Keeping Bedford Borough Moving
Tuesday 30th November
2010
Bedford has seen its first spread of snow this
winter and Bedford Borough Council’s Winter Maintenance Plan is
securely in place to ensuring that the borough continues to run
smoothly, that buses are running and schools are open.
The Council has already made other provisions
ahead of a possible repeat of last winter’s harsh conditions,
buying in 3,000 tonnes of salt from Sweden to protect the borough’s
roads from the possibility of another national salt shortage.
The roads have been assessed and prioritised;
the ‘Priority 1’ network includes the majority of school bus routes
and access routes to all middle, upper and special
schools.
Bedford Borough Council has also introduced a
new way to keep residents up to date with key news. ‘Grittertweets’
will use the social networking website Twitter to inform residents
when and where gritting runs are being carried out as the
temperature drops during the winter period. Once individuals
register and use this Twitter service they can opt to receive daily
text updates advising them what gritting is taking place and
whether school transport is operating normally.
Councillor David Sawyer, Portfolio Holder for
Children’s Services, at Bedford Borough Council, said: “We are
constantly monitoring the weather situation and carry out regular
site visits and route testing. As soon as decisions are made, an
update will be provided on our website - a daily update will be
posted by 6.30am each morning.”
To get updates on any school closures, winter
gritting and school and adult services transport visit the homepage
at http://www.bedford.gov.uk/ and
click on ‘Severe Weather Update’.