Be ready for wintry conditions – “on line” map gives local salt bin and gritting details in York

It looks like we may get our first freeze of the winter shortly so we hope that residents will check that their local salt bins are full (and free from litter).

Its also a good idea to know which local streets are routinely de-iced by the “gritting” lorry.

Easiest way to find out where your local services are is by accessing the above map which can be found at:

http://localview.york.gov.uk/Sites/TranStreetCare/

Click i to see where your nearest salt bin is

Then click the fourth symbol along.

This will allow you to tick a box next to “primary” and” secondary” gritting routes. The primary gritting routes include most bus routes and are salted as a precaution when weather forecasts predict icy conditions.

You can find out whether the gritters are working by “following” them on twitter @yorkgritter

Time to get salt bins repaired and filled

A quick check of the salt bins in the Westfield area yesterday revealed that most have salt in them. In some cases this has been left over from previous years – last winter was particularly mild.

Most had been used as litter bins and several had been vandalised with the lid hinges broken in many cases.

The Council promised to complete a review of it’s salt bins in September but nothing seems to have come of this. No attempt was made during the summer to recover the bins for maintenance. We hope the new Council will order that the bins be refurbished in the spring.

In the meantime – before we get the inevitable snow – the litter needs to be removed and the bins topped up where necessary.

A map of the location of salt bins in York can be accessed by clicking here

Empty and damaged salt bin on Dijon Avenue still not relocated away from former school entrance

Salt bin on Tennent Road empty

Kingsway West salt bin empty

Hinges broken on Askham Grove bin

Rubbish in salt bin in Kingsthorpe

Spindle Close – full of rubbish

Dumping on the Cornlands Road park has been reported

Time to check out your nearest salt bin

The York Council has a useful – but little publicised – map available “on line”. Go to http://localview.york.gov.uk/Sites/TranStreetCare/#

It shows the location of many local services including individual street lighting columns (with their I/D number and type) plus litter bins and poop scoop bins. It also shows which roads and footpaths have been adopted for maintenance purposes.

At this time of year the map can be used to locate salt bins while also displaying the route that the gritting lorries follow.

You can get daily updates on twitter from the gritting teams https://twitter.com/yorkgritter

The map indicates how many volunteer “snow wardens” there are in the area. There are seven in the Westfield ward

Volunteer snow wardens are residents who give up some of their time to clear snow during bad weather. There are 211 registered volunteers across York. The Council provides volunteers with:

training
high-visibility vests
snow-clearing kits
insurance
grit

We know that some of the local salt bins have been filled with litter.

If one needs attention please report it at https://www.fixmystreet.com/

Mild weather at public demonstation by York Council of its ice clearing equipment

Yesterdays mild weather provided an unseasonable backdrop for a demonstration by the York Council of its ice management equipment

Cllr Andrew Waller with snow plough

New snow sweeping machines

York Council open day on ice clearance as residents kept in dark over salt bin plans

City of York Council’s winter maintenance team is inviting residents to find out more about how the council tackles winter weather during a special open event at the council’s depot on James Street.

On Saturday 31 October between 10am to 12pm, visitors will get the chance to have a close-up look of the fleet of gritters, snow ploughs and salt spreaders, as well as see the salt barn which is home to over 3,000 tonnes of salt

The open day will provide residents with the opportunity to prepare for the winter months ahead, where frontline teams will be on-hand to offer winter advice.

It also falls on the first ‘dry run’ weekend of the year, where crews will be carrying out gritting test runs in York ahead of the start of the winter season.

The announcement comes at a time when residents are still waiting to here about the future of their local salt bins.

The last Labour led Council chose to scrap many of these self help bins while others have been left out all year round.

Cllr Sue Hunter on a steep footpath on Front Street where acces to a salt bin is essential for safety

Many have been damaged while others are still full of rubbish.

The Liberal Democrats pledged at the recent election to improve the network of bins so an early announcement of changes was expected.

Throughout the gritting season, between November and March, crews are on-hand to work 24/7 to help keep York’s roads open. Last year, crews used 3,927 tonnes of salt over 72 separate ‘grit runs’ , travelling 43,054 km to treat 71,460km of highway.

Cllr Ian Gillies, Executive Member for Transport and Planning, said: “Our open day will enable residents to hear from the frontline team direct about how the council tackles winter weather to help to keep our roads open 24/7 over the gritting season. We encourage everyone to join us during the open event to help them prepare for the winter months ahead.”

. For more information about the winter services in York visit www.york.gov.uk/gritting .Or, follow @YorkGritter on Twitter for regular updates.

Ice brings first test for Councils new gritting policy

The reduced frequency of gritting (salting) on York’s roads – introduced in 2013 but not really tested last year because of the mild winter – will be under scrutiny for the next few weeks.

Several roads – including the 26 bus route and the Green Lane access to Hob Moor school – were taken off the de-icing schedule.

Other public services are also suffering from neglect with large volumes of fallen leaves still on roads and footpaths, and the arrival of ice could make conditions lethal for elderly pedestrians and cyclists.

Many salt bins also still require maintenance.

Accident levels will also be under close scrutiny.

The Council has now said that it will cut the costs of running its “Cabinet” and put the savings into “winter maintenance”.

But this (welcome) initiative looks to be a case of “too little, too late”.

York Council neglect still to be addressed

Fly tipping on Council garage areas

Leaves blocking drains in Green Lane

With the York Council seemingly preoccupied with internal political discussions, service standards continue to decline.

There is a lack of preparedness for winter. Salt bins have no lids and the contents are leeching onto the streets and adding to the problems with blocked gullies.

Some bus routes – including the number 26 which provides a lifeline service for elderly people living in the Windsor Garth and St Stephens Road areas – are still excluded from the de-icing schedules with little chance of a review before the worst of the winter weather hits the City.

Bus stop waiting areas over grown

Salt bins left without lids. This one is in Woodford Place

Perhaps the worst examples of neglect can be found on some of the City’s Council estates. Areas without an active residents association fare particularly badly with many communal areas, garage forecourts and verges all in a desperate condition

“Salt bins being checked, repaired and filled” – York Council

Salt bins filled with rubbish

Following our story of a few days ago, the Council has said that it is checking all salt bins.

Where necessary they are being repaired before being filled with salt.

Hopefully they will also remove the accumulated rubbish and update the salt bin map displayed on their web site.

Andrew Waller is actively pressing for some of the salt bins in the Westfield area – axed 2 years ago by Labour – to be reinstated,.

York Council must be ‘ready for winter’

Cllr Andrew Waller with one of the salt bins that he has asked to be refurbished and refilled

Liberal Democrat councillors are urging Labour run City of York Council to be properly prepared for winter and not to gamble on continuing mild weather.

The warning comes amid growing concerns that York will not be able to cope with snowy and icy weather following cuts to the winter maintenance budget.

Since 2011 Labour has cut the council’s winter budget every year and last year took 30 miles of road off the priority gritting list and stopped funding two-thirds of salt bins. Whilst Liberal Democrat councillors and campaigners worked with parish councils and residents groups to save some salt bins, many were still lost.

Council budget cuts meant that despite last year’s mild weather, York still overspent its winter budget by around £100,000 leading to fears how it will cope with bad weather this year.

Now Lib Dem councillors have written to the Labour Cabinet Member responsible calling on the council to make sure it is ‘ready for winter’ and to work with local residents to identify gaps in provision.

Cllr Ann Reid, Liberal Democrat Spokesperson for Environmental Services, commented:

“Despite the recent mild weather I have spoken to many residents in recent weeks who are asking for salt bins to be replaced and roads to be put back on gritting routes as we approach winter. Residents have also raised concerns about salt bins which have been left to rot and are now without lids or full of rubbish.

“Last year the council was fortunate to have a particularly mild winter, but it must make sure it is ready for winter this year and able to cope if more seasonal weather comes in the next few months. It needs to work with local residents and community groups to identify and tackle gaps in provision. These frontline services need to be the priority rather than Labour’s vanity projects in the city-centre.

“While I am pleased to see that the snow warden service is restarting – now in its fourth season having been brought in by the previous Lib Dem administration – this team of volunteers needs proper support from the council, and officers who work hard to keep the city running need support from the top.”

Liberal Democrat councillors have sent the following letter to the Labour Cabinet Member responsible:

(more…)

Icy weather coming – “sort out the salt bins and gritting routes” say LibDems

Council salt bin location map click

A high priority for the new “balanced” York Council should be to sort out its winter maintenance programmes

The City was very fortunate last year when warm weather persisted for virtually the whole of the winter.

We would lucky if this happened for a second year.

One of the most unpopular cuts made by York’s Labour Council was the removal of many salt bins.

Salt bins filled with rubbish

Most of the bins had been provided by ward committees following a ballot of residents priorities. Local residents are often the best qualified to identify footpaths which are vulnerable to icing.

Some of the bins subsequently seemed to escape the cull. Some even still have salt in them.

However, the salt bin location map shown on the York Councils web site is inaccurate. It shows bins that have been removed from the Foxwood Lane estate while failing to identify those that exist in the Linnet Way and Teal Drive areas (at least).

Biggest scandal remains the removal of bins from the Front Street/Acomb Green area. Gradients there make access particularly difficult for the many elderly people who need to get to key services in the village.

In other areas, some carriageways have been excluded from the gritting schedules despite the roads being on bus service routes.

All in all, there is a need for a review of the system before the snow arrives.

The Council could make a start by clearing the existing salt bins of rubbish and refilling those that need it.