Calls for school road to be added to county gritting route
PARENTS and school officials at Stratford Girls’ Grammar are calling for their road to be added to the gritting route for Warwickshire County Council.
During the recent freeze Shottery Road was left unprotected from the elements sparking safety concerns and minor accidents.
Parent Chris Watts said his car was involved in an accident when he went to collect his daughters from the school.
Mr Watts said: “I could feel even with a four-wheel drive it was glassy and sure enough a car slid into the back of me. Even a vehicle creeping along at 5mph can’t stop. It was just like a sheet of ice. There was no damage to either car, but none the less you had no control of your vehicle”
Mr Watts questioned what needed to happen to get the county council’s attention to grit the half-mile stretch of road that includes the grammar school.
He took to Twitter and said: “Tell me, does a schoolchild have to die or be maimed, before you decide that Shottery and Shottery Road should be kept clear in snowy weather, after all?”
The school has been contacted by numerous concerned parents.
Camilla Harrison, a spokesperson for Stratford Girls’ Grammar, said: “We were very surprised to learn Shottery Road was not on the gritting route because it is not a major road. We argued that it has buses, cars, schoolchildren, pushchairs, pedestrians etc. and we have asked that a formal request be submitted to add the road to the gritting route.”
The tweet also encouraged parents and any concerned members of the public to contact the county council.
Mrs Harrison said: “It’s just not OK. It’s a precarious road. Warwickshire County Council have basically said it’s definitely not on their (gritting) list for this year, and would have to look at it for next year.”
A spokesperson for Warwickshire County Council referred the Herald to their website WCC gritting.
The website lists the county’s gritting policy, which includes the following: “We grit 46% of our 3,820km (2368 mile) highway network.”
The policy includes the gritting all main traffic routes, A roads, most B roads and one or others strategic routes, access to hospitals and main industrial estates and single routes into all villages. The policy also stated all roads could not be treated due to budget restraints, gritting vehicle size and mobilisation times.
A county council spokesperson confirmed schools are not formally part of the gritting route, and that Shottery Road was not gritted last week.
But the spokesperson also suggested people go online to the council’s website, and fill out an online form to request a road be added to the gritting route. She encouraged people to follow WarksGritting on Twitter.
The county council spokesperson said: “They should definitely contact us to get their opinion across. It’s best if they individually contact us. We do try and update people on social media, where we are and what we’re doing. The main priority for the council is we want to be safe.”
Mrs Harrison said: “We think it’s imperative that Warwickshire County Council revisit their decision not to grit Shottery Road because the safety of our students, our staff and the safety of the local residents and the students of surrounding schools is vital.”
