road gritting salting/who's responsible?

metrovelvet

My road out of my estate is layered in snow and ice and probably will be for the next week or two.

Is the county council supposed to grit and salt or who does this? Ive salted my own path and driveway and broke down the ice but no way can I do the whole road out of the estate!

HarryPotter41

metrovelvet wrote: »

My road out of my estate is layered in snow and ice and probably will be for the next week or two.

Is the county council supposed to grit and salt or who does this? Ive salted my own path and driveway and broke down the ice but no way can I do the whole road out of the estate!

if its an estate that has been taken over by the council it most likely would come under their remit, if its not and as such is a private estate then its the responsibility fo the residents.

colm1234

metrovelvet wrote: »

My road out of my estate is layered in snow and ice and probably will be for the next week or two.

Is the county council supposed to grit and salt or who does this? Ive salted my own path and driveway and broke down the ice but no way can I do the whole road out of the estate!

Its a complete joke im in mayo too, house bound already and i have not seen one single truck out gritting the main roads, the excuse last year was that they were not prepared for it, so whats the excuse this year. whilst out driving on friday evening I could barley see 3 foot in front of me and if i did more than 30mph my car would start to lose control, I could not beleave the amount of ignorant pricks who would drive up my behind over take and beep have they no brains whatsoever I drove from mayo to galway I saw atleast 4 cars skid and one crash why cant people get it through their thick skulls its better to get there safe then not at all, who cares if your journey takes an extra hour out of your life imagine how you would feel if you killed someone,also truck drivers just because trucks have better road holding does not give you the power to be driving like lunatics in this weather use your brain a car with a family could easily lose control and go straight into you EVERYONE JUST SLOW DOWN!!!!!!!!

Conor Bourke

Don't hold your breath for Mayo Co. Co. Last year on the first proper day of snow I was travelling from Sligo to Galway.
In Sligo the gritters were out from the word go and all was well on the outset of my journey. The craic started the minute I crossed from Bellaghy to Charlestown. Sideways around the diamond (in a fwd car, safe!) Crawled the entire way through Mayo and still managed to spin off the road just after the airport. Thankfully I was going so slow that I didn't do any damage and managed to get back on track without much difficulty.
Once I got out of Ballindine it was clear to see that Galway Co. Co. had been hard at it so panic was over, for me anyway.
I was surprised that the lads in Mayo weren't out at the first sign of a snowflake- it was a Sunday, double time, cha ching lads!
Very bad show, surprised nobody was hurt that night.

ciaran67

Funny enough it just passed my house in Crossmolina. Sort of, horse, barn door - bolted

metrovelvet

Dont I know it. I went out thursday on the main road in town at 10am and the gritters were only starting. Needless to say my car skidded sideways in two way traffic, the road littered with cars pulled over and with hazard lights on. I had to pull the car into a side road and leave it there until the early afternoon.

HarryPotter41

Alaskimo-cake wrote: »

Don't hold your breath for Mayo Co. Co. Last year on the first proper day of snow I was travelling from Sligo to Galway.
In Sligo the gritters were out from the word go and all was well on the outset of my journey. The craic started the minute I crossed from Bellaghy to Charlestown. Sideways around the diamond (in a fwd car, safe!) Crawled the entire way through Mayo and still managed to spin off the road just after the airport. Thankfully I was going so slow that I didn't do any damage and managed to get back on track without much difficulty.
Once I got out of Ballindine it was clear to see that Galway Co. Co. had been hard at it so panic was over, for me anyway.
I was surprised that the lads in Mayo weren't out at the first sign of a snowflake- it was a Sunday, double time, cha ching lads!
Very bad show, surprised nobody was hurt that night.

Amazing thing is two weeks ago on my way to work, seven degrees in the car and raining I met the gritter, why I have never figured out. Drove from Crossmolina to Castlebar for work this morning and glaringly obvious no roads had been gritted.

irishgeo

the gritters is broke down the one that does achill anyway. get on to your loacl county councillor and kick up some fuss. if the councillors were not taking huge expenses we might have trucks that work.

here is the links to maps of the roads supposed to be gritted.

http://www.mayococo.ie/en/News/WinterDrivingInfo/

just drove from achill to castlebar earlier at no faster the crawling pace and road has not been gritted.

what does our car tax pay for?

why dont they provide salt at the entrance of each estate for use on the roads of the estate.

themadchef

irishgeo wrote: »

t

just drove from achill to castlebar earlier at no faster the crawling pace and road has not been gritted.

Jesus, you did well to make it! The amount of people that said they abandoned ship going up the two hills today. Folks barely made it to Teds for the papers.

Ya could almost predict the gritter breaking down :rolleyes:. They probably cant afford the diesel for it

Schools are closed tomorrow so they must be expecting the roads to be pretty bad.

Rodin

M7 Christmas night was simply not gritted.
Nothing at all to do with Salt stocks.
They just simply did not get out and do it.
Cork City that night and following day was a similar joke and disaster zone

But then Cork City Council are a joke anyway.
where's those new walls lads? That collapsed a year ago

nisior

Drove from one side of Galway County to the other side today and through the city and didn't see any sign of gritting on the roads and no pick ups. Nearly skidded a few times. Not good for a newly licensed driver

Rodin

Typical ireland

metrovelvet

I've written an email to the mayo co co about it and I will call them in a bit. It is so dangerous, there's a creche and a school near by and kids walk to school on these same roads that cars are spinning and straying on.

shoes34

metrovelvet wrote: »

My road out of my estate is layered in snow and ice and probably will be for the next week or two.

Is the county council supposed to grit and salt or who does this? Ive salted my own path and driveway and broke down the ice but no way can I do the whole road out of the estate!

My estate is the same and also the road into it which is not a private road as there are number of estates leading of it. Last year I ended up falling on and damaging my back really badly and have been told that it could take a year or two to rectify itself as oppose to have an op on it. Now if the Co.Co had gritted the road I wouldn't have fallen. So this year I'll be sitting in until the ice/snow passes.

HarryPotter41

shoes34 wrote: »

My estate is the same and also the road into it which is not a private road as there are number of estates leading of it. Last year I ended up falling on and damaging my back really badly and have been told that it could take a year or two to rectify itself as oppose to have an op on it. Now if the Co.Co had gritted the road I wouldn't have fallen. So this year I'll be sitting in until the ice/snow passes.

If its a local road they don't grit them, they grit National and Regional routes as they carry the largest volumes of traffic and it would be impossible for them to grit the entire road network.

mikemac

If it's a private estate the management company should sort it

In our place, they have a lad with a car trailer and a shovel and he grits it first thing in the morning and last thing at night
Does the job

In fact, if you were an entrepreneur, you could make a bit of money by touting your services to management companies.
A car, trailer, grit, shovel and some warm clothes is all you need

shoes34

feelingstressed wrote: »

If it's a private estate the management company should sort it

In our place, they have a lad with a car trailer and a shovel and he grits it first thing in the morning and last thing at night
Does the job

In fact, if you were an entrepreneur, you could make a bit of money by touting your services to management companies.
A car, trailer, grit, shovel and some warm clothes is all you need

Its a private estate but it goes on to busy public road, but this road leads on to the main road which is always gritted. wow would love if some of the guys in the estate did that, not using the sexist card here but being a girl and after damaging my back last year I don't think I could grit it but I am going to get a bag of salt/grit just for my own driveway.

alex73

If you live in an estate best thing is to do a collection and buy your own salt. You could be waiting years before the C.C. does anything.

metrovelvet

Last year myself and a neighbor were the only ones to buy salt. We as well as two other FOREIGN women were out and gritted and salted the road ourselves with the salt myself and the neighbor had and ash from the fireplace. Not ONE man was out there helping. Not one Irish person was out there helping either.

I cant do it again this year I have a very bad knee.

nisior

metrovelvet wrote: »

Last year myself and a neighbor were the only ones to buy salt. We as well as two other FOREIGN women were out and gritted and salted the road ourselves with the salt myself and the neighbor had and ash from the fireplace. Not ONE man was out there helping. Not one Irish person was out there helping either.

I cant do it again this year I have a very bad knee.

Fair play to you and your neighbour. Cannot believe no one went out to help you guys. If the community won't bother to help why should you help them. Wonkers...

ciaran67

metrovelvet wrote: »

Not one Irish person was out there helping either.

I was out on Saturday clearing my stretch of road and our older lady neighbour. Funny thing was, more were out Sunday. I think they heard my spade scraping on the pavement. Damit... im English born.

nisior

ciaran67 wrote: »

I was out on Saturday clearing my stretch of road and our older lady neighbour. Funny thing was, more were out Sunday. I think they heard my spade scraping on the pavement. Damit... im English born.

Also though, they might've been doing it on Sunday because of work on Monday. Fair play to you though.

ciaran67

nisior wrote: »

Also though, they might've been doing it on Sunday because of work on Monday. Fair play to you though.

Having lived in Canada it what you're expected to do. I dont mind anyway... bit of exercise before Guinness lunch

HarryPotter41

ciaran67 wrote: »

Having lived in Canada it what you're expected to do. I dont mind anyway... bit of exercise before Guinness lunch

Unfortunately in modern Ireland its always someone elses job to do the things you could do yourself. However, the extra time they have gives them ample scope to whinge about how no one is doing it.

nisior

HarryPotter41 wrote: »

Unfortunately in modern Ireland its always someone elses job to do the things you could do yourself. However, the extra time they have gives them ample scope to whinge about how no one is doing it.

Totally!! Me and my Dad were out today gritting the main road infront of our house and one of our neighbours from up the road walked down to us just to tell us that the council should do it. When he was walking home he slipped in his own driveway :P Of course we went to see if he was ok. Tóin tinn!!!!

HarryPotter41

nisior wrote: »

Totally!! Me and my Dad were out today gritting the main road infront of our house and one of our neighbours from up the road walked down to us just to tell us that the council should do it. When he was walking home he slipped in his own driveway :P Of course we went to see if he was ok. Tóin tinn!!!!

Be honest, ya laughed didn't ya :D

shoes34

bet he wishes he cleared his own driveway as the council aren't going to do that for him.

Just purchased a bag of salt/grit and sprinkled it on my driveway and its great - €5.99 for a big bag which should last for a while but just might get a second one to be on the safe side.

HarryPotter41

Just to shame all the useless lumps in this country who couldn't be bothered doing something for themselves when it comes to snow and ice ( GO TO PICTURE 7 )

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-11887140

nisior

HarryPotter41 wrote: »

Be honest, ya laughed didn't ya :D

When he couldn't see me

shoes34 wrote: »

bet he wishes he cleared his own driveway as the council aren't going to do that for him.

Just purchased a bag of salt/grit and sprinkled it on my driveway and its great - €5.99 for a big bag which should last for a while but just might get a second one to be on the safe side.

Some people are just too lazy. We went around to a few of the local elderly people to see if they were ok for everything and some of them said no one had come to see them. We started fires for them and whatever. I'd hate to think when I'm in my 80s no one will bother to check if I'm still alive in this weather.

HarryPotter41

nisior wrote: »

When he couldn't see me


Some people are just too lazy. We went around to a few of the local elderly people to see if they were ok for everything and some of them said no one had come to see them. We started fires for them and whatever. I'd hate to think when I'm in my 80s no one will bother to check if I'm still alive in this weather.

Good God, you're starting to make me feel worthless, you're just too nice!!

metrovelvet

nisior wrote: »

When he couldn't see me


Some people are just too lazy. We went around to a few of the local elderly people to see if they were ok for everything and some of them said no one had come to see them. We started fires for them and whatever. I'd hate to think when I'm in my 80s no one will bother to check if I'm still alive in this weather.

My great uncle down in Cork who is 80 was giving out to me on the phone about people stopping in to check on him. He said he had to leave the house to get some peace and quiet!:pac:

But I think its great that you are doing that.

ciaran67

Day 2 of the pathways around Crossmolina being completely iced over. Grit them when theres compact snow but ignore them when they're covered in invisible ice.

They put the xmas lights up though!

metrovelvet

Disaster today in my town. Iced into the estate. Cars pulled into the side of the road.

God forbid there is a fire or accident because no ambulences or firetrucks can get around.

According to neighbors COCO has run out of salt and grit. **** OFF CO CO.

HarryPotter41

Think they had grit but the NRA will only let them grit for Monday to Friday on regional routs I am told, which was f*** all good to me on the way home this morning as my car glided on a sheet of glass into bushes.

metrovelvet

Well they can shove it because that is so dangerous. God forbid there is a fire or someone needs an ambulence.

Im withholding a months road tax for this.

cheesey1

metrovelvet wrote: »

Disaster today in my town. Iced into the estate.

God forbid there is a fire or accident because no ambulences or firetrucks can get around.

According to neighbors COCO has run out of salt and grit. **** OFF CO CO.

My estate is like an ice rink as well, I spent hours putting down gritting and clearing away the ice/snow from my drive way and as much as the path in front of my house as possible, but the rest of the estate is a disaster. At least I can see my paving again! Cleared outside where I work this morning and also in front of the house beside work as an elder lady lives there, at least she can now walk across the street to the shop.

Like they said on the news last night if everyone in an estate did a bit it might help clear it.

Met two Co.Co. workers who asked me did I want to come work with them!! Should have asked them was it true they are running out of salt/grit.

metrovelvet

I phoned my local COCO to complain about this particular incline which leads to a creche and a nursing home, babies and the elderly. It is a pure ICE RINK adn they told me they wont grit it and there are chips there for people to grit the road if they want but if something happens after private citizens grit the road those people will be held responsible for any accidents. WTF?

cheesey1

I had read somewhere that people wouldn't be held responsible if they gritted the roads - the Co.Co don't always have the right answers, just like to give the easiest one.

http://www.independent.ie/national-news/snow-clearers-cant-be-sued-2444225.html

oscarBravo

Just in from scraping sheet ice off the footpath outside our house and spreading some grit I bought down the co-op. Hard work, but hey: I'd hate to see someone break a hip outside my window.

hsi

oscarBravo wrote: »

Just in from scraping sheet ice off the footpath outside our house and spreading some grit I bought down the co-op. Hard work, but hey: I'd hate to see someone break a hip outside my window.

If someone breaks their hip outside your window (on your property) then they can claim on your insurance

HarryPotter41

hsi wrote: »

If someone breaks their hip outside your window (on your property) then they can claim on your insurance

They can't, its not his property. If its a public path it is not his property.

hsi

HarryPotter41 wrote: »

They can't, its not his property. If its a public path it is not his property.

To be honest I don't know the whole legal thing here in Ireland. But when I lived in other countries like the US and Germany the path infront of our house while not ours was our responsibility to keep clear. Main reason being we would be fined. Even here in Ireland I keep the path (which is not mine) clear with salt. More so for my own safety.

I hear the Irish complain about the Nanny state, but then I hear others want everything given on a plate. free water, no property tax..

oscarBravo

It's a public footpath. I'm aware that it would be my legal responsibility to keep it clear in other countries; that's an idea with merit.

The government clarified last week that you can't be sued for a fall that happens after you clear a footpath, unless you did something to create an unsafe situation. I would imagine that would include me breaking a paving slab and leaving it sticking up for people to trip on, for example. We scraped and swept ice off and spread a thin layer of grit. I don't think I need to worry about the lawyers just yet.

metrovelvet

ITs amazing that there was a law that encourages passivity, that there is no concept of negligence here. I just cant believe it.

oscarBravo

metrovelvet wrote: »

ITs amazing that there was a law that encourages passivity, that there is no concept of negligence here. I just cant believe it.

There was no such law. There is the tort of negligence, which states that if you do something careless that causes injury to someone, then you are liable.

There has been a steadily growing sense of hysteria around health & safety issues for several years, coupled with a growing lack of personal responsibility, which meant there was a tendency to err on the side of caution. This led to the belief that if you cleared your footpath and someone slipped on it anyway, you could be sued.

Now, unless you took what was a non-slippery path and managed to make it slippery by attempting to clear it, that was actually never an issue. What the government has done is clarified that. But the fact remains that if you damage the path in the course of clearing it, and the damage causes injury to someone, you're liable.

Note that all the above is my amateur understanding of the law. I'm not a lawyer.

HarryPotter41

oscarBravo wrote: »

There was no such law. There is the tort of negligence, which states that if you do something careless that causes injury to someone, then you are liable.

There has been a steadily growing sense of hysteria around health & safety issues for several years, coupled with a growing lack of personal responsibility, which meant there was a tendency to err on the side of caution. This led to the belief that if you cleared your footpath and someone slipped on it anyway, you could be sued.

Now, unless you took what was a non-slippery path and managed to make it slippery by attempting to clear it, that was actually never an issue. What the government has done is clarified that. But the fact remains that if you damage the path in the course of clearing it, and the damage causes injury to someone, you're liable.

Note that all the above is my amateur understanding of the law. I'm not a lawyer.

To be honest its not a fear of litigation, its abject laziness and the feeling in this country now that somebody else should be doing whatever needs to be done.

oscarBravo

HarryPotter41 wrote: »

To be honest its not a fear of litigation, its abject laziness and the feeling in this country now that somebody else should be doing whatever needs to be done.

It's a combination. The day after the government clarified the H&S issue, I saw people throughout Galway and Mayo clearing paths and gritting side roads. At the same time, I listened to Derek Mooney on the radio asking a representative of Galway City Council why people should have to grit their own footpaths, and couldn't GCC grit the thousand-odd kilometres of pavement themselves.

HarryPotter41

oscarBravo wrote: »

It's a combination. The day after the government clarified the H&S issue, I saw people throughout Galway and Mayo clearing paths and gritting side roads. At the same time, I listened to Derek Mooney on the radio asking a representative of Galway City Council why people should have to grit their own footpaths, and couldn't GCC grit the thousand-odd kilometres of pavement themselves.

That says so much about Mooney

oscarBravo

HarryPotter41 wrote: »

That says so much about Mooney

Well, yeah. Particularly since the man from the council had just been explaining how they had met with the residents associations and agreed to provide them with grit, and so on.

Sure, it would be nice if the council could have cleaned and gritted my footpath yesterday. But it wasn't going to happen, so I did it myself.

HarryPotter41

oscarBravo wrote: »

Well, yeah. Particularly since the man from the council had just been explaining how they had met with the residents associations and agreed to provide them with grit, and so on.

Sure, it would be nice if the council could have cleaned and gritted my footpath yesterday. But it wasn't going to happen, so I did it myself.

In a perfect world it would never snow, but hey. And in fairness to the council they do try, gritter went off the road Sunday morning in Straide and it had to turn back at the stretch of road I slid off on Sunday morning because it was too bad. People forget that they are taking their lives in their hands to make the roads safe for us to drive on.