HERTFORDSHIRE COUNTY COUNCIL

WINTER MAINTENANCETOPIC GROUP

THURSDAY 2 APRIL 2009 & FRIDAY 3 APRIL 2009 AT 10.00 AM

Member comments and queries

NAME & AREA / QUERY/COMMENT
John Metcalf (OSC) / Some possible extra questions and issues:
Were all bus services able to operate? Is there anything more can be done to help keep bus services? How do we inform the public about whether bus services are running? Do we have any figures from hospitals on injuries to pedestrians from falls due to snow and ice on footways?
Derrick Ashley (Hitchin South) / I think we should include salting routes. In my division there are two hospitals not on a salting route...... question is should they be??
Barbara Lamb (Rickmansworth) / I think they did a very good job and worked endless hours. However I would ask that as part of the scrutiny roads and footpaths with steep gradients should be salted or provisions of salt bins DIY touch be provided. Main Roads clear quickly with the volume of traffic, but side roads in hilly areas render the residents housebound. Barbara
Richard Roberts (Kings Langley) / My division received an exemplary service, sympathetic to the needs of the roads and hence we suffered fewer potholes which are now being repaired properly. I think the only issues are for those roads which ice up where there is no salting and then we get a spate of accidents. May need to come up with some spivvy ice warning signs. The boys did good and grateful
Audrey Oaten (Meriden Tudor) / I explained to the resident that Herts Highways wouldn't be able to do anything in this instance but I did forward his e mail to Earl Dutton in ACS as it does raise a useful point. Since speaking with colleagues on Watford Borough Council I learn that the local staff do deal with pavements, but I wondered if it was worth suggesting that Care Homes in the districts are targeted to prevent a repetition of the incident reported.
I've sent this off to HCC. It's not a complaint as such; maybe this road has not been considered for high priority before. But with the recent snowfall the approach road to the homes was lethal. I know there must be a thousand other "deserving" cases, but I believe this is a must. On Monday 2nd Feb 09 I visited my wife in Greenbanks Residential Home. Post Code WD17 4JP. There was several inches of snow on the roads and I had to help a carer from the home who had abandoned her car across and half way down the steep road from the care home. Between Monday and Friday I cleared the entrance and parking area as both Greenbanks and Victoria House require ambulance access. I would like to see clear access maintained to all care homes. Most homes that I can think of are on main roads and will therefore have been gritted. But those that are off the main roads should be catered for.
Tony Mitchell (Flamsted End & Turnford) / No issues to report on this. Hoddesdon was well served by our colleagues. It would have been helpful for the residential side roads to be treated, so as to be able to reach the main roads, but I realise this would not be possible with present technology.
Sally Newton (All Saints) / The only comment I have to make is that once upon a time we (farmers) were issued with snow ploughs (still have ours) and linkage to our tractors. In the last two/three years there has been no communication from Herts Highways. We cleared our roads, (and others) with our own equipment. Had the weather been accompanied by strong winds, every body would have been in serious trouble. Obviously the policy is not to enlist farmer's help these days?
Nigel Agar (Letchworth NW) / This is a bit of advanced warning. As you probably know, there was a power cut in part of Letchworth from 8-11 Feb during the cold weather. The residents are upset about this and there was a public meeting last week. They have made a survey of local people in Gaunts Way and Eastern Way to ascertrain what support local people actually got which was not much. This does tie in with my impression on the two occasions when I visited the area at the beginning and end of the event. On both occasions I called HCC to put them in the picture without a lot of result from what I hear. The questions I intend to ask in council are : why was no house to house survey carred out at an early stage to seek out those who were:
1. elderly?
2. had young children or babies?
3 ill?
If that had been done HCC could have targeted relief far more effectively. Our officers were not fully informed and the at risk register was not up to date. We need a debrief from Adult Care and CSF and possibly others.
Sharon Taylor (Bedwell) / The issues I would raise are as follows:
Firstly on a positive note – I think our teams did a wonderful job of keeping the main routes clear
  • Information – it was very difficult to find out on the first couple of days what was happening and what facilities were open and which were not. In my view organisations did not make best use of websites to keep the public up to date. The emergency plan should include provision for out of hours updating of websites in such situations
  • Footpaths – we need to have a clear protocol with District Councils about who is responsible for clearing footpaths and how and when they will be done. This was a particular problem in town and neighbourhood centres where older people could not shop for fear of slipping.
  • Salt Bins – I have had complaints from residents that these were empty and we had not taken action to fill them when bad weather was predicted
  • Cost – I think it is very important that people in Hertfordshire understand just how much money the whole operation cost – otherwise they think the gritting “fairies” are doing the work
  • Environmental impact – I would be interested to know if there is any environmental impact from using so much grit and salt on our roads.
  • Advice – We could have done more to get advice out to people about e.g. their responsibility for clearing their own paths – there is a lot of misinformation which tells people that if they clear their path and someone slips they will be liable whereas if they leave the snow there they won’t. I don’t believe this is the case.

Mary Bayes (BIS Rural) / Bishops Stortford had problems with pavement clearance. Little self help especially around blocks of apartments fronting pavements.
Attitude generally is "Its up to the council" without specifying which council (parish, district or county).I did see one county lorry salting one major pavement on Hadham Road but no one else.
This aspect needs coordination from all levels of authority.
Teresa Heritage / My main concerns about the period in question are:
  • Could more have been done to salt pavements especially in town centres and shopping areas.
  • Residents and councillors were unclear as to whether pavements outside their homes could be cleared by them. Better information is required to inform residents as to what is allowed. This sort of information may have also enable shops/agencies etc to deal with pavement problems in their own vicinity without fear of prosecution.
  • I would like clarity as to means of communication that were used with the District/Borough/Town and Parish councils inrelation to joint working.
  • What are the cost of salt bins and how much do they cost to maintain?
  • What is the procedure for requesting the installation of salt bins?
Do members request bins but have them refused?
Malcolm Cowan / I would like to know what the emergency plan had for this, and comments from those who do emergency planning.
Also history - what happened in earlier times.
And, can we have a clear statement of the liability issue if you clear snow and someone falls.
Clare Berry (Hatfield North) / On the whole I believe the salting of the usual major routes went very well in Welwyn Hatfield. There seemed to be some confusion as to who was responsible for clearing footways etc and over the process for getting this done. The media campaign was very effective.

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