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Everything you need to know about gritting (or not...)

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  1. gembo
    Member

    yes big round thing essential on first few runs to compact the fluffy snow and speed up the later runs. I am afraid I went a bit sledging mental this christmas and am paying for it now

    Posted 14 years ago #
  2. chdot
    Admin

    "Meanwhile, the council said that, from Monday, it would begin releasing daily updates of its plans for gritting and clearing streets of snow."

    http://edinburghnews.scotsman.com/news/Big-freeze-puts-tram-works.5969148.jp

    Posted 14 years ago #
  3. kaputnik
    Moderator

    @gembo - if you want a picture of grit, look no further than the pavement outside the City Chambers. It seems that is classified as a priority route for extensive treatment.

    Posted 14 years ago #
  4. gembo
    Member

    Ah - they finally sent the diggers in to the top of Balerno and dug it out of the ice age yesterday. Mountains of ice piled up on the sidewalk like New York City.

    Posted 14 years ago #
  5. chdot
    Admin

    It seems that 'grit' can sometimes be grit.

    http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=237#post-1826

    AND sometimes cause punctures.

    Posted 14 years ago #
  6. chdot
    Admin

  7. kaputnik
    Moderator

    So 40% more salt in reserve means that the supply will last an extra 0.4 days in the event that we get a similar winter to last?

    Posted 13 years ago #
  8. chdot
    Admin

    "the supply will last an extra 0.4 days"

    No it's all reserved for the off-road network...

    Posted 13 years ago #
  9. steveo
    Member

    Don't need to rely on the council this year, got a mtb with nice nobbly tyres for just this eventuality, given last years fun on the 23mm tyres i'm looking forward to trying the snow with 2.25.

    Posted 13 years ago #
  10. kaputnik
    Moderator

    "It's worth noting that we never actually ran out of salt this year, unlike some other local authorities," the council spokesman added.

    Well it might have helped that so few routes were being grittted / salted.

    "So we intend to follow a similar programme to last year, improved by the increased storage and stockpiling."

    Doesn't bode well if last year's programme involved no gritting on the cycle routes... What's the point in all that extra salt if last year's minimalist programme meant that they never ran out?

    The mini tractors might be useful for getting down some of the cycle routes though - if that's what they are to be used for. They might all be for keeping the outside of the City Chambers snow and ice free.

    Posted 13 years ago #
  11. Kirst
    Member

    And Waverley Court.

    Posted 13 years ago #
  12. Min
    Member

    "The mini tractors might be useful for getting down some of the cycle routes though - if that's what they are to be used for. "

    By giving you a wee hurl along the path?

    Posted 13 years ago #
  13. Kirst
    Member

    Maybe we could slip a few backhanders and get towed up the tunnel!

    Posted 13 years ago #
  14. kaputnik
    Moderator

    could always get bodging and take matters into our own hands? CCE - keeping the cycleways clear.

    The effects of his plow seem pretty convincing. One cyclist tows the plow and another should follow with a modified lawn fertilizer spreader dropping salt and grit.

    Posted 13 years ago #
  15. seanspotatobusiness
    Member

    Hey Kaputnik, that's exactly what I was going to suggest - cyclists of Edinburgh pitching in to do it ourselves. That said, I'm not much of an engineer, most of my tools are at home (I'm a student) and I don't want to keep changing the tyres on Black Betty :P according to the prevailing conditions (I was thinking of taking the bus to work when it got too bad). I could spread grit, gayly from my basket though, after someone had already plowed the way.

    If someone had the time, perhaps they could apply for a grant from the council to pay for equipment that multiple cyclists could register to volunteer to use.

    Posted 13 years ago #
  16. kaputnik
    Moderator

    I'm no engineer either, but I can personally guarantee that if I did go to the time and effort of doing something like this then it wouldn't snow all winter!

    My old man's garage is well stocked with tools, wood and bits of metal though.

    Potential project to entertain myself over the long winter evenings methinks! I'd have to haul it using the tourer I think.

    Posted 13 years ago #
  17. chdot
    Admin

    "I can personally guarantee that if I did go to the time and effort of doing something like this then it wouldn't snow all winter!"

    Better get to work then.

    On second thoughts don't, I like snow.

    Posted 13 years ago #
  18. kaputnik
    Moderator

    On second thoughts don't, I like snow

    how much do you like plowing snow with your bike?

    Posted 13 years ago #
  19. steveo
    Member

    Gritters must have been out in force last night the bottom of ardmillan was covered in that crappy red course ground crap they put down at the tail end of last year.

    Any way i have a better solution... http://www3.sympatico.ca/bowden10/IT.htm

    Posted 13 years ago #
  20. kaputnik
    Moderator

    that crappy red course ground crap

    Hmm, is it just coincidence that the bing at Smeaton Shaw has recently been relieved of a large portion of it's crappy red shale?

    Posted 13 years ago #
  21. spitfire
    Member

    @kaputnik - no that is what they use, problem is it is highly acidic and will decay the surface faster once the snow has gone

    Posted 13 years ago #
  22. chdot
    Admin

  23. spitfire
    Member

    Oh dear...
    I gritted the entire length of one side of Harrison Gardens and a fair chunk of Harrison Road...
    Mainly for the exercise but partly as once year on the way out of the Shandon Post Office (RIP) I noticed the elderly lady who had been in the queue in front of me... She was so scared of the ice on the path I walked her home, stopped at Margiottas on the way to buy some rock salt to do the steps to her flat and the pavement to the road so at least she could get that far the next day into her son's car.... She even asked me to fix her VCR....
    Hey maybe I should sign up to http://www.reallifesuperheroes.com/ as my alter-ego "Grit-Man" bI could get SRD as my side kick "Community-Cooncil-Woman"...
    No?
    Me the side kick?
    Awww man...

    Posted 13 years ago #
  24. spitfire
    Member

    Can anyone remember what the gritting was going to cost on the roseburn/goldenacre path last year? Was it £60k?

    Posted 13 years ago #
  25. kaputnik
    Moderator

    So how does the gritter driver get to work in the morning if his colleagues haven't been out overnight clearing the roads? It's a Chicken and Egg situation, just without any chickens or eggs.

    Posted 13 years ago #
  26. Rabid Hamster
    Member

    The gritter driver sleeps in his cab all night with a bottle of whisky, then he's ready for his 0800 start in the morning! That's the tradition!

    Posted 13 years ago #
  27. wee folding bike
    Member

    The driver used a rear engined VW.

    http://www.bugsnvans.com/beetles-vans/famous-vw-beetle-snow-plow-commercial-2.html

    Posted 13 years ago #
  28. kaputnik
    Moderator

    Well that's Melville Drive covered in "red crap" now (and past 9 on a Saturday too!), so there's at least one cycle lane that will be passable tomorrow morning...

    Posted 13 years ago #
  29. chdot
    Admin

  30. chdot
    Admin

    From Twitter

    "

    @GdnEdinburgh: 28,000 tonnes of salt due to arrive at the Port of Leith tomorrow morning. For the roads.

    Original Tweet: http://twitter.com/GdnEdinburgh/status/8942120706510848

    "

    Posted 13 years ago #

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