Tonight:
4°c
Many a slip as walkers tackle the ungritted pavements
Katharine Barney and Anna Davis3 Feb 2009
LONDON councils came under renewed fire today for failing to clear pavements of treacherous ice.
Many commuters were wearing walking boots and carrying ski poles for fear of slipping and falling over.
It follows criticism yesterday that local authorities had been too slow to grit the roads outside bus depots, bringing the bus network to a halt.
However councils said they were doing the best they could to clear the ice but had to make the busiest routes a priority.
Gilly Cook, 35, a drama teacher from East Dulwich, had taken her children, Lola, eight, and Ellison, five, to play in the snow but was shocked to find the pavements covered in ice and her local park closed.
She said: “The kids are desperate to get outside and play in the snow. They want to make snowballs and snowmen but it's so dangerous to get anywhere.
“I've nearly slipped and broken my neck numerous times. And then when we got to the park it was closed. It's health and safety madness.”
In central London people were having the same problem.
Sarah Laurenne, a 42-year-old mother from Victoria, said: “The roads and pavements directly outside Victoria station look like they have been cleared and gritted but the side streets where everybody lives are extremely icy and very slippery. You have to walk five times as slowly as normal. I haven't fallen over so far today thank goodness but I have seen other people slipping. The area outside Westminster Cathedral is like an ice rink.
“My nanny couldn't come in to work today so I have stayed off work as a secretary with the children, but they are slipping all over the place. It is a nightmare.”
London Councils said boroughs were working as hard as they could and had diverted staff from other departments so the work would be done faster.
A spokesman said: “As well as putting gritters out on the roads from Sunday morning, councils deployed staff to grit footpaths in each of their boroughs. Councils focus on priority footways — those pavements that experience the most footfall — but the majority of secondary roads were also gritted.
“The high level of snowfall on Sunday night meant that snow was likely to settle despite the gritting carried out. However, throughout yesterday and today, staff have been redeployed from various services including traffic enforcement, street cleaning and refuse collection to assist with the job of clearing snow and ice from roads and pavements.
“Local authorities are working hard to help keep London moving. We would ask for residents' patience while we get on with the task in hand.”
Authorities who cancelled waste collections said visits would be made later this week where possible.
Reader views (26)
I would love to clear the pavement outside our house, but nowhere can I find any information on how to do it without the prospect of a legal claim against me. If councils want us to help each other in the snow and ice and take on more responsibility, why can't they give us simple advice on how to do it?
- Geraldine, Elmbridge, surrey, 02/12/2010 07:42
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Call me a cynic, but I can't see how councils are going to bother grit pavements when they're not legally liable for anyone who slips or falls on icy pavements. Yet if you clear the pavement outside your house and someone then slips on any residual ice then you can be held liable! And of course if the postman or milkman slips on your garden path or driveway you're liable there too.
When we got snowed in last winter I dug out a pair of walker ice grips I'd been given a few years back but never needed to use. (They stretch over your shoes and have metal coils which then sit on the sole of your shoe.) I hardly noticed the ice underfoot, even when the snow had been packed down and polished into ice by a steady stream of pedestrians.
- Fay, London, 12/10/2009 17:08
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I liked the letter from John of Leatherhead. I too lived in England (Essex) in 1963, and although buses were sometimes late, they still ran. Our mother expected us boys to clear the snow from the pavement outside our house, too... spot on, John! And for councils to close public parks is so ludicrous I don't think any comment can adequately describe it. What has happened to you all? Is it someone else's responsibility...again?
James
- James Wells, Perth, Australia, 12/10/2009 16:08
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Camden Council failed to grit any roads or footpaths at all on Monday that I could see.Even now I have not seen any council employee or contact worker gritting.
When I rang and asked why the explaination was only priorty locations like schools and hospitals were being gritted.No school innw6 I know of was gritted.
- John Doherty, London, Camden NW6, 12/10/2009 16:08
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The problem is that this happens to London only once a decade, and it really isn't worth spending serious money year in year out to cope with something this rare. Cheaper just to write off the day when it happens.
That said, it is worth looking hard at what happened this time and writing the lessons into the action plan for next time. But if next time is ten years hence, it's almost certain that the lessons will be lost or forgotten or obsolete by then.
Us over-fifties have seen it happen a few times before!
- Nigel, London, 12/10/2009 16:08
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The roads were gritted but grit is of little use when it is below snow. Any grit would quickly be covered by snow which would compact to ice.
I wish people would understand how simple things such as salt and grit work before venturing uninformed opinion.
- Tom, Watford (UK), 12/10/2009 16:08
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Let us get this into perspective. It snows like this in the UK about every twenty years, no case can be made for investing the sums of money into equipment here in the same way as say Austria.
Equally where we did have all singing all dancing snow clearing tools - at Heathrow for instance - it still could not keep the runways open - for a while.
It does however sadden me that London buses did not at least try to run something - the bus drivers from the blitz must be turning in their graves! 'Elf & Safety no doubt.
- Mark, Bournemouth England, 12/10/2009 16:08
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Why don't these people have more important things to do. Sunday night the gritters were down our road, but it couldn't compete with the snowfall we had. I'm glad the money hasn't been spent on snow-clearing equip as we just don't need it in this country these days. It is a bit disappointing that the bus drivers didn't get out some shovels and get on with it though.
- Annie, london, 12/10/2009 16:08
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I know it may be another 20 years before it happens again - but could some thought be given to gritting the pavements, not just the roads? We don't all drive you know.
- Jc, london, 12/10/2009 16:08
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Well all I can say this proves once and for all TfL adds NO value whatsoever and should be closed forthwith.
- Marianne, SW France, 12/10/2009 16:08
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Walking the dog on Hampstead Heath was a nightmare. NONE of the paths were gritted. Every day, there are cars and tractors up and down the paths there, so that walkers have to clear out of their way. What are they doing? Is it more important than gritting those areas that walkers are down, day in, day out?
- Romy, London, UK, 12/10/2009 16:08
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The gritter was out on the Gant's Hill roundabout at approx 6pm on Sunday when the snow was just starting. I don't think they could have done any better.
- Jim, London, 12/10/2009 16:08
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For once I think the local authorities did a good job, what exactly do people expect anyway?
- P Staker, London, 12/10/2009 16:08
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It does seem that our public service managers give up too easily these days. I recall that conditions in 1963 were considerably worse and lasted for several weeks! As I recall, London's buses remained in service, and I got no extra days off school!
I also recall a greater degree of personal responsibility. For example, most householders seemed to clear pavements outside their homes as well as of those less able. Perhaps those of us who are able should be active rather than passive.
- John, Leatherhead, UK, 12/10/2009 16:08
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There was no griting in Sidcup as well
- Prasad, SIDCUP, 12/10/2009 16:08
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No-one is asking for a massive amount of money to be invested in equipment. All we want is to see gritters on the roads when there is a major threat of snow. Happy to see that some places were gritted, but the vast majority of places weren't. Victoria, a major transport hub, certainly wasn't. It's funny- what's the point of gritting arterial roads if once you get off them they're impassable? There was no gritting here in Clapham, we certainly pay enough to have just this minimal service so why wasn't it done? To blame Boris for this is abit much-it is up to the local councils-he would only be able to do so much wouldn't he. What's he going to do-monitor whether there was a gritter going down Battersea Rise, but oh, hold on, what's going on up in Enfield? Get real, a lot of the hands on day to day stuff is delegated, it simply has to be, and it is the individual councils who are to blame (who no doubt have hardly any staff in today-more free holidays for the jobsworths).
- Ted, Clapham south, 12/10/2009 16:08
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The staff at Gidea Park station could not even be bothered to completely clear the station platform or even grit the car park which tonight was like the set of Dancing on Ice!
- Jan, London, 12/10/2009 16:08
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In other countries that experience heavy snowfalls, nobody expects local authorities to wave a magic wand and have all the pavements cleared when it's obvious it is impossible and the costs would be prohibitive. Instead it is the responsibility of property owners to clear the pavement outside their property.
- Hughie, Surrey, UK, 12/10/2009 16:08
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With only a weeks notice and hour by hour count down from the weather service, What chance did local councils have to organise gritting of crossing points and roads in the capital city enough to run bus down. I fully expected the trains to fall over as they have had practice at not running with frost and wet leaves.
We don't ask for a civil engineering projects akin to re-routing the Thames. We don't want them to fight the advance of the next ice age with a tooth brush or organise all the hole in the road diggers in to one street at a time.
Just some salt and grit spread around at crossing points, on pavements and roads. We can walk it in for them. A case of having to with the buses confined to the depot because its cold outside.
- Dave, Westminster, 12/10/2009 16:08
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Only the main roads in my borough are fit to drive on - the side streets are frightening, with no gritting anywhere. The appropriate Council Tax funding allocation has obviously been spent on yet another recycling project to stop me throwing my paper into the wrong bin.
- Linda, London, 12/10/2009 16:08
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okay chaps - its official - we deserve everything that is coming to us - what a lily livered bunch of selfish whingers!!
The world is not perfect - don't be so stooooopid to expect the councils to grit everything. I remember having to walk up and down 3 major hills to school when I was child - gritting! never happened - broken arms - never happened!!! Sense of balance - fantastic - you fall over you; you get up - ITS WINTER!!!!!!!
Okay they should be a tax on blogging whingers! The campaign starts here.
- jc, se1, 12/10/2009 16:08
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Wandsworth Council has not gritted or cleared any paths (or sidestreets) in my area. I rang them, but to no avail. TFL has cleared the roads they are responsible for (yesterday morning). Did the councils fritter all the money they should have spent on salt away in banks in Iceland, hoping for fairy tale returns? Or is it a matter of their gritters skiving off work? This is not just about people being unable to get to the shops; it essentially cages the elderly and part disabled in their homes, it prevents doctors, nurses, teachers, nursery staff and ambulance drivers from getting to work, not to mention parents who cannot go to work because they have nowhere to leave the children. The effect of staff indigence and a total lack of forward planning is immense, and the mere thought of it breathtaking. We Londoners should withhold our council tax payments in protest! Maybe then Londoners won't be taken for granted?
- Mel, Battersea, 12/10/2009 16:08
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I couldn't agree more with JC, SE1. I know that older people will have more trouble with the ice and snow, but people are moaning about the weather because they simply aren't used to it. If you're worried, dont wear your trainers, have proper walking shoes. Everyone can prepare themselves for bad weather, don't expect anything from councils. snow boots, walking aids are cheaper nowadays. Go get them and stop moaning!
- Jm, Se1, Southbank, London, 12/10/2009 16:08
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Please do not spend my taxpayers money on an inquiry. Let them do a debrief and work out a solution or improvement. That said - was it really so bad yesterday.
Remembering the big snow in Feb 1991 - when I walked from Cricklewood into town, and yes a few buses ran - but in reality like yesterday - later in the day!
- Juliennec, se1, 12/10/2009 16:08
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Do what i used to do,wear golfing shoes,you will be able to run on those pavements.
- Keith, South Carolina,USA, 12/10/2009 16:08
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I was out and about all over the city till the early hours of sun and mon, gritters were out, maybe not enough of them but they were out.
- Les, London, 12/10/2009 16:08
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