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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To think that the council should grit the pavements as well?

65 replies

IceyNicey · 26/01/2013 18:38

DP thinks AIBU.

We live in a cul de sac and tbf the road has been gritted (first time in years!) and we have been able to get in/out in the cars fine.

But the pavements are really bad everywhere, its really hard to walk safely. I saw council workers spreading grit on the pavements by the shops the other day but what about all of the rest of them? Everywhere is really hard to get around, people are falling over or having to walk in the road.

OP posts:
Hassled · 26/01/2013 18:42

It's been so insane around here recently that people are just walking in the roads all the time. I'm with you - I know there are grit bins dotted around but there's a huge reliance on people's ability to get the grit out and use it. The people who live nearest the bin can't necessarily be arsed or be able to do the right thing.

ReallyTired · 26/01/2013 18:48

In Germany its complusory to clear snow outside your house or pay for someone else to do it. I don't think its reasonable for councils to grit every single pavement, especially if its a cul de sac. Our road hasn't even been gritted. There are bigger priorities like the M25 and M1 rather than our quiet little street.

SchroSawMargeryDaw · 26/01/2013 18:49

YANBU I have balance problems so really struggle in snow or ice but at the same time have a child and can't just stay in constantly.

There's no way I would be able to shovel grit either.

inchoccyheaven · 26/01/2013 18:50

I agree with you, our pavements have been so icy and I certainly didn't feel safe walking on them and trying to push a buggy on them when they were still snowy was incredibly hard.

Beamur · 26/01/2013 18:50

It would cost a fortune - would you be willing to pay more council tax?
Not very environmentally friendly either.
It is a nuisance, but usually fairly short lived.

floweryblue · 26/01/2013 18:50

If pavements were gritted more people would be able to get out and about without cars, which may be safer.

I was once caught out by snow at an industrial estate out of town. Walking to town in blizzard like conditions was a long job but fairly easy as we could use the grass verge and the actual road was closed. As soon as I hit the town centre though, the pavements were treacherous and the going much, much slower and more dangerous.

ILoveTIFFANY · 26/01/2013 18:51

Yabu!

All the pavements in the country? What if they miss a bit and someone slips?

TeWiSavesTheDay · 26/01/2013 18:54

So much easier if the paths are just cleared.

If everyone who was able did, (and did their neighbours who couldn't too) there would be no issue at all, without the councils having to spend hundreds of thousands at a time when they are cutting basic services....

Personally I don't like gritted paths. I find it very difficult to push the pushchair through slush so I'm not sure how wheelchairs would manage.

ApocalypseCheeseToastie · 26/01/2013 18:56

nah, get some yaktrax to put over your shoes, they're amazing Shock

lljkk · 26/01/2013 18:57

What Beamur said (& TIFFANY).

I dunno if there isn't a bit of hysteria about this. DS has been running to school & back (half mile each way) on the icy & snowy pavements. Wearing different pair of shoes each time. Another mum was shrieking at her own same age child "You can't run, you'll fall!*" as DS shot past.

DS almost never falls, never gets truly hurt if he does slip. I don't know why. He's bashed his head 4x something spectacular in last 2 days in his bedroom but solid ice pavements are no challenge.

*Yes in fact I do know the other boy doesn't have relevant SN or history, his mum just thought things were too icy for anyone to be safe. Except my maniac kids, maybe.

LindyHemming · 26/01/2013 18:58

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

merryberry · 26/01/2013 18:58

ours were all gritted (islington). first toime i've seen that happen. was great.

floweryblue · 26/01/2013 18:59

I understand there is a limit to what the council can afford to grit but on busy town centre pavements, the heavily trodden snow turns to ice much more quickly than in less trodden paths (well that is my experience anyway). I agree we all need to try to be responsible for our residential areas, when we lived in a street DP and some others tried to make it safe, now that we live in the middle of nowhere, DP is in charge of our drive and walking me down the tracks outside our house to the road where I get the bus (which doesn't run anyway if we have more than a sprinkle, but we are in an area with very rare snow).

CCC1 · 26/01/2013 18:59

It comes down to whether people are happy to pay for it through increased council tax and whether the costs of treating people for breaks and fractures outweigh the costs of actually clearing pavements. My authority spends 3m pa on winter gritting in a rural county of over 5,000 miles of gritting routes. I'd imagine doing the pavements as well would incur prohibitively expensive costs - especially as I'd imagine you'd need significant manpower to do it: you couldn't do it with a lorry, could you? You'd need a workforce and an enormous supply of grit. Deploying them would be a problem too, as there's a bit of a science in when to put grit down, otherwise it's ineffective.

ReallyTired · 26/01/2013 19:01

"Personally I don't like gritted paths. I find it very difficult to push the pushchair through slush so I'm not sure how wheelchairs would manage. "

Clearing the path is not a matter of throwing a bit of grit at it. It requires someone with shovel to move the snow and then use salt or grit to melt the tiny amount left. If the snow is removed when it is all nice and powery then its quite easy. It is an utter sod removing ice.

However people need to know where to put the snow so it does not become someone else's problem. Our drive is beautifully clear and the postman is perfectly safe. It makes it easy getting the car out the drive as well. I managed to clear our drive in half and hour. I haven't cleared the pavement outside our house for fear of being sued.

ALovelyBunchOfCoconuts · 26/01/2013 19:01

i think you should be responsible for the path outside your house. not difficult to sprinkle some salt or grit on it. and it would help everyone.

SofaKing · 26/01/2013 19:01

Yes.

This really annoys me. I have a neurological condition which has lead to me being on steroids which have caused a risk of bone thinning.

Travelling to my bone scan I nearly fell on icy pavements three times.

I do not drive but I pay as much council tax as those who do, and am in more need of a safe place to walk because of my health.

I realise it costs money but how much does it cost to deal with the injuries of people who fall? Never mind the serious outcome for the elderly or ill.

McNewPants2013 · 26/01/2013 19:03

The only reason main roads are gritted is so emergency services can get around.

TeWiSavesTheDay · 26/01/2013 19:04

Exactly Tired. We are told NOT to use grit bins to do paths in our area, but to do our roads. But every year it seems people just chuck it on top of fresh snow or ice which makes everything worse.

If we were required to clear paths at least people would get told how to do it properly...

3littlefrogs · 26/01/2013 19:10

When you consider the cost to the NHS and social services of all the old people who cannot get out to the shops to buy food, who fall and break their wrists and hips, then need admission to hospital, can no longer cook, feed, dress themselves and need social services help with carers and meals, it all adds up.

One of our community staff had an accident trying to get to a patient and is now in hospital.

A fall can actually be the death of an elderly person.

MrsPnut · 26/01/2013 19:20

We live in a village and we always clear our lane when it snows (using snow shovels and throwing the snow into the play park that is opposite our house) but we are the only ones that bother in a street made up of fit and healthy people.

It does mean we can grit our lane from the grit bin and it makes it easier to move cars in and out. We also have an arrangement through the parish council that if you need help during the bad weather then you can call them and someone will come and get shopping for you or take you to appointments etc. There is a list of people who are willing to help out if needed. I have got shopping for a few people in the past few weeks and delivered it.

NorthernLurker · 26/01/2013 19:23

If you've made a decent effort to clear a path and put down grit nobody is going to be able to sue you. I've cleared about 25 metres of pavement in front of our house and neighbours three times now and gritted. It's lovely and safe Grin Today my neighbour was out doing hers because her teenager wanted to go out in his car Hmm I (gently I hope) pointed out that the snow she was clearing from her drive she was in danger of blocking the pavement with! I helped her move it across Grin Doubtless she thinks I'm bossy but I don't really care. I've done a good job clearing paths.

Fakebook · 26/01/2013 19:29

Yanbu. It's been hell trying to get around with the pushchair here and really dangerous as I've been walking on the road. Luckily it's been raining since last night and the ice has all gone now.

Boomerwang · 26/01/2013 19:31

If they grit pavements and someone still slips, they'd invariably end up in a fight over 'incorrect gritting' so if they don't grit at all it's down to the weather.

TeWiSavesTheDay · 26/01/2013 19:43

The actual issue is that, clearing the paths of snow is 90% of the job, but hardly anyone can be arsed to do it.

For most people it is pure laziness to make this a situation that the council needs to swoop in and resolve, when they are perfectly capable of sorting it themselves.