Happy Anniversary to Calton Parkhead Church!

I attended a special service at the Calton Parkhead Church on Sunday afternoon to celebrate it's 75th anniversary. It was lovely to hear a bit of the history of the Church - from the Minister who divorced his suffragette wife to the more recent fireworks at an ordination. I've since found more fascinating information here.

After the event, there was an opportunity to look through the archives - photos of smartly dressed BBs, mischievous school children, dedicated parishioners, weddings and baptisms. I would really have liked longer to pore over all those lives lived! Alexander has been quite poorly with a bad cold, so I couldn't stay long; it was weird to be there without him.

I also learned from the Headteacher at Dalmarnock Primary that, despite last week's weather, every member of her staff team had made it in to work, including a supply teacher who was only in one day. Another member of staff came in voluntarily to help 'just in case'. I don't know how the staff managed yesterday, but their efforts and dedication should certainly be commended.

Winter update

I've received the following information from Glasgow City Council. I hope it's of some help.

As you are aware, significant snowfalls have wreaked havoc across central Scotland this morning. Although all our priority routes were in good condition at 0800 hrs this morning, the intensity of the snow meant that they were quickly covered.
 
The atrocious conditions have resulted in a suspension of all other operations including refuse collection and all of our available resources are currently deployed on arterial roads and footways. Routes to schools and hospitals continue to be treated as a priority.
 
Most public transport operators have suspended their operations and we are working with them to provide whatever support we can.
 
Difficulties on the adjacent motorway network have resulted in traffic either queuing within the city or attempting to find an alternative route.
 
Our most recent forecast suggests that the snow will move away southwards this afternoon, clearing by 1500-1600hrs. Thereafter, it will be dry with long clear periods, although there is the chance of a few freezing fog patches overnight. It will be very cold once again with widespread ice. Tuesday and Wednesday will remain very cold but mainly dry with lengthy clear spells. During Thursday and Friday, a strengthening north-westerly breeze will bring more cloud and eventually slightly milder conditions with occasional light rain and drizzle too.
 
LES will continue to operate around the clock in dealing with the current conditions and will endeavour to return all services to normal as quickly as possible.
 

Updated information on the adverse weather conditions can be found here: http://www.glasgow.gov.uk/en/News/adverseweatherupdate.htm

Updated information on school closures can be found here: http://www.glasgow.gov.uk/en/Residents/GoingtoSchool/generalinfo.htm

The Council has also been putting updates on Twitter here: http://twitter.com/GlasgowCC

If you do not have a Twitter account you can still get updates via SMS from Twitter using their Fast Follow service by texting follow GlasgowCC to 86444 in the United Kingdom. To stop following text unfollow GlasgowCC to 86444. Standard messages rates will apply.  More details on the Fast Follow service are available on the Twitter site. 

 

Winter update from Land and Environmental Services

I received the following update this afternoon - if any constituents are experiencing particular problems, please feel free to contact me.



As you are aware, widespread and significant snowfalls over the weekend have resulted in considerable disruption throughout the central belt. This unseasonably cold spell has brought falls of up to 6 inches across Glasgow.

Council staff have been working around the clock in order to keep priority roads and footways open. Around 400 Council personnel have been supplemented by 100 from contractors.

A slight easing in conditions today is allowing us to treat secondary as well as priority routes. The refilling of grit bins has also been prioritised.

The weather forecast for today suggests that there will be a few snow showers around this afternoon, interspersed with sunny spells. By dusk a heavier line of showers is expected to move in from the east and some of this snow may affect Glasgow, giving local accumulations. The very cold weather looks set to continue through this week with temperatures remaining below zero both by day and by night. Many of the heavy snow showers will stick to the eastern side of Scotland leaving a lot of dry weather in the west, however, a few will blow through from time to time and could give local accumulations.

Our salt stocks remain at healthy levels at present although these will continue to be monitored closely.

The severe weather is also impacting on our cleansing operations citywide. Over the course of the weekend around 60% of refuse was lifted as normal. Refuse collection of multi-storey flats remains a priority and wheeled bins left on kerbside from the weekend are being attended to today. Local Area Teams are also attempting to uplift refuse from wheeled bins presented on kerbside and backcourt areas. Due to ongoing hazards presented by the snow and ice, additional parks and street cleansing operatives are being utilised to grit roads and footways to allow safe access in advance of refuse collection teams reaching these addresses.

At the moment, bulk and tenement blue bin recycling uplifts are suspended as these resources have been redeployed to assist with the core priorities of refuse collection. Street cleansing operations are also restricted to clearing shop-front areas and gritting of priority footways at this time.

Winter

I started this post the other day, but it has suddenly become much more topical! The latest news is that although grit has been spread on the major routes around the city, temperatures of down to -8 degrees have made the grit less effective. It should begin to work better as the temperature increases.

I attended a presentation last Friday by Land and Environmental Services on their Winter Maintenance Plan. This set out the practical steps the Council will take to try and keep the roads and main pavements clear of snow and ice over the months ahead.

The Council bases its actions on weather forecasts, which are received through the day and into the evening. Gritters are then deployed using very high-tech devices - similar to sat nav - which ensure that the gritters stay on their route, don't miss any areas, and even more impressively, don't grit the same areas twice. The technology controls the spreading mechanism at the back of the gritter, so if you see one driving about the city not spraying out grit, it's because it's on its way somewhere else. This means the Council doesn't waste grit and ensures that the stocks we have will last longer. I was reassured to hear though that Glasgow's stocks of grit are high, having been replenished over the summer months.

Councillors were also given a list of frequently asked questions, which I thought would be useful to put on here:

Q1. HOW DO YOU DECIDE WHERE TO SALT?

A1 The Council has agreed a set of priorities in the event of snow or ice on road surfaces being forecast.

Top priority is given to:-

· Major Bus Routes;

· Junctions;

· Emergency Facility Access Routes.

Lowest priority is given to:-

· Parks;

· Private Roads.

A list of agreed precautionary treatment targets can be found in our Winter Maintenance Plan along with treatment priorities in the continued presence of snow or ice on the City’s roads within normal working hours.

Q2. HOW DO YOU DECIDE WHEN TO SALT?

A2. Land & Environmental Services has a contract with the Metreological Office to supply weather forecasts for Glasgow each day from the beginning of October until mid May.

The Service has also installed ice stations at 5 selected locations within the City which, together with the facility to access 15 other stations in adjacent authorities, help to improve the accuracy of forecasts. Staff can access information from these stations via portable computers.

Pre-gritting operations are undertaken from the beginning of November until the end of March on a standby arrangement. Ad hoc gritting is done outwith this period.

Q3 ARE FOOTWAYS (OR PAVEMENTS) TREATED?

A3. Yes. A list of our footway treatment priorities can be found in our Winter Maintenance Plan.

Q4. HOW CAN I GET SALT?

A4. You can visit a Land & Environmental Services’ Depot and pick up some salt (maximum 10 kgs) or take salt from one of approximately 500 bins located around the City.

Q5. HOW DO I GET A GRIT BIN RELOCATED?

A5. Grit bin locations have been agreed with local communities. Further details of the Council’s policy on grit bins can be found in the Council Minutes.

If you want to request that a bin be relocated, please contact Land & Environmental Services.

Q6. HOW DO I GET MY ROAD GRITTED?

A6. Check if your road is covered by the criteria for pre-gritting as per Section 3 of the Winter Maintenance Plan. Roads outwith the priority criteria will be treated in accordance with Section 3.3.1 in the Winter Maintenance Plan.

Grit bins

I’ve been sent a list of grit bins in my ward, and thought it might be helpful for folk to know where they are for when the colder weather strikes.

Stamford Street at Dalserf Street

Forge Entrance at Duke Street

Canmore Street at the Bus Depot

Canmore Street at the Fire Station

Beside 819 Dalmarnock Road

Reidvale Street at Sword Street

Sword Street opposite No.54

Abercromby Drive at R5

Abercromby Square

Claythorn Street at Millroad Street

Landressy Place opposite No.52

MacKeith Street

Dale Path

Baltic Place at Heron Street Path

Queen Mary St opposite St.Francis in the East Church

Claythorn Avenue at No.23

The one at Claythorn Avenue was the result of a request from a constituent, and I would be happy to take forward any requests for ones in other parts of the ward. Obviously, there are financial limits on what can be done, but I’ll certainly argue the case with Land and Environmental Services if there’s a need!

As you can see from the photo, the one at the Bus Depot had been used as a litter bin, and I requested that this was cleared.