Gritter fears played down

Today's meeting of the Planning & Environment Committee at Motherwell Civic Centre spells out measures which will aim to keep the roads safe during cold spell.

Last year the topic of gritting dominated headlines in Cumbernauld for weeks amidst claims that only the bare minimum of roads were being treated. There were reports of pensioners being trapped in their homes and locals having to de-glaze their pavements themselves with packs of household salt.

Recently a source claimed that the amount of gritters on the road will be slashed from 11 to five in a move which has apparently sparked road safety fears by the contractors themselves. But the council denies provision is being cut.

Graham MacKay, head of roads and transportation, said: "Last November we reviewed our services as part of our efficiency savings and decided not to treat some minor 20mph routes in residential areas. This decision was taken following an assessment of the accident rates which showed very few incidents on these roads.

"As a result, we can be much more efficient in our gritting operations overall. That means our gritters will cover a longer length of road, still within our target times. Having fewer of our resources tied up on main roads will allow more scope to tackle other roads during prolonged spells of freezing conditions and snow," he said.

"Our gritters will get to all roads across the area on a priority basis," added Mr McKay. "In the event of extreme weather conditions, similar to what we faced last year, we have bought additional ploughs and gritting attachments which will allow existing vehicles to be adapted to grit and clear snow," he said

"The recommendations also include the introduction of 300 new grit bins across North Lanarkshire. And a new council corporate store will be provided to hold 10,000 tonnes of salt

This has failed to inspire a Scottish Nationalist councillor who who was inundated with complaints last year about the lack of gritting in his Carbrain ward.

Councillor William Homer said: "I am not sure these measures go far enough. I don't think that they differ much from last year. Trunk Roads and secondary roads both need to be gritted. How can you get onto a main road if you can't get your car out in the morning?"