Council prepared for winter weather as Mayor unveils latest weapon in battle to keep the borough moving
With winter fast approaching, Mayor Dave Hodgson has unveiled
Bedford Borough Council’s latest weapon in the Council’s armoury to
keep the borough moving during the cold months.
A specially equipped quad bike will be available to grit busy
pedestrian areas, such as the town centre and other shopping
parades as well as other narrow and hard to reach routes the
gritting lorries cannot reach. This is all part of the Council’s
aim to keep the borough moving if another harsh winter arrives.
In addition to the new quad bike, Bedford Borough Councils
‘Gritter Twitter’ service is now up and running once again.
‘Grittertweets’ was launched last winter and provided daily
updates on road conditions and informed followers when and where
gritting crews will be salting roads throughout the borough.
However, these provisions would be nothing without the grit
needed to treat our roads and pavements. That is why Bedford
Borough Council has proactively sourced approximately 7,000 tonnes
of grit, with a further 3,000 tonnes on order. In fact, the Council
has secured so much grit in advance of the winter period the doors
at the Twinwoods depot fell off!
The Council’s winter maintenance webpage is also up and running.
This provides information on weather conditions and gritting runs
and also updates if school or adult transport services are affected
by bad weather.
Mayor of Bedford Borough, Dave Hodgson, said: “The last two
winters have seen incredibly harsh conditions in the borough, but
thanks to early preparation and the commitment and dedication of
front-line staff we were able to maintain services and to continue
to grit a full network of road routes and heavily-used
pedestrianised areas. We are committed to doing all we can this
winter once again to keep the Borough moving, and have worked very
hard in the warmer months to ensure we are fully prepared for the
colder months.
“This year, I am delighted to announce we will also be using a
specially equipped quad bike to grit pedestrian areas in the
borough. This will allow us to effectively treat busy pedestrian
areas such as shopping areas and keep pedestrians, as well as
motorists, safe this winter.
“Our grittertweets and Winter Maintenance webpage will again
return this winter. Each of these services proved to be helpful to
a growing number of residents last year, keeping people up to date
with the latest information on road conditions and any
weather-related impacts on Council services, and we will once again
be as open and responsive as we can in communicating during any
periods of harsh weather.”
Any questions on highways can be directed to the Highway
Helpdesk on 01234 718003
The Council’s grittertweets service is available
at:
http://twitter.com/#!/grittertweets
The winter maintenance webpage is available
at:
http://apps.bedford.gov.uk/winterupdates/#1