It's been snowing for some time and the side roads are inpassable in places. Where are the gritters, especially on the hills in SE23? Has anyone seen them?

One went up Hengrave Road after the first bout of snow in the early hours.

Chuckled at a lady hooting madly at a Hovis delivery lorry at the corner of Waldenshaw Road and Manour Mount today. Leaning out her window giving it large (as you do) until the lorry driver walked up and asked her if she had noticed that his truck was rather slewed across the road very stuck.

People are mad!

Avoid Brockley View!

Thanks for the advice Ghis but I have to walk down Brockley View to get to the station

(I assume you mean drivers!)

I did see a gritter on Monday night being driven up towards Sydenham Hill...

And I saw someone spreading grit outside South Kensington station where there was absolutely no snow whatsoever... still, it's the thought that counts

Lewisham council hold your head in SHAME.

Havent heard any tonight and they usually have gone up about this time. Last time earlier this year they stopped going up when it actually snowed as the road was impassable. Eventually after protest two blokes came round chucking grit off the back of a small lorry.

I am not too hopeful that we'll see much grit this time as there is expected to be a thaw at the weekend and they I assume want to save it for the next batch of snow.

For Lewisham's gritting action/priorities go to

http://www.lewisham.gov.uk/TransportAndS...itting.htm

Where you can notify them of a road you think should be added to their priorities.

Is it ever going to be possible to grit every roadway and footpath several times a day, which is what would have been required in Hengrave Road today, especially when this is forecast to last only a couple of days?

The gritters were out several times last night along Canonbie. I guess when it’s like this it’s a losing battle

Really, didn't see them and IF they did come they did little if any use.

Started snowing again, looks like it's going to be a good covering. Although Canonbie road was finally gritted today, with the fresh snow on already frozen ice, suggest this route is NOT used on Friday morning

Gabriel St is pretty much frozen solid. No gritters in the small roads, I suppose. So glad I did a hamster shopping trip a day before the snow came.

What I don't understand is how can they still be so unprepared, when we've had snow for the third winter running, and the weather forecast clearly said it was coming. Anyone listening to the forecasts at Lewisham Council, or are they all too busy planning their exit route for when the budget cuts hit...just wondering...?

Our side roads are very dangerous at the moment. They should prioritise hills and slopes but they dont. They focus on main roads & Railway station entrances so that people can get to work. Getting people tpo work is their only priority

Could everyone living on Taymount rise complain to the council for not gritting the pavements and the road again!!

http://www2.lewisham.gov.uk/lbl/transpor...t_info.asp

Upper Dulwich Bottom has been gritted. I believe they are having to use organic sea salt rather than the more common grit used on other Lewisham roads.

I second the call for complaints from Taymount Rise! I put in a call on Tuesday after the first lot of snow, was told the gritters had only just gone out but that we should be a priority because we are a steep gradient, so would probably get done.

We weren't. And it's well-nigh impassable for even pedestrians.

Follow up call today revealed only that the grit helpline operator wasn't sure why we hadn't been.

Both times I was assured that my concerns had been passed to the Highways Team.

So it seems the Highways team must have decided to prioritise "Upper Dulwich Bottom"* over a road that foolhardy drivers can smash into the South Circular from. Perhaps that is the kind of incident it will take before the dangerousness of this road is taken seriously by LBC.



*Not begrudging the Hill it's grit, just questioning the thought process...

The P4 is no longer going down Honor Oak Road (it is going through FH past the station), so HORd is getting a bit dicy now. I did see a lorry full of grit go past just now though.

I was told by the Customer Contact and Information Manager - Transport that Canonbie Road was closed and signage was in place. Have jsut been out and ther eis no signs, no barriers, in fact nothing. I would be good if council staff could be honest. I was further told that because the road was "closed" no gritting would take place. They use one excuse not to do something else.

I had requested that Canonbie be gritted because of the steep gradients and ice on teh highway. No gritters where seen from 08.30pm Monday night until 13.36pm Wednesday afternoon when a flat bed lorry with two men reversed up the hill and manually gritted the road. Later the auto gritter came through. Since yesterday Canonbie has again been neglected and become a skatting ring of ice. Further more meals on wheels can not deliver to those in need because of this. The council say they can't grit and when they have the resources they will. These consist of two flat back lorries and four men for the WHOLE of the borough.

I do think most of our Councillors go on holiday whenever it starts to snow hear as you never hear from them about this situation. It is time for a Forest Hill winter and emergency planning forum wouldn't you think?
To an extent I feel that you can't do much about the steep hills here and that they are best avoided but the Council shouldn't be telling porkies about roads being closed when they clearly aren't. Ours was closed earlier this year for a bit and a sign put up due to the dangerous conditions but I would have thought Canonbie ought to have a police sign up or something like that as to skid into HOR would be extremely worrying.

I doubt if a gritter could get up Taymount Rise. It would slide down the hill