Snow Chaos on the roads as many ask where are the gritters
Many motorists in Stoke-on-Trent will be asking why they again feel so let down by Stoke-on-Trent City Council's failing grit policy.
Roads through out Stoke, even the main arteries such as the A500 and A50 have come to a complete standstill as roads have become impassable. Buses have been cancelled, leaving shoppers and shop workers stranded.
The A500 northbound has been shut by police, forcing traffic heading to Tunstall and Kidsgrove to take the A50 town roads through Cobridge, Burslem, Tunstall.
Mark Porter a passenger in a car heading towards the M6 has been appalled by lack of preparedness of the council's gritting team, saying it's an "absolute disgrace."
Mark reported cars being abandoned at the bottom of Reginald Mitchell Way as drivers were unable to cope with incline, snow and untreated roads. Cars struggling to get past abandoned cars and attempting the inclines.
For those thinking they'd made it home to their estates, more misery awaited as grit bins hadn't been restocked so banks and bumps couldn't be gritted, more cars abandoned.
One Bankeyfields Residents said
I left work at 6:00 and I've only just got here. We tried to get onto the A500 but the police turned us away saying it was closed.
I've now had to leave me car at the bottom of the estate because I just can't get my car up John Rhodes Way. I don't want to leave it there, I've been trying, I just can't get it up
But through it all some hero's stood out tonight. On Reginald Mitchell Way a man in a jeep with huge tires was going above and beyond towing strangers up the road.
During the day Stoke-on-Trent's twitter account tried to reassure people that the grit team was on stand by, and for days putting weather warnings out in their tweets.
However, it seems like the entire twitter population living or passing through Stoke today has had something to say.
Bret Shah who runs the positive twitter feed and website @lovestoke even asked Stoke-on-Trent City Council is the council loved the people of Stoke, in statement of disgust.
@SoTCityCouncil Do you love your city?
@lovestoke you asking them because of the lack of grit?
Yes. @MyTunstall And snow ploughs. Have seen ambulances waiting to get patients to hospital. Lives are at risk.
Co-wrote with Mark Porter
Comments
I walked home from work
I walked home from work yesterday afternoon and Scotia Rd wasnt too bad but I dont think it was due to being gritted I think it was due to the ammount of trafic turning the snow fall into black slush that enabled the cars to keep moving. Who acctualy is responsible for the gritters going out??. All the complaints are aimed at S on T council but that covers a wide spectrum, there must be a BOD sitting in an office who is responsible for this mess. Name and Shame him/her thats what I say, point the finger at the one who, after all the weather warnings we have had over the last 3 days still managed to get it so b*****y wrong. The weather warning from the met office was spot on for yesterday, the BBC said it would reach the midlands by mid day, I knew it , people at work knew it and my husbands bus company knew it so WHY didnt the BOD at the council know it?. May be he/she dosnt work at week ends and thinks all the rest of us work a five day week as well. But never mind they will probably get the gritters out today clearing the roads for people going to work on Monday costing twice as much in wages and days off in lieu as it would have done if they had done it yesterday.
How frustrating must it have been for one of the emergency services to have to turn people away from one of the main road systems, due I assume to the snow as I have not "thankfully" heard of any major road trafic accidents in that area, strewth the police are not there to oversee the council cock ups they have a hard enough job as it is.
I too noticed thec jeep
I too noticed thec jeep taxi service for cars, do we know if he / she lives on the estate, how did people find out about the new service.
Glad to see the normal service was provided, hope the bin men don't come up with the normal excuses for tomorrow!!!!!!!!!!! As my blue bin is full and won't survive for another 2 weeks!!!!!!!!
Anyone playing out today in the snow - please be careful as I am sure A&E won't want too many accident visitors.
Tunstall market Stall traders
Tunstall market Stall traders let early yesterday, this was posted on twitter at about 2:30 yesterday.
“@AntheaBottle: @MyTunstall stall holders closing early today!! 10 percent off at Message in a Bottle with this tweet untill the end of February :)”
Another worry for tomorrow is the state of pavements in town. Last time it snowed Phil James on Facebook reported some old folk were having a nightmare on Tunstalls streets, stuck on the subway down by the library.
Will the council sort this for Tunstall?
cant believe everytime s-o-t
cant believe everytime s-o-t has afew inches of snow this city and other cities in the UK come to a standstill.
had a phone call 10.30am to say that the M6 from junction 16 to Knutsford is driveable , roads getting to the motorway arent that great but once on the motorway its mainly clear of snow.
gritters are gritting and moving snow from the roads .
You have to laugh or you
You have to laugh or you would cry.
This bunch of wasters are putting up the poll tax this year and cannot even be bothered to grit the roads.
Still Liebour were voted in again to carry out their cut shut and kick the tax payer policy's.
How many times have they done this and still they get away with it.
Year after year the complaints are the same, but the thaw comes and they brush them off.
On our estate old people dare not go out as the pavements at the top of the estate (with no grit) are lethal.
I am advising anyone that falls over to make a claim against this bunch of amateurs, as I'm sick of asking for a grit bin.
Perhaps then they might do the job they are paid to do and get off their lazy fat backsides.
I do hope nobody takes
I do hope nobody takes offence at what I'm about to say but if all the people of the UK were warned that the snow was coming, and based on previous years, there has been disruption beyond belief, why on earth did anybody venture out after Midday yesterday?
Me and my family did everything we had to do first thing yesterday morning and then got home just as the first dusting started.
It's all well and good to blame the council, but when will the population take some responsibility for their actions also?
Up my road, there were cars abandoned all the way to the bottom. Some simply abandoned almost in the middle of the road. What if a fire engine or ambulance needed to get through?
Fair it's true, if you know
Fair it's true, if you know it's snowing you know you're taking a risk driving, so I agree more people should maybe have stayed in, however not everyone had that choice.
I can imagine mine and many bosses reaction if I was to phone in saying I can't come into work today as it might snow, and although I don't know how bad it will be, best play it safe. I'd be laughed at and then given an earfull.
Although I did use my common sense and walked upto Goldenhill stores to try and post a letter at the postoffice. Turns out, it shuts at 12:00, so at 14:00 it was a bit of a wasted journey. But I thought it best to play it safe, at least I had a nice wintery walk.
As to cars parked at the bottom of the estate,
Redgirl.I also agree people
Redgirl.I also agree people should have carried out necessary tasks earlier, but that does not abrogate the councils responsibility's for which they are handsomely paid.
Every year the same thing happens.
Stoke-on-Trent becomes a massive car park because they could not be bothered to either watch the weather forecast, or do a bit of forward planning.
The inexperienced drivers don't help when they panic at seeing a snow flake.
It is not as if it is a surprise "its winter for goodness sake" and hey ho it sometimes snows in winter.
Again we pay our tax's for the services that are constantly cut.
I knew what the forecast was
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