refilling grit bins
on saturday the start of the wintery weather i used the grit from one of the 2 grit bins on the estate .i scattered the grit onto the the steep roads on and around the estate .
leaving more than half of the grit left in the grit bin,
a few people who passed said that they were going to get a bag full for their part of the road pavement , but this wouldnt have taken all the grit away .
today with a new snow fall i again went out with bucket and shovel to scatter afew more shovel loads of grit on the parts that need it., so its easy to get off/on the estate - once on the main roads theres no problems ,
but the grit bin had about 4 shovel loads left in it. havent seen anyone taking it and they definatly havent used it on the estate roads . because i did it.
ive phoned the grit bin department of the council to see if the bin can be filled up again,
it can ,but they are not able to give a date , as all the gritting people are out and about now , so its when ever they get around to it.
im hoping it will be done in the next 2 days , but ill keep checking.
does any one want to have a guess?
council number to report empty grit bins is 01782 237061
Comments
The bigger problem that we
The bigger problem that we all face now is people using grit from grit bins for their drive ways, or from motivated people stealing the grit. Apparent;y last year during the "Grit Crisis" one of our grit bins was emptied.
Well folks remember last
Well folks remember last year, well here we go again.
Our estate as not ot a drop even after applying for a grit bit last year.
I bet you are sick of saying
I bet you are sick of saying this aren't you?
Just out of interest, we have 3 councillors in Tunstall.
How would you rate each one in terms of: getting back to you, supporting you and getting things done*.
Getting things done* - I know Councillors aren't miracle workers, but you know what I mean.
I've just tried to shovel
I've just tried to shovel some of John Rhodes Way, but when I came to get some grit from the bins, the essential grit bin for the speed bump was all gone, and so was the grit from the bin at the bottom of John Rhodes Way.
I've just put a request in for a refill of the John Rhodes Way speed bump bin as the grit is all vanished. If the first hump ain't gritted we're all going to have problems getting on the estate.
P.S Glad I don't own a BMW in this weather eh Dom
Automated reply
having been out and about on
having been out and about on the roads today- the main roads are looking really clear of snow.
think its the pavements, side streets & estates streets that are the problems for now ,
as you can see from the photo the grit bin on our estate is still empty- perhaps 1 or 2 shovels worth.
We took a bucket full of grit
We took a bucket full of grit from last year's grit supply at the back end of winter and have kept it in our garage ready for this winter. My husband has been diligently gritting the speed ramp outside our house at the junction of Spitfire and Shackleton almost every night until the snow came.
The roads on the estate become treacherous when the snow compacts and then freezes and then the grit can't penetrate through the compaction to dissolve it.
I was forced to clear my drive and pavement outside my house last night as the snow had compacted so much my car slid 12 inches down the low incline of my driveway back into my garage yesterday when hubby took it out of the garage. And then it slid down the road 6 inches after he parked it at the end of the drive.
We need everybody to get their snow shovels out and start clearing the bits of road and pavements in front of their houses so that we can put the grit down when the council eventually start refilling the bins.
Oh and I heard on the radio this morning that there was another accident at the bottom of RMW this morning at the Chatterley Road roundabout.
as you said redgirl
as you said redgirl -everyone on the estae needs to do their bit. this will make the roads easier for everyone.
but the council need to do their bit too in surplying grit. we all pay enough out.
years ago when people had coal fires people would use the ashes to put down on the roads ,
if theres anyone with a wood burner /coal fire on the esate ask them for the ashes. (not the cricket ashes)
might help in the short term.
I've added a call to shovels
I've added a call to shovels post to the site, incase people miss these comments.
http://mytunstall.co.uk/forum/10/12/bankeyfields-call-shovels-bankey-fie...
Good idea though RedGirl. Also good thinking in keeping the grit back for the purpose of looking after the speed hump.
I think we need to rethink how we do the grit on this estate, and divvy the grit up between "champions" who keep the grit back for key parts of the estate such as speed humps, steep inclines. Anything left is useful for another day.
There has to be an understanding that no estates get the gritters on, and the grit in the boxes doesn't last for ever, and it's down to good old elbow grease.
Matt
news flash, our grit bin has
news flash,
our grit bin has been refilled.
ive just returned from gritting the roads and bends , and was thanked by a neighbour
she didnt think to help.......
only took two days "thank you grit department "
I'm really impressed, well
I'm really impressed, well done to Bob Brock and his department, and also to Dereth for looking after her street.
Hint to Dereth's Neighbour - Chocolates are always appreciated
Which grit bin was
Which grit bin was that!!!!!
Me and my little mate have just been out and only managed to find enough grit in three grit bins to half fill a bucket.....
Sorry John Rhodes Way, we tried but due to our, yet again, useless grit bin filling department we are without grit!!!!
It will soon be time for the two week holiday for the whole team, I think they are getting use used to the fact that the grit bins only get filled in the summer.....
not telling which grit bin ,
not telling which grit bin , or you will all be trying to take our grit away, we have enough of the taxi firms pinching it.
if i could put a lock on it i would, as im the only one doing anything about the roads.
ive got to fetch my daughter from work at 9.30pm so im hoping the grit put down has worked well.
im told its not effective with temperatures below -10
the "grit" in the bin is more sandy than grit this time.
WM- yes i like chocolates but would prefer acouple of iceburg lettuce for the chickens .(still no eggs)
I walked down Spitfire Way
I walked down Spitfire Way this morning and checked the grit bin on our side and it was empty. I did notice one household's driveway and pavement had a nice thick coating of grit all over it too as I walked down. And I heard on Radio Stoke this morning that councils are getting reports from residents that people are "stealing" large quantities of grit that was there for residents use. One instance even found a grit box padlocked, which the council says is against the law.
As I work in Leek, I was stunned to see the local highways department clearing snow and ice from steep banks and grtting the side roads around Leek now. Why can't we have the same in Stoke?
I also heard on Radio Stoke
I also heard on Radio Stoke the council saying grit is for public highways and not private dwellings, and they consider this theft.
If people are stealing it, then its particularly annoying as Focus is just over the road and sells grit for £6 a bag. (Also I think the motor home place on the top roundabout has a sign up saying they sell grit [ £4.00 a bag if you buy 3 bags, or £4.50 a bag update - Matt]).
Maybe we should put signs up on the grit bins saying "...also available at Focus DIY"
M.
Marks, like the idea about a
Marks, like the idea about a sign. The grit is for the roads, if you want to grit your drive you need to do 2 things.
1. be prepared and don't leave it till last minute.
2. buy your own
http://mytunstall.co.uk/forum/10/11/getting-ready-winter-rock-salt-tunst...
Also at last months RA meeting which is open to all residents we did bring up grit, talked about bulk buying, and being on the watch out for theft (although it's hard to tell)
The council were re-filling
The council were re-filling the grit bin by the mini roundabout (John Rhodes) when I left for work this morning at 7.30am - better late than never I suppose as its given it out for a bit of a thaw this weekend!!
Zoey
Can I just ask before people
Can I just ask before people start taking the grit out of the speed bump bin, to leave a good amount for the speed bump please, last time it was all taken and none was left for what it was meant for.
i taxi firm was spotted and
i taxi firm was spotted and reported for "pinching" Grit from the grit bins on our estate last night.
if he lived on the estate and was using it for the 6 roads here fine - but he was putting it into a bag and drove off quickly when a neighbour went to investigate.
I gritted all the way from
I gritted all the way from JRW up Spitfire to the junction of Shackleton last night, after taking my sack truck, plastic box and shovel down to the grit bin at around 4.30 last night.
I was stunned to see people just staring at me as they drove by in their warm cars.
But hey, at least I made it safely down Spitfire this morning to the main road. And of course, now that the road looks much better (well it wasn't a sheet of ice this morning) drivers in cars go belting up and down Spitfire at a rate of knots not too dissimilar to how they would drive during the long hot summer months.
I did notice that you'd been
I did notice that you'd been out again when I came past this morning. It is greatly appreciated by at least some some of us that live higher up the estate than you (well, me anyway) , so a big Thank You
I did the Hurricane Bend again this morning, Of course, I'd done it before the snow fell, so popped out again before I needed to drive on it to do it a bit more, just to make sure i wasn't going to skid round the corner.
Interview from 6towns Radio
Interview from 6towns Radio between Nigel Howle and Bob Brock - the guy in charge with keeping our roads clear of snow, and maintain grit bins.
Please listen to the interview by all means, but can I draw your attention to what grit bin part of the interview at about 4:22.
Nigel Howle Bob Brock interview 07-12-10 by Talkofthetowns1
Now this is how you manage a
Now this is how you manage a informative gritting campaign.
Dan Slee - Walsall council communications office, and digitial pioneer in his field has written an excellent article about how Walsall Council have engaged and informed the people of the area of it's gritting service, making use of twitter and facebook's up to date service announcements.
TRUE GRIT: A localgov winter social media case study
Restraint Please Snow is on
Restraint Please Snow is on the way again, could I ask all residents of the Bankeyfields to use the grit only for the roads especially the steep bits, speed ramps and junctions and NOT your own drives.
Thanks in advance Steve Chairman Bankeyfields Residents Association
the last of the grit was used
the last of the grit was used up last night on the steep bank off our burslem estate ,
so ive phoned up to ask if the bin can be refilled - so far the gritting team have done well fill the bin up , so fingers crossed they continue to do so.
Yeah, Bob and his Team have
Yeah, Bob and his Team have been doing a fairly decent job. I saw them out in force down Hall Street the other day shovelling grit on the pavements, and try to clear the icey road down to the school.
have visited family and
have visited family and friends in telford today and the main roads in shropshire are not as clear as the roads in staffordshire.
they dont seem to have had more snow, but its just not been gritted or ploughed away.
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