Roads, pavements etc

[jdcarra]

thats right jd the road north of carradale is not priority for grit or snow clearence, surely the main roads are top of the list not single track roads with passing places, personaly i think the roads boys do a terrific job with the limited resources that are at their disposal, so maybe its time for you to wind your neck in?

Fair say 'the big man' but then you do not live up here in this part of the country which did have most of the snow. I stated the single track road is not priorty, but a good number of locals and the people whom live by it depend on it for getting to work,doctors or shops.

Back to the Carradale/Campbeltown road,another point is the hilly terrain on it compared to other roads throughout Kintyre,therefor needing a bit more gritting than normal from which it did not have at times.May be the road boys do try there best and I'm not doubting that, but if they do not have the proper resources then they cannot. Driving friends home to Southend on Xmas evening to see a gritter lorry lying at the side of the road (take it broken down) been their for a few days as I was told.

We know it has been a hard spell of weather, but some folks have to suffer more than others and especially at this time of year with friends and family visiting.As for winding in my neck, could be a problem as do not have much of that .

so maybe its time for you to wind your neck in?

Sorry JD no offence. I'm not laughing at the reply to you, just the comment as I had never heard that before. Really funny.

Hope you arrived safely whereever you were travelling to for your Xmas nosh whether your neck was in or out.

No problem History I was reading your post just before I started to reply and yes we had a grand Christmas Day meal at my younger daughters in Campbeltown.

[Kintyre Forum News]

Latest news release from Argyll & Bute Council

LATEST ON ROAD CONDITIONS IN ARGYLL AND BUTE

Wednesday, 06 January 2010 13:49
We expect that the severe weather will continue for many days to come, and it is therefore important that pedestrians and drivers take extreme care at this time.

Although Argyll and Bute has not experienced the severe snow seen in the Highlands and the Borders, we still have sub-zero temperatures during the day which leaves the road surface temperatures very low.

All our main roads are open, but a number of our secondary routes have had to be closed due to sheet ice. Our gritters are currently unable to get to these locations to treat them.

On Mull, the B8073 road between Ensay and Kilninian near Calgary and also the C46 Glen Bellart road between Salen and Dervaig are both closed. We are making all reasonable attempts to get these roads open as soon as possible but the current weather conditions make this task difficult.

Many of the side roads throughout our area are still treacherous, but these will be treated when resources permit. We treat our main strategic roads first to ensure that traffic can move between our main centres of population. Pavements continue to be tricky but when resources permit these will be re-treated.

It is important when travelling that you give yourself much more time to make your journey. It is not possible in these weather conditions to expect all our roads to be free from ice and snow. You should drive at speeds appropriate to the road conditions.

Councillor Duncan MacIntyre, the Transportation Spokesperson has thanked the winter maintenance staff for their continued input during some of the worst weather our area has had in 30 years.

“The weather has been severe but our winter maintenance staff have continued to provide an excellent service, especially over the festive period when they have ensured that all our main roads have remained open,” he said.

“I wish to personally thank the staff for their significant input at this time. Indeed, the co-operation from the public is also appreciated and we hope this will continue. The poor weather conditions are going to continue and I would ask that all drivers and pedestrians take care at this time.”

[westport321]

Question.... I was born and grew up an married in CN and visit frequently to see family ( never in the winter) Last big snow I remember was sometime in the 60s with the boats going up the clyde to somewhere for bread etc.
I now live in the armpit of the world and have had to get used to massive snowfalls and very bitter cold, my question is... when they move snow off the roads do they grit then plow or plow then grit?????
In the armpit of the world they plow then grit then plow then grit untill spring, cars must be moved off the traveled portion so that the plows can move the snow or they are towed. Homeowners/renters are responsible to clear the pavements outside their residence.
I cannot remeber how the snow clearing went there ( brain rot) so was wondering if some kind soul could answer that for me.
I really feel for those that have to travel the Carradale road to Campbeltown its a nasty piece of work in the summer let alone covered in ice and snow. I do think it would be beneficial for the people if the road north out of Carradale to that goat track across to the west road was better maintained, but that then starts me down the "road" of Kintyre being the most ignored part of Scotland.So I wont say any more about that.

[Kintyre Forum News]

UPDATE ON WEATHER AND ROAD CONDITIONS

The current weather forecast indicates that temperatures in Argyll and Bute this evening will be similar to the earlier part of the week.

They are likely to climb over the next few days, but only to around freezing point during the day and below freezing at night.

The 15 day forecast suggests that temperatures will continue to hover around freezing so the snow, ice and night frosts will dominate.

All main roads in Argyll and Bute are open but two minor roads on Mull (the B8073 Ensay/Kilninian and C46 Glen Bellart) and two minor roads in Kintyre (the B842 on the steep hill just south of Grogport and the U10 at Glen Breakerie) are closed.

We will continue our winter maintenance treatments dealing with our roads on a priority basis. The main, strategic routes will be treated first before more minor routes are covered as and when resources permit.

Continued treatment of pavements will also be undertaken when resources permit.

The level of salt available in Scotland has featured heavily in the media this week.

In Argyll and Bute, we currently have some 1,350 tonnes in stock, with more being delivered on Monday to take the stock level to about 2,200 tonnes.

Since the middle of December, we have used 10,000 tonnes of salt and an additional 3,000 tonnes of grit/sand to supplement treatment operations.

We recommend that you continue to give yourself more time to make your journeys. Roads and pavements may have been treated but there is still a risk of ice, especially in these weather conditions.

[jdcarra]

The road signs for the road closure of Grogport Hill on the B842 north of Carradale have now been removed this morning by Argyll and Bute Council.

See http://www.the-carradale-goat.co.uk/