Morning:
8°c
Commuters left to suffer as public transport collapses
Katharine Barney, Evening Standard2 Feb 2009
LONDON authorities today came under fire for failing to cope with the heavy snowfall despite weather warnings five days ago.
Police and the ambulance service criticised the state of the roads while Transport for London said they had been unable to get buses out of garages because councils had failed to clear the snow.
Some councils redeployed rubbish and recycling collectors while one council revealed it had sent out just five gritting drivers and had no intention of taking further action.
Staff moved from other departments helped spread grit manually or shovel snow to help commuters travel to work. Nearly all boroughs operated a round-the-clock gritting operation but still failed to clear roads and pavements.
In Barnet the situation was so serious that council workers were even told to stack 26 extra council vans with grit in addition to nine gritting vehicles and four manual gritters.
Hammersmith and Fulham Council only operates two gritting machines and no snow ploughs and was forced to suspend parking charges to allow parking attendants to help manually shovel snow. Councils were prioritising busy roads and routes to hospitals, stations and schools.
Meanwhile Mayor Boris Johnson suspended the congestion charge and said people who had already paid would be refunded.
He said: “I want to do this to thank all those who have made the exceptional effort to make it into central London and keep our city moving.”
A spokesman for the Mayor said councils were struggling to cope with vast quantities of snow and most authorities could not justify buying expensive snow ploughs for the amount of snow which only falls once every 20 years.
The Met Office first advised councils of the full extent of the snow and expected disruption early last Wednesday. “We are actually very proud of how well we did,” said a spokesman for the Met Office.
There were questions from some emergency services over the lack of gritting on London's roads.
Police response cars were confined to answering only emergency calls in central London.
One senior officer told the Standard: “There are questions being asked about why roads have not been gritted. If it gets colder and we get snow on top of the ice it will get very dangerous. We need these gritters out today. It is not as if they did not have any warning about this.”
A spokesman for TfL said all 360 miles of roads maintained by them were clear but said: “The problem is getting the buses out of depots where the areas are maintained by councils. We are working to try to rectify the situation.”
A London Councils spokesman said boroughs had done all they could. He said: “The levels of snow have been exceptional and gritting is unlikely to take care of all of it — something TfL commissioner Peter Hendy has written to borough chief executives to acknowledge.
“The capital's local authorities are responsible for maintaining 95 per cent of London's roads so face a far greater challenge than TfL. Because these roads handle a far lower volume of traffic than TfL trunk roads, and because the snowfall has been so heavy, snow has settled despite the gritting.”
Reader views (20)
James - I fully agree, Boris should be putting his money where his mouth is. Refunding the tiny number of people who ignored everyone's warnings and drove in won't cost much - the roads were nearly empty. Refunding the much larger number of people who tried to use the tube is another matter.
Obviously you already have a right to a refund *anyway*, but it would be a real, solid gesture instead of the usual PR exercise to make the effort to ensure this process happens speedily and efficiently, plus offering something to weekly/monthly/yearly ticket holders for having an entire day when their ticket was largely useless.
It would also be good if he made it clear that when this happens in the future it would be a very stupid idea to drive in expecting a free day on the roads.
- Tom, London, UK, 03/02/2009 13:21
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So ... it happens every 20 years or so ..... big deal ....take a day off.
- Marke, Houston, Texas, 02/02/2009 22:07
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Could somebody please ask Boris if he'd mind refunding Oyster customers for today's shambles as well as drivers?
I swiped my pay-as-you-go Oyster card this morning, waited on the platform for 45 minutes until a packed tube arrived, then left the station so I could walk instead when it became clear I wasn't going to get on a train.
That's £2.20 I'll never get back.
- James, London, 02/02/2009 17:27
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I am not too sure if I believe the continuous comments of other countries coping easily with severe weather ( I refer to the comment of Eloise, UK ).
I have experienced snowfall in the USA and Europe and it caused huge disruption.
By the way, my train in France was delayed by leaves on the line, or 'low adhesion' as it should really be known.
- Jim, London, UK, 02/02/2009 17:08
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Buses are running here in deepest Canvey Island and they have proper hills to climb so I was amazed to here ALL LONDON BUSES had stopped!!
Just goes to show what damage tories hav done to Londons' buses since they privatised it! I bet London Transport offiials will be turning in their graves given the way buses ran in proper winters like 1947 and 1962/63 when we had weeks of snow.
And all Boris can do is announce suspension of c-charge I reckon he should extend ALL season tickets by 1 day and cancel ALL fares as well. Anyone else agree?
As for Hammersmith Council they are boasting on posters about cutting their council tax now we know where the cuts have been made. Perhaps Councils should be made to pay compensation to TFL where buses could not run?
Well at least the DLR is as usual running nearly normal it's just a pity NOGO BOJO has stopped others from sharing this wonderful, reliable form of transport.
Nevermind, if Boris has his way you will be back to buses with snow pouring in the open platform and freezing winds up the back stair case!
Well we now have SNOWGO BOJO if he were worth his salt he would re-introduce skidpan tests for bus drivers, for that is the real problem nowadays.
- Melvyn Windebank, Canvey Island, Essex, 02/02/2009 16:36
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I could'nt get to work today so I spent some quality time with my son. We had a ball in the park with many other children and their families. It's been a great day!
- Christine Bernard, Catford, 02/02/2009 16:15
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As sensible people have noted, it would be silly to be fully prepared for something that happens about 1% of days about 5% to 10% of years (one day in 1000 or 2000)). If individuals cannot drive, it is their own faults; they could buy snow tyres at their OWN expense to use when there is a problem. Why should I pay extra council tax for people who will not by snow tyres? Mind, it would be good for the car industry if we had more corrosive salt on the roads causing body rot.
Did we get it right? I don't know, I don't have all the facts (and I'm not the kind of idiot who forms opinions without facts). Do you have all the facts? If you do not, and you are complaining, shut up, bozo!
- Rob Slack, London, UK, 02/02/2009 15:00
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Never happened when Ken was Mayor....
- Ashiq, London, UK, 02/02/2009 14:42
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At least you have a decent public transport system. My bus to work runs hourly at peak times. There are no other public transport options.
Bad weather has an impact on everything electrical and mechanical. The fact that people are moaning about it suggests there hasn't been a severe winter for several years...
- Anil -Ex Londoner, south glos, 02/02/2009 14:33
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I can just imagine reading the LES expose - councils waste millions on snow ploughs, gritters and salt warehouses.
Rest assured dear readers - if an event occurs every 20 years there will be some tabloid hack out trying to find someone who complains that we don't prepare for these things.
- Paul, London, 02/02/2009 14:10
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I do hope the Standard will be as relentless in its pursuit of Mayor Boris for the total failure of LT, as relentless as it would have been if Mayor Ken had been in charge.
Boris's first big test and he's flunked it.
- David, London UK, 02/02/2009 13:59
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"Apparently the boats are all running on time, with great views, hot bacon rolls, and no crowding.
I have some very smug friends working in the Docklands today..."
Who wants to leave and work in...Docklands!
- Ex.Londoner, Gorgeous Essex., 02/02/2009 13:51
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London is not prepared for this weather because London vary rarely has this weather. Do people really expect a fleet of snow ploughs to be ready for the couple of days every 15 years that they are needed? Of course Geneva is better prepared, Geneva has worse winters than London. This is, for us. freak weather plain and simple. Stop complaining.
- Jane Bewick, London, 02/02/2009 13:37
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jc if a couple of million people take to the roads and boats will they cope ? i dont think so.
- Brian, Wiltshire, 02/02/2009 13:36
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In reply to Mark and JC, lets see how you do when the river freezes over!
- Simon, Iceland on Thames, 02/02/2009 13:15
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Only in Britain do we come to a halt. what a load of unplanning sissys.
anywhere in the world they are fully prepared for some snow. They have been telling us of this snow for a few days now and still no preplanned action.
Unbelievable.....
- John, uk, 02/02/2009 13:06
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'I was supposed to be in work at 6am but have been travelling now for 24 hours and have had no sleep'
Boo hoo - some company you must work for seeing as you were with clients! I would tell them to get lost sharpish.
- David Smith, Wigan, 02/02/2009 12:43
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Oh please, this country is ludicrous!
They can't cope with snow, despite a pre warning, they can't cope with leaves on the tracks and they moan about the summer weather being too hot! They are nothing short of a laughing stock!
Send the Brits to Canada and Russia and see how life just carries on regardless ...
- Eloise, UK, 02/02/2009 12:39
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Apparently the boats are all running on time, with great views, hot bacon rolls, and no crowding.
I have some very smug friends working in the Docklands today...
- Mark Lee, Vauxhall, 02/02/2009 11:56
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My heart bleeds. Its less than an hours walk from victoria to london bridge - get over yourself - failing that - all the river services are running - get yourself down to the nearest pier and get a boat back to London Bridge
- Jc, se1, 02/02/2009 11:26
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