Para Handy Posted January 24, 2012 Report Share Posted January 24, 2012 What is it with the swear filter on here, Ooo look i just saw a Blue Moomin flying in the garden Do you mean blue boobies flying? PJ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Para Handy Posted January 25, 2012 Report Share Posted January 25, 2012 Well I heard a tale today that one of the local constabularies estate cars ended up on its roof somewhere in Shetland over the last week. Think it was meant to be the day of the bad hail. Anyone know of any truth in it? http://www.shetnews.co.uk/news/newsbites/3093-police-car-damaged.html Did they breathalyse them selves Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scorrie Posted January 25, 2012 Report Share Posted January 25, 2012 Well, I went out the other morning and the road hadn't been gritted. And I didn't skid or fly out of control off the road. It's an outrage. Someone must be blamed for my lack of nail-biting drama when performing the monumentally difficult task of not driving like an ass in crap conditions.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Suzanna Posted January 25, 2012 Report Share Posted January 25, 2012 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
piggywiggie Posted January 26, 2012 Report Share Posted January 26, 2012 Well, I went out the other morning and the road hadn't been gritted. And I didn't skid or fly out of control off the road. It's an outrage. Someone must be blamed for my lack of nail-biting drama when performing the monumentally difficult task of not driving like an ass in crap conditions.... Which road and what time? Gritters have routes to follow. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Suzanna Posted January 26, 2012 Report Share Posted January 26, 2012 ^There was no ice that morning Scorrie sense of humour Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stevo Posted January 26, 2012 Report Share Posted January 26, 2012 Well I heard a tale today that one of the local constabularies estate cars ended up on its roof somewhere in Shetland over the last week. Think it was meant to be the day of the bad hail. Anyone know of any truth in it? http://www.shetnews.co.uk/news/newsbites/3093-police-car-damaged.html Did they breathalyse them selves Thanks for that, I thought there must be some truth in it as a good few people said they had heard or see it. Never noticed it in the news though, but thanks for the link! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
piggywiggie Posted January 27, 2012 Report Share Posted January 27, 2012 ^There was no ice that morning Scorrie sense of humour Now I feel rather stupid haha Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Suzanna Posted January 27, 2012 Report Share Posted January 27, 2012 ^Nothing wrong in sticking up for the gritty men Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
unlinkedstudent Posted January 27, 2012 Report Share Posted January 27, 2012 Absolutely nothing wrong with sticking up for the gritters but the SIC Policy is actually a farce. They do have a legal obligation to ensure that all public roads are safe, not just the main roads. Insurers have a field day if someone has an accident as a result of such a Council policy. Is prevention not better and perhaps more cost effective? I posted a while back about skidding on black ice and just missed an extremely rusty lamp post. I phoned the SIC. I reported both. Someone came to inspect said lamp post and road surface. Now I can understand in winter they can't lay down/repair said road surface (large area always suffering) but as for the totally rusted-through lamp post ... ... a few weeks later (approximately a month me thinks) during the next gale, it smashed to the ground; thankfully missing my car. Okay, there are cuts but when you see what the SIC spends on unnecessary items, I would have liked to have thought that matters pertaining to safety took priority. Lurve the gritters by the way, just not necessarily the management. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spinner72 Posted January 27, 2012 Report Share Posted January 27, 2012 Absolutely nothing wrong with sticking up for the gritters but the SIC Policy is actually a farce. They do have a legal obligation to ensure that all public roads are safe, not just the main roads. Insurers have a field day if someone has an accident as a result of such a Council policy. Currently all roads are gritted, though I suspect such a "gold plated" service can not be expected for long judging by todays paper. The legal requirement is often misunderstood, again probably because of the exceptional high standard of current SIC policy. The statutory responsibility under the Roads (Scotland) Act 1984, is "to take all reasonable steps to clear ice and snow from endangering the safe passage of pedestrians and vehicles over public roads." It is important to note that the Council does not have to treat all of the roads in their area, nor do they have to have someone on duty all the time to try and clear the snow and ice. There are quite a few legal cases relating to this, with this one perhaps being the best know for its summing up ; “If the highway authority were bound to clear all those of snow and ice, whenever they became slippery or dangerous, they would require an army of men with modern machines and tools stationed at innumerable posts and moving forward in formation whenever there was a severe frost." Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
unlinkedstudent Posted January 27, 2012 Report Share Posted January 27, 2012 ^ Fair points but when the SIC are aware of an area known to cause problems which could be improved by putting down a different surface and do absolutely nowt knowing full well it is a problem then it isn't on! I'm not suggesting for a moment that they should grit every single public road but as you have quite rightly pointed out, they are obliged to take reasonable steps. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paulb Posted January 27, 2012 Report Share Posted January 27, 2012 your really having a go at our poor gritting service. The previous two winter my mum in law was house bound for weeks as lancashire county council has given up doing side roads. no buses no taxis and the only thing that moved was 4x4s. now imagine if the council does reduce there service to the same level. why does your housing need lighting. its only a couple of houses. so nature has now saved the council a few hundred in power bills. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
unlinkedstudent Posted January 27, 2012 Report Share Posted January 27, 2012 your really having a go at our poor gritting service. The previous two winter my mum in law was house bound for weeks as lancashire county council has given up doing side roads. no buses no taxis and the only thing that moved was 4x4s. now imagine if the council does reduce there service to the same level. why does your housing need lighting. its only a couple of houses. so nature has now saved the council a few hundred in power bills. I wasn't referring to outside my house. I'm definitely not having a go at the gritters; it is my understanding they don't choose which roads to grit or not but the management. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shetlandpeat Posted January 27, 2012 Report Share Posted January 27, 2012 Sadly, the biggest area known to cause problems is drivers. What did the council say when you wrote to them, it would be interesting to know. It would be impossible to clear or treat all the roads. Paul is right, in Lancashire it was that bad that the stock pile of salt was only enough to keep the main arterial roads clear, even then I was called out on these heavily gritted roads and they were still like ice rinks as there was too little traffic and it was too cold. Along with thefts of the whole contents of salt bins the good folk of the NW suffered. The salt is now chemically marked in case of theft, how bad is that. The salt from Lancs comes from just down the road, Shetlands salt comes on a boat. In your letter, did you ask for a salt bin so the community can take some responsibility. After all, a corpse cannot take a council to court. We clear snow from most of the pavement and footpaths to our older folk and those who my have mobility problems down our street. The council provided some white sea salt, road salt is no good as it can stain carpets from residues on your boots. Two of us do it, the funny thing about that, is we both moved from more southern regions, the northerners just moaned. The lamp post, cannot answer, but I generally report stuff to the local council, then follow it up to see how it is going. There is always your local councillor, if you noticed that there were no repairs to the lamp post. The good thing is you know where the ice black spot is, so, tell folk and get them to contact the council or councillor. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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