Why are some through routes gritted and others aren’t?

Will our road be treated?

When you phone up to warn of impending accidents and told that the road will be gritted, why isn’t it?

I think we’ve got to be honest and say that people have been very confused as to the response of Ipswich council on the gritters.  But the problem is not that there isn’t a gritter up every street, it’s just we don’t know where the gritters are.

The council needs to tell people before hand whether or not there road will be gritted.  This will mean that people can prepare, by for example keeping rock salt.  If they want to elect someone who’s going to tax them till the pips squeak but put a gritter up every path and side road (and run out of rock salt within three days) then they can vote Labour.  That’s what a democracy is.

It’s the not knowing that’s really infuriating.   Both on the Ipswich Council site and the Highways department there’s no update or advice.  There’s no explanations as to why no pavements are treated, even busy ones such as those leading down from Belstead Road and into Burrell Road.  There’s a perception that gritting is much less than in previous years.

One of the most troubling worries is that council officials (I know that there is a taboo on publicly criticising council officials, but it needs to be done) will come down on people like a ton of bricks if they clear the road or pavement.  This perception doesn’t come about by accident.

So we need to be informed of whether or not the roads and pavements we use will be gritted.  We should be kept informed through the cold period as to what’s going on. And we need to be told clearly that we will not be punished for helping to maintain the safety of our streets.