higher Barn Road are not safe. Buses will run via Hadfield Road and Green Lane, and then via the A57 to Glossop.

Bowers : Service 61           Buxton to Glossop is operating with delays.

Bowers : Service 393         Padfield - Glossop - Shirebrook Park, this service will not be serving Queens Drive, Padfield, Kiln Lane, and the Shirebrook park Estate, this service will need to be reviewed.

Stagecoach : 390 Glossop temporarily suspended 

Stagecoach :236 Normal route - 237 Running as 236 to Henry St not serving Royal oak Tintwistle or Hadfield

Buses update - 7/1/2010

Buses update - Speedwell

Update for Glossopdale as of 10am Thursday. 239 service is starting now - first bus out of Glossop 10am, first out of Ashton 11am, then normal timetable.

A special 397 to serve Tintwistle is starting at 11am. Normal departure times from Glossop and Tintwistle, but buses will operate via Hollingworth and the A57 into Glossop. Sorry to Hadfield customers, but the roads are not safe enough to operate the normal route. So to confirm that is a 397 between Glossop and Tintwistle only.

There will be no service on the 394 / 341 route.

School Closures

The following local school's are shut :

St Philip Howard

Gamesley Community Primary

Glossopdale Community College

Gamesley Early Excellence Nursery (but daycare open)

St Margarets School
Addition 7.25 - Dinting Primary School

Bus Service Update - 7/1/10

Speedwell Buses have advised the following :

Speedwell Buses Update for Glossopdale as of 6am Thursday. Our staff have been out inspecting roads since 4am. It's presently minus 12 degrees and far too icy to start any services. Roads are now generally passable with regard to snow, but the problem today is ice. If DCC will grit the routes we will be able to serve Gamesley, Hadfield and Tintwistle. We will review the situation again at 10am.

Stagecoach - 236 running as normal but only to Henry Street - 237 running as 236 (not serving Hadfield / Tintwistle) again only to Henry Street. No service on the 390

No details yet on Bower's Services 

Update 7.30 - Service 61 (Glossop to Buxton) is running but expect long delay

The best and worst of the snow

Whilst the snow is not good for everyone, there have been some good bits to the snow.

Over on Riber, there has been an impressive snow man built, all good except for the City flag which spoils it just a little !

Even more local has been an igloo built just outside on the square near the house, and possibly offers a future solution to the housing shortage should the weather stay as bad as at current.

On the bad side I’ve flagged up a few examples over the last few days and there is more examples on the facebook group highlighting issues over the lack of gritting, and a whole load of photo’s from around Gamesley on my flickr page at www.flickr.com/photos/anthonymck.

However following my visit to Glossop today I thought it would be worth mentioning one or two particular bits.

Considering that the Borough has apparently been doing street gritting since Monday, the steps up to the Co-op (as pictured left) were still treacherous with much snow still left on the steps, which given it is used as access from the main bus stops to the train station and post office it should have received more attention.

 

Also the main high street (pictured left ), seemed very dubious under foot, with a number of people looking unsteady on there feet due in part to the seemingly poor level of treatment given to the path, along with the ever more dubious stone surface which didn't seem to helping.

Speedwell - Snow Shuttle Bus

Snow612010 009 - Originally uploaded by AnthonyMck.

Although I quite often at times have complaints about them, today I have nothing but thanks and praise to express to Speedwell for the free shuttle bus between Gamesley and Glossop that they put on, following a further day when normal services weren't able to run due to weather and lack of gritting.

I hope to see normal service resumed in the next few days, but until then updates will be added as and when they are available.

Glossop's take on the angel of the north !

Many local residents will have seen in the Glossop Chronicle details of a certain 'statue' for want of a better word, built from snow on Norfolk Square in Glossop.

Well for those interested in 'novel' street art Glossop's own take on the angel of the north has following a facebook campaign being resurrected on Norfolk Square and as of 3pm today was still proudly on display in Norfolk Square and attracting a lot of attention from passer's by.

Now whilst this form of 'artwork' may not be everyones cup of tea, well done to the builder's for a snow statue appropriate to the nearby home Royston Vasey and of the League of Gentlemen.

Supplies / Services Update

I've been advised that at current there is no bread / papers available at Londis, but the chippy a few door's further down is open.


At current Morgan's on Glossop Road have no bread - but a supply of muffins.