Shepherd's Bush: Gritters ready for the snow

Snow is expected in W12 this weekend as temperatures plummet courtesy of some Norwegian weather coming our way. Walking down the Uxbridge Road on my way to the gym every morning has become notably more of a challenge recently and the idea of running outside seems lunacy - which makes me all the more proud of having done so in my training for this year's Brighton marathon!

Our Council, who took a whole lotta flak for it's woeful performance in gritting the roads (or basically just not gritting them unless they were a main traffic route) has apparently learned its lessons and has just sent out a missive courtesy of its electronic successor to soon-to-be-defunct 'H&F News'. Our local gritters now have more grit than they know what to do with and are just revving their engines praying for the white stuff to show us all what they can really do..

Councillor Greg Smith, cabinet member for residents’ services, said: “We are fully prepared for snow and cold weather – we have a full stock of grit and excellent planning that will keep the roads clear, schools open and council services running. Now that residents can help clear pavements outside their doors without fear of reprisals, that will also help.
“Hammersmith & Fulham endured some terrible conditions last winter but, thanks to the efforts and resilience of our staff and residents, together we made sure the borough kept on working and running smoothly. This year will be no different and we will do all we can so that it remains business as usual in H&F when the snow starts to fall.”

I'm all for having a go at the authorities when they get things wrong but if our leaders really have learned from what went wrong last year then full credit to them. We all make mistakes and they obviously didn't anticipate last year's weather - which in fairness to them was some of the worst on record. I was still dodging pot-holes on our roads into the spring.

If they cope well this year they deserve a gold star - so good luck to them. And good luck to you - remember to check on neighbours, especially if they're elderly.