Rate the Council Response to Current Crisis

In my opinion

Well how has Roscommon Co. Co. performed since December 2009 regarding the present weather?

Roads locally here, very poor.
Water supply still flowing, very good.

5/10

Dr. Kenneth Noisewater

My parents in south ros have water but the roads are shíte - not even gritting the old N6! 6/10

Redriddick

I have to say the response has been good not only now but with the flooding too.ALot of workers got little or no christmas and have been working through nights and all dont forget with paycuts too.Only the primary routes are been gritted on a nightly basis im afraid the local roads are not but this i think is due to lack of salt.
9 out of ten

gerryirl

Redriddick wrote: »

I have to say the response has been good not only now but with the flooding too.ALot of workers got little or no christmas and have been working through nights and all dont forget with paycuts too.Only the primary routes are been gritted on a nightly basis im afraid the local roads are not but this i think is due to lack of salt.
9 out of ten

Glad to see someone appreciates the work the council is doing. I was one of the councils workers that didn't have an xmas . I work with the water section and I was working 10 hours xmas day and 12 every day after that. I didn't get home till 10 stepthens night. great to have the job but it was my childs 1st xmas so missed out on alot of that.. I had little to do with the flood work but alot of councils workers got very little sleep for days some were out till all hours helping people in flooded areas. As for the roads problem the council can't be blamed for this, bottom line is there is hardly no salt in the country. it is been mixed with sand to help it last but the council would have it out on roads if they had it.

Redriddick

gerryirl wrote: »

Glad to see someone appreciates the work the council is doing. I was one of the councils workers that didn't have an xmas . I work with the water section and I was working 10 hours xmas day and 12 every day after that. I didn't get home till 10 stepthens night. great to have the job but it was my childs 1st xmas so missed out on alot of that.. I had little to do with the flood work but alot of councils workers got very little sleep for days some were out till all hours helping people in flooded areas. As for the roads problem the council can't be blamed for this, bottom line is there is hardly no salt in the country. it is been mixed with sand to help it last but the council would have it out on roads if they had it.

Hi Ger,
Sorry to here bout your xmas and the loss of not spending it with the little one.I have to say the media are alot to blame for the salt shortage.They are getting it confused with grit.Guys on the radio saying they have grit in ther quarries and that ther is plenty of it and that the council wont buy it.The reality is that ther is only one salt mine in ireland and only 4 to 5 in ireland and uk.Boats coming from spain with salt and 50 to 60 artics waiting for it.Post here bout water in castlerea ya might want to check out too.Talk to ya.
Redriddick;)

gerryirl

Hi Redriddick
You hit the nail on the head here. the media puts a good spin on everything. your correct in what you say grit and salt are two different things. Salt lowers the freezing point of water grit will not . Salt due in from europe to cork but as you say whats coming in is only a drop in the ocean.place in North does it but there flat out making it

In my opinion

gerryirl wrote: »

Glad to see someone appreciates the work the council is doing. I was one of the councils workers that didn't have an xmas . I work with the water section and I was working 10 hours xmas day and 12 every day after that. I didn't get home till 10 stepthens night. great to have the job but it was my childs 1st xmas so missed out on alot of that.. I had little to do with the flood work but alot of councils workers got very little sleep for days some were out till all hours helping people in flooded areas. As for the roads problem the council can't be blamed for this, bottom line is there is hardly no salt in the country. it is been mixed with sand to help it last but the council would have it out on roads if they had it.

Do not believe anybody has an issue with the lads driving the gritters or those looking over the water. The outdoor staff we will call them. All agree they are doing their job v well.

There is a major issue with the two other strands of the council namely those with executive functions and those with reserved functions. Management and Councillors.

Its a disgrace that the Co. Co was buying salt from the Connaught Gold Co Ops before Christmas because they had not have enough of a stock then. The council get funding to look after the National Routes yet they had not planned for the weather. I do not care if this is a once in 30 year happening it happened. Any organisation carries a stock and has a reserve, salt does not go off. They know the deadlines for delivery so they always should have at least sufficent to cover them until they get more.

The reality is that forward planning is not done. The council are expected to put some of the block grant aside for road maintance and gritting of the regional and county roads. I believe that has not happened.

I have always seen excellence from outdoor or frontline staff however I often felt that their leaders were not as competent.

I am not bashing the lads operating from local yards/offices but the directors of services and the Co. Manager have questions to answer. The first question is why were Regional roads not gritted namely Castlerea-Boyle. (Mentioned often on AA roadwatch) Castlerea- Ballaghaderreen, (Mentioned often on AA roadwatch) Castlerea Williamstown, (AA Roadwatch) Boyle Gurteen, (AA roadwatch )Gurteen Ballyhaunis (AA roadwatch) Carrick on Shannon- Elphin (mentioned on Primetime)

Its not good enough that so many people are left isolated people do not expect their bothreen done but they do expect the Regional Roads to be done. It compounds the problem when so many places have no stock. We have yet to see better local goverment even with all the talk over last 10-15 years.

The policy is wrong, regional roads must be open. Councillors when did you change the policy?

Redriddick

@ In my opinion,
I dont know about the management and senior staff in the council but i know the person that orders the salt.There were large orders of salt put in the two weeks before christmas which have still not been delivered.The plant in carrickfergus can only produce around 3000tons a week which roscommon coco would take 1000 tons of.Add thia to the fact we are only 1 county and that the company supply northern ireland and scotland too means there is alot of demand.Roscommon co co had i believe over 1000tons in depots around the county before the christmas.If any one is to blame personally i think its the idiots in our government who cut budgets for winter maintenance and other important budgets.I hear the argument over putting grit i.e not salt on the roads but grit is not worth a damn.If there is sufficient snow or ice on the road the grit will just be sunk in the snow/ice.The other determining factor will be when the snow/ice is gone and you have 2 to 3 inches of grit on the road then.The money involved it the clean up and repair of the roads after this will be tremendous as you can probably see the roads are getting pot holes already.I do believe one good thing from all this is that no one has been killed on the roads since this started.

In my opinion

Redriddick wrote: »

@ In my opinion,
I dont know about the management and senior staff in the council but i know the person that orders the salt.There were large orders of salt put in the two weeks before christmas which have still not been delivered.The plant in carrickfergus can only produce around 3000tons a week which roscommon coco would take 1000 tons of.Add thia to the fact we are only 1 county and that the company supply northern ireland and scotland too means there is alot of demand.Roscommon co co had i believe over 1000tons in depots around the county before the christmas.If any one is to blame personally i think its the idiots in our government who cut budgets for winter maintenance and other important budgets.I hear the argument over putting grit i.e not salt on the roads but grit is not worth a damn.If there is sufficient snow or ice on the road the grit will just be sunk in the snow/ice.The other determining factor will be when the snow/ice is gone and you have 2 to 3 inches of grit on the road then.The money involved it the clean up and repair of the roads after this will be tremendous as you can probably see the roads are getting pot holes already.I do believe one good thing from all this is that no one has been killed on the roads since this started.

Reason no one has been killed is no one was travelling. Its a disgrace when an ambulance can not attend an incident at Lisacul where a man fell on the road and received head injuries and was unconcious around 27th of December. He had to be moved by neighbours to Ballaghaderreen to meet ambulance as ambulance was unable to make it to the scene.

So Roscommon Co. Co ordered it's salt from Carrickfergus two weeks before Christmas. How much salt is used in one run in the county? How many tonnes of salt do the county carry as a buffer level i.e whats the stock held before salting/gritting happens.

Do not agree that non salt gritting is of no use, it is. It loosens what is on the road an provides an element of grip because it is an abrasive. Here I see a lorry load of chips have been put on road it allows a grip and helps to cut up the compacted and frozen snow which is here for a long time.

Not sure grit/sand/chips are causing potholes as they are put on top of a thick white surface. Salt prevents damage I agree but regional roads are gone beyond prevention.

Ronan|Raven

On a slightly different note anyone travelling via Granlahan - Ballinlough beware the bottom of the hill at the junction with Williamstown, there is water spilling out from a gentlemans property for the last year and it has frozen to a nice 2 inch thick lump of ice / slush / danger.

Funny thing is the guy in charge of the water in the area lives two doors up from him....