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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

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Original poster

to think that the grit shortage is providing an excuse

34 replies

Undercovamutha · 08/01/2010 12:37

for councils and other organisations to not bother taking even the simplest measures to ensure safety?

Just struggled to drive down the mountain we live in to take DS to doctors. Today is the first day we could get down since Tuesday, and I wouldn't have chanced it had I not been so worried about DS's really terrible cold/chest infection.

Obviously none of the residential and rural roads were gritted (no news flash there -they never are even though sometimes you can get stuck for a week if it snows). But I was so shocked to see that noone had thought to grit the sheet of ice that covered the sloping path to the doctors surgery. I nearly went flying whilst carrying DS (and holding DDs hand) but was more worried about the 2 very elderly people who were also trying to get into the surgery, and the elderly lady who was just leaving the surgery as I went in.

I mentioned it to the receptionist who said 'oh yeah its a nightmare, I nearly went flying too'

AIBU to expect either the local council or the doctors surgery itself to grit this path. It would have probably taken half a bucket of grit. I think the whole grit shortage is giving everyone an excuse to not bother to clear any paths no matter how dangerous they are.

OP posts:

tulpe · 08/01/2010 12:42

Surely there is a legal obligation on behalf of the surgery to clear the paths surrounding the building ?

Original poster

Undercovamutha · 08/01/2010 13:05

Didn't know there was a legal obligation. It just seems that businesses and the council have washed their hands of it all.
The local school is not open today because they have no grit so can't safely create a path to the school.

Is it really that hard for the council to provide a few buckets of grit?

OP posts:

SkipHopJump · 08/01/2010 13:14

Well I think it is. It's awful that the pavements are so icy but I was just speaking to my father on the phone about it- they are not allowed to grit anything but the A roads. He is getting phonecalls from all sorts of people- farmers who can't feed their cows, elderly people who can't leave the house...he even left work and did a shop for an elderly man on his lunchbreak. He feels terrible about it but there is nothing he can do. They are simply not allowed to grit anything other than A roads.

Maybe if businesses/ households were a little more civic minded and took a shovel to the ice in their area there would be less of a problem.

mozette · 08/01/2010 13:20

Its time that personal/civic responsibility was brought to the fore here. The Practise manager of that surgery should have been out clearing that bloody path. All this nonsense about being sued if they clear the path is bollocks. What the buggery has happened to this country when people can't get off their arse and make things a bit better for other people?

Original poster

Undercovamutha · 08/01/2010 13:28

Totally agree about the civic responsibility. I just feel like people can't be bothered at all. My DH has been shovelling loads of snow from our road, and a very lovely man helped me get my car through the snow on Tuesday, so there are some good guys out there. But sadly not enough.

OP posts:

Haggisfish · 08/01/2010 13:28

Its actually bloody difficult to clear an icy path. not so bad if it is snowy, but if it is icy, it's an absolute bugger. my fit young brother (muscley 30 year old) took three hours to clear two meters of a path outside our house and then it was just as icy a bit later on. It is difficult. The availability of grit is such a problem in england - at least in Scotland there are grit bins on many roads that residents can use.

hazeygarry · 08/01/2010 13:31

Dh has been gritting for the school he works for, but yesterday they were told that there will be no more salt or grit available, as it is all being held for the major roads.

ElenorRigby · 08/01/2010 13:41

Another vote for civic responsiblity. DP and I cleared our drive the road in front of our house about 30-40 metres of pavement and the garden path of a elderly neighbour across the road. We figured it would be of no use bleating that the council should do it, so we just got on with it.
Funny enough other neighbours started to do the same. It's brough our little road closer as a community.

Saltire · 08/01/2010 13:44

People can't get onto the gritted roads though because residential areas are so bad. The A27 which runs along the top of the estate I live on hasn't been gritted, and neither have the footpaths - main road into town.

IneedacleanerIamalazyslattern · 08/01/2010 13:45

Haggis our grit bins were empty for over a fortnight here.
We have seen one gritter on the roads here since it started but there is a big football game on tomorrow and there are sveral gritters around the ground clearing the snow and ice so it can go ahead... concil prioritise strangely there me thinks.

Haggisfish · 08/01/2010 13:49

That's dreadful! I have just come back from Invernesss, and the grit bins were running low then - at least they were full at some point though. Down here (Worcestershire) the grit bins are a lot less numerous and padlocked under the control of the loal council!
Can't imagine how awful it is up north without gritters and snow ploughs out and about.

ImSoNotTelling · 08/01/2010 13:55

Thing is it's so rare down here (SE) that people aren't used to digging the snow, don't think about it etc. I think while some of it may be down to laziness some is down to not realising. Hardly anyone around here has cleared their paths (I did it yesterday for first time ever!).

However I do think the businesses on the high street ought to clear their bit of pavement, ditto doctors etc. It seems ridiculous that even on main high streets pavements are icy and dangerous when there are loads of young able bodied people working just inside Don't get that at all.

Sidge · 08/01/2010 13:55

I work in a GP surgery and our car park and paths are like ice rinks. We have no salt or grit (not provided by the council), and you CAN'T fully clear an icy path with a shovel - it's not snow on the paths it's compacted snow which has frozen and turned to a solid block of sheet ice.

We've actually cancelled all routine appointments and stipulated true emergencies only so very few people need to come in.

I do wish the councils would grit some of the side roads though, the main roads aren't too bad but there's little point gritting them if people can't actually drive out of their streets onto them.

littleducks · 08/01/2010 14:07

I was horrified to see that someone had done an excellent job of clearing the path outside the old peoples home, absolutely clear then hadn't bothered to clear the (1 ft?) width pavement to the road, which was treacherously icy so when the mobility bus does come all the residents will have to pass over that

BexJ78 · 08/01/2010 14:09

The problem is that there are really limited supplies of salt left and because of that local authorities can't really risk not salting the main roads in order to salt minor roads, if then snowfall makes the main roads impassable. Of course, as many have said, ice is a whole different other problem and it is really bad that footpaths are, in general, not salted. I live on an unadopted road, so consequently, it has not been cleared of ice and snow at all since the first snowfall here, well before christmas.
Also, councils are in a diffcult position because they can only base their salt stocks on information provided in a long range forecast and if they are not given sufficient notice of really bad weather, it is unlikely they will have enough; some people will say they should be order more, but then authorities will have money tied up in salt and if winters are mild, which to be fair, until last year they had been for some time, they get criticised for bad planning.

Can you tell I work for a council?!

Totaly agree that people should take some responsibility to try to keep their own area clear, as should shop keepers etc. My DH went out and cleared our driveway and path a week or so ago because it was so icy and slippy, but now he's back at work, I must admit I have not ventured out incase i fall...

ElenorRigby · 08/01/2010 14:11

"you CAN'T fully clear an icy path with a shovel"
Yep you can and I have the blisters to prove it.

ImSoNotTelling · 08/01/2010 14:13

Ha I gave up and have hands like a baby's backside to prove it

Haggisfish · 08/01/2010 14:29

Can you imagine if we went to work as a receptionist at the doctor's surgery and were told we had to clear the six foot icy path?! There would be uproar - it is jolly hard work and definitely not in any of the job decriptions, I'll be bound!

Did any of the patients offer to clear the path?

I think it is just one of those things we have to accept given this is such a freak occurrence.

ImSoNotTelling · 08/01/2010 14:35

Most jobs I have had have included an "other duties from time to time" clause and if i were asked to clear path so that elderly types didn't fall down then I would give it my best shot. Wouldn't everyone who worked there muck in and give it a go?

the whoel thing is weird.

stickylittlefingers · 08/01/2010 14:37

there was a thing on the bbc website that someone linked to yesterday saying that if you cleared snow and someone fell over as a result, you would be liable.

Seems totally ridiculous to me!

wearthefoxhat · 08/01/2010 14:39

We kept our path clear of snow, but it's still like an ice rink, and with no grit around, and no salt left in the supermarket, it's now worse to walk on than the areas that were left snowy.
You can't win.

Haggis, don't you think that "definitely not in any of the job decriptions" sums up the attitude in general in this country? (not picking a fight at all, just commenting)

FWIW, the council workers around us are doing an incredible job (now there's something I never thought I'd hear myself say ) Fair enough, our village hasn't seen a gritter for weeks, and we can barely get out of our road, but they are out on the main roads all hours trying to keep them clear. The temperature here this morning was -10, and the main roads were still clear.

Original poster

Undercovamutha · 08/01/2010 14:44

Haggis - I would guess that none of the patients did offer to clear it (my excuse was a poorly baby and toddler - but I'm also a bit of a feeb at the best of times tbh!).

I KNOW that grit stocks are low, and don't expect residential roads to be gritted in these extreme circumstance, but a GP surgery is essential. Surely the council should have a list of essential organisations (schools, doctors) which are KEPT supplied with grit. Or a council highways van that went around ensuring these key places were reachable.

OP posts:

PfftTheMagicDragon · 08/01/2010 14:46

I think that it is impossible for the councils to be gritting all roads and pavements. The time and cost makes it impossible.

The doctors should ensure their walkways, ramps and steps are free of ice. Nothing to do with the council, IMO>

ImSoNotTelling · 08/01/2010 14:47

at patients offering to clear it.

should the postman offer to clear my drive?

should i offer to clear outside boots?

strange thing to say.

wearthefoxhat · 08/01/2010 14:48

Undercovamutha - Trouble is, quite often these places are on quieter roads, and without the traffic, the grit won't do a thing.
The council have been gritting the road outside our 2 local secondary schools, but because the only traffic that goes there usually are just school buses and a few cars, the roads are still like ice rinks.

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