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Has anyone had the same problem as me this week or last and not had their wheelie bin lifted because of the weather??!!
Was most annoyed when my partner came in last night and said it hadn't been emptied, called up today to ask why and got told to put the rubbish from this week outside and it will get collected next week - when I explained there are lots of stray cats around our area and the rubbish would end up all over my garden, I got told keep the rubbish in the house until the next collection....i nearly fell off my seat - can you not imagine the smell from the bin bags, plus I have a 15 month old daughter who will be up to her elbows in horrible rubbish!!
When I am having a good old gurn anyway, our road never got gritted either...we live out beside Reay and other roads nearby have had a snow plough up it....
Most annoyed and just wondered if anyone else had the same annoying problem...!
kx
Bingobabe
08-Mar-06, 00:09
Has anyone had the same problem as me this week or last and not had their wheelie bin lifted because of the weather??!!
Was most annoyed when my partner came in last night and said it hadn't been emptied, called up today to ask why and got told to put the rubbish from this week outside and it will get collected next week - when I explained there are lots of stray cats around our area and the rubbish would end up all over my garden, I got told keep the rubbish in the house until the next collection....i nearly fell off my seat - can you not imagine the smell from the bin bags, plus I have a 15 month old daughter who will be up to her elbows in horrible rubbish!!
When I am having a good old gurn anyway, our road never got gritted either...we live out beside Reay and other roads nearby have had a snow plough up it....
Most annoyed and just wondered if anyone else had the same annoying problem...!
kxWell thats the highland council for ya and i should know i work for them!!!!!!
Our wheelie bin wasn't lifted today we're in Bower, also our road was only gritted twice during the snow and for a final grumble the post van didn't come up and deliver our papers or mail on Saturday or yesterday (Monday). :mad:
tommy1979
08-Mar-06, 00:59
Has anyone had the same problem as me this week or last and not had their wheelie bin lifted because of the weather??!!
Was most annoyed when my partner came in last night and said it hadn't been emptied, called up today to ask why and got told to put the rubbish from this week outside and it will get collected next week - when I explained there are lots of stray cats around our area and the rubbish would end up all over my garden, I got told keep the rubbish in the house until the next collection....i nearly fell off my seat - can you not imagine the smell from the bin bags, plus I have a 15 month old daughter who will be up to her elbows in horrible rubbish!!
When I am having a good old gurn anyway, our road never got gritted either...we live out beside Reay and other roads nearby have had a snow plough up it....
Most annoyed and just wondered if anyone else had the same annoying problem...!
kx
Make you wonder what the annual rise in Council Tax actually pays for??? [mad]
Alice in Blunderland
08-Mar-06, 08:47
Possibly the continuing piles of paperwork needed to try and close the local nurseries.Review after report after meeting and so on and so on.......:p
Ahh... the joys of living in the peaceful countryside and small villages! Sorry, I am inclined to be facetious and yes, it must be very upsetting having to store so much rubbish.
I find that the strong garden refuse bags are best for anything that needs to be sealed and kept safe; much better that the wheelie bin bags that we normally use when their pick up is guaranteed.
On another note, I sometimes think that we expect too much these days in the way of comfort, services etc. And yes, I know, we all pay our taxes etc., but really, nature can go her own way sometimes and send us snow for the kids to play in, to provide us with an unending supply of water, and to save money by not going out to the shops.
I sympathise with anyone with young children trying to cope in this weather but please don't shoot me down in flames as I used to live in the back of beyond for many years so I do know what it is like. I too have dug out a whole farm road just to get my daughter to school and then had to get her home on a tractor because of the snow. Thank goodness for deep freezers etc., except of course when the electricity goes off but I don't think that happened much this winter.
Hope you get rid of your rubbish soon; as I said before, I do sympathise.
Ann
Billy Boy
08-Mar-06, 11:48
I would just like to say that if the gritter hasnt been up your road, then how can you possibly expect the bin lorry to get up, have you any idea of the weight of these lorries without any rubbish in the back ( 15 ton unladen).
On a good day the bin lorries have only about an inch each side, between the verge and the wheel to spare, so how can you expect them to go up with snow on the road when they cant see where the verge is.
It is extremely hair raising when the lorry starts to slide especially with all that weight behind it pushing it ,and you cant stop it. ( I KNOW I HAVE FIRST HAND EXPERIANCE)
Do you really think it is worth the risk of hitting something or someone just so that you can have your bin emptied.
We have to face the consaquencies.
Also it is not The Highland Council's decision not to go up a road, but the decision of us the drivers, the buck stops with us and we are held responsible for any damage caused
So please spare a thought for us.
I know its not nice having to keep your rubbish, but we sometimes have to face the same situation
Billy Boy
08-Mar-06, 11:56
You tell them Billy Boy,
Some people just dont stop to think of the bigger picture before sounding off.
I know it can be fustrating having your rubbish pile up,It has happened to me in the past, but its not worth putting the driver or his men at risk just to empty a bin.
so come on have a thought for these boys who are out in all types of weather.
It's a big responsability on them, they have to live with the consaquencies when things go wrong
When I am having a good old gurn anyway, our road never got gritted either...we live out beside Reay and other roads nearby have had a snow plough up it....
Most annoyed and just wondered if anyone else had the same annoying problem...!
kx[/QUOTE]
I don't think it's the council who grit/plough the roads
I would just like to say that if the gritter hasnt been up your road, then how can you possibly expect the bin lorry to get up, have you any idea of the weight of these lorries without any rubbish in the back ( 15 ton unladen).
OMG Billy Boy is that without Acameron and his pies sitting beside you?
willowbankbear
08-Mar-06, 18:25
Yer on about Highland council not gritting the roads, well what about those in Ackergill? Sunday night I drove down there It was absolute Slalom going down there.
All the roads in town were effectively clear by that point but the Ack. road was very dodgy, Ive noticed this many times that Ackergill road does not get gritted until maybe 2 days after everyone else, Its not a main road I know but the folk down there deserve a much better service than what they are getting in my opinion.
Any1 from Ackergill have any views on this?
Our wheelie bin wasn't lifted today we're in Bower, also our road was only gritted twice during the snow and for a final grumble the post van didn't come up and deliver our papers or mail on Saturday or yesterday (Monday). :mad:
Foxy, your rant has been defended by a binman but surely the post needs defended too. They also have to worry about there own safety, as well as the safety of the mail they carry and the van there in. I'd say they have done a great job over the last week trying there best to get there job done. I've witnessed a post having to dig his van out over this last week, and also a post helping to dig out a stranded female motorist. In the grand scheme of things whats more important, you getting your junk mail and P&J on time or peoples safety?
I haven't had post for a week, and think it may well be a couple of days yet before the van is able to get up our road, unless it has water wings.
And I pay the same rates as everyone else, but I don't get a refuse collection at all, because I'm too far from the made up road even to take it down there.
But I can live with that because I chose to come here, and I have the sense to realise that if I can't easily walk in the snow, then it is going to be hard for something even with 4 wheel drive to get up here.
Billy Boy
08-Mar-06, 22:46
well golach, it depends on how many pie's A Cameron has had, If you know him well you will know he's a sensative big chap !!! :roll:
How bad the council are the other morning i was driving down from wick to inverness i only got as far as latheron when my car skid off the road in the snow there must of been at least 4 inchs of snow on the road that never seen a gritter it was earlier about 6:30am but thats no excuse lucky i wasnt going fast or it could of been alot worse.i've got to get a new bumper as it was smashed grrrrr but anyway when i got back on the road i got to the causewaymire it was black it had been gritted that must be bear bounders cause i pass three of there gritters doing a great job but not one of the highland council gritter was to be seen from wick to latheron why do we pay our taxes .
OMG Billy Boy is that without Acameron and his pies sitting beside you?
No need to say a thing Golach ma friend - Billy Boy said it all and is 100% right. These trucks with a load in the snow are like submarines - you hit the brakes and there not stopping.
Bingobabe
08-Mar-06, 22:54
How bad the council are the other morning i was driving down from wick to inverness i only got as far as latheron when my car skid off the road in the snow there must of been at least 4 inchs of snow on the road that never seen a gritter it was earlier about 6:30am but thats no excuse lucky i wasnt going fast or it could of been alot worse.i've got to get a new bumper as it was smashed grrrrr but anyway when i got back on the road i got to the causewaymire it was black it had been gritted that must be bear bounders cause i pass three of there gritters doing a great job but not one of the highland council gritter was to be seen from wick to latheron why do we pay our taxes .Well said i have a friend that went of the road through the snow and the road wasnt gritted. Thankfully she,s alright but her car has to get alot of work done and who,s gonna pay for that not the highland council thats for sure.
And if you complain about it all they say is its not our problem so who's problem is it . it's the council there didnt gritt the road so they cause the accident Me my self think there just to lazy to get out and get theren job done as i said thats what they get paid for .
I would just like to say that if the gritter hasnt been up your road, then how can you possibly expect the bin lorry to get up, have you any idea of the weight of these lorries without any rubbish in the back ( 15 ton unladen).
On a good day the bin lorries have only about an inch each side, between the verge and the wheel to spare, so how can you expect them to go up with snow on the road when they cant see where the verge is.
It is extremely hair raising when the lorry starts to slide especially with all that weight behind it pushing it ,and you cant stop it. ( I KNOW I HAVE FIRST HAND EXPERIANCE)
Do you really think it is worth the risk of hitting something or someone just so that you can have your bin emptied.
We have to face the consaquencies.
Also it is not The Highland Council's decision not to go up a road, but the decision of us the drivers, the buck stops with us and we are held responsible for any damage caused
So please spare a thought for us.
I know its not nice having to keep your rubbish, but we sometimes have to face the same situation
Well if the gritter men would get the finger out and clean the road then people would get there bins emptyed the highland council what a joke !
Ice box, I think you will find that the A99 between Latherton and Wisk is the responsibility of Bear, not the Council.
The reason the Causewaymire would be in better condition is that it is now the A9 Trunk Road and as such has to be given priority over the A99.
Somebody will correct me if I'm wrong but I think Bear are responsible for the A99 up to the Traffic Lights in Wick at the Junction by Caithness General.
Well it dosent matter if it the council or bear responsibly for the care and maintenance or if it's a trunk road or a side road it should of been gritted who is going to pay for the damage to my car it certainly wont be them .
willowbankbear
08-Mar-06, 23:35
Yer right to a point Ice Box,but they cant be out all the time gritting mate, Its just impossible.
Besides the men must have a home life too,theyre not robots remember, But I understand yer frustrations about that A99 stretch being dodgy,It really gets on your nerves that it isnt safe yet the causewaymire is. I always think of it like, if there is an emergency between Wick & Latheron, What happens if the road is really bad & there is a really bad fire in Lybster or Occumster?
Say the fire Engine gets stuck, The A9 is clear fine, but the road that will take the Emergency vehicles to Wick is blocked we`re gona have fatalities. Has anyone else ever thought of this or anything similar?
Wick to Thurso should always be kept clear in case of emergency as Casualty ward is down here in Wick is another point I have on this topic,anyone else?
And if you complain about it all they say is its not our problem so who's problem is it . it's the council there didnt gritt the road so they cause the accident Me my self think there just to lazy to get out and get theren job done as i said thats what they get paid for .
Sorry, it's the drivers responsibility to drive the vehicle having regard to the conditions at the time.
The white fluffy stuff is called snow, it tends to make one believe that it is cold and that the road surfaces might just be slippery. That being the case it is usual to assume that one should adjust one's driving accordingly (that means driving slowly and carefully without doing anything suddenly) so as to keep control of the vehicle.
The Council caused no accident, the driver did!
It's amazing that every accident is always somebody else's fault, never the drivers.
Ask any Insurance Company how many drivers tell them, "It was my fault, I was driving like an idiot." and they will fall about laughing.
It's surprising how many inanimate objects dash about causing drivers to hit them.
Yer right to a point Ice Box,but they cant be out all the time gritting mate, Its just impossible.
Besides the men must have a home life too,theyre not robots remember, But I understand yer frustrations about that A99 stretch being dodgy,It really gets on your nerves that it isnt safe yet the causewaymire is. I always think of it like, if there is an emergency between Wick & Latheron, What happens if the road is really bad & there is a really bad fire in Lybster or Occumster?
Say the fire Engine gets stuck, The A9 is clear fine, but the road that will take the Emergency vehicles to Wick is blocked we`re gona have fatalities. Has anyone else ever thought of this or anything similar?
Wick to Thurso should always be kept clear in case of emergency as Casualty ward is down here in Wick is another point I have on this topic,anyone else?
yes but they never refuse the double time do they then no
willowbankbear
08-Mar-06, 23:42
yes but they never refuse the double time do they then no
Ermm well I cant say I ken if they do or dont but i ken I wouldnt, Would you Krieve?[lol]
I'm sorry Teuchter if you thought I was having a go at the binmen, but I wasn't I didn't expect them to come up our road even though the actual road was clear there was snow lined along the sides, so not enough clearance for the lorry. But the post was a different matter as he could have got up no problem as he dosen't come round until about 3pm and by then we'd been out with our car and had no problems.
I live about 1/2 mile up farm road and in this weather it has been quite bad but the postie has come up every day - how he got up some days I never know, but in bad weather you have to expect that services like your refuse collection and post are going to be disrupted. I know Highland Council dont get things right a lot of the time but that is the chiefs not the workers fault. The police also issued warnings advising not to travel so no one can expect the bin men to ignore that and risk serious injury or worse. Ice box I don't mean to be cheeky but why risk going so far in bad weather when the police had issued warnings and at that time in the morning what do you expect?!?!?!?
I do understand they have home life too but theres a lot of car on the road at that time in the morning i was always lead to believe that they did shift work like you say both road are as important as each other when i went off the road the car bounced off the snow drift and spun round in the middle of the road before stopping across the middle of the road lucky they was no cars coming as it could of been fatal as you say what if the emergency services had to get to an accident they would'nt have a chance .
Ermm well I cant say I ken if they do or dont but i ken I wouldnt, Would you Krieve?[lol]
No i would'nt but then again i would do some work before the double time was on offer unlike some of the council workers .
willowbankbear
08-Mar-06, 23:51
Glad youre okay then sir, I got stuck on Sunday morning in a drift but the farmer & his tractor saved the day, Mind I thought it was hillarious could only happen to me. What a day it was!
I live about 1/2 mile up farm road and in this weather it has been quite bad but the postie has come up every day - how he got up some days I never know, but in bad weather you have to expect that services like your refuse collection and post are going to be disrupted. I know Highland Council dont get things right a lot of the time but that is the chiefs not the workers fault. The police also issued warnings advising not to travel so no one can expect the bin men to ignore that and risk serious injury or worse. Ice box I don't mean to be cheeky but why risk going so far in bad weather when the police had issued warnings and at that time in the morning what do you expect?!?!?!?i did phone the police and they told me that the gritters were out clearing that stretch of road that why i made the jounrey and i had to get to work .
Glad youre okay then sir, I got stuck on Sunday morning in a drift but the farmer & his tractor saved the day, Mind I thought it was hillarious could only happen to me. What a day it was!
lol only me too up and down that road every day lol
willowbankbear
08-Mar-06, 23:55
No i would'nt but then again i would do some work before the double time was on offer unlike some of the council workers .
LOL What wid ye do for yer money then? Drive the gritter? Or would you drive the bin lorry?:p [lol] :lol:
LOL What wid ye do for yer money then? Drive the gritter? Or would you drive the bin lorry?:p [lol] :lol:
The bin lorry because the gritter is seasonal lol
willowbankbear
09-Mar-06, 00:00
http://smileys.smileycentral.com/cat/3/3_10_3v.gif (http://www.smileycentral.com/?partner=ZSzeb001_ZNxmk121YYGB) Krieve in her truck:p :p
http://smileys.smileycentral.com/cat/3/3_10_3v.gif (http://www.smileycentral.com/?partner=ZSzeb001_ZNxmk121YYGB) Krieve in her truck:p :p
Lol thats me alright maybe a career move for me lol
willowbankbear
09-Mar-06, 00:23
http://smileys.smileycentral.com/cat/3/3_10_2.gif (http://www.smileycentral.com/?partner=ZSzeb001_ZNxmk121YYGB) or this??
sorry for anyone who thought I was having a go at the bin men as I wasn't as I know it wasn't there fault, it was more the point of what do we pay council tax for now adays and I can't see why our road couldn't have been gritted as was other roads in Caithness - we are expected to get up and down the road safely and as mentioned before what if I crashed would the council pay for the damages?? I canne see it!
Onto the point of roads being clear and emergencies what would have happened if an accident happened in any houses which road wasn't gritted would the ambulance/fire engine etc not come up cause the road was bad?? They are heavy vehicles too....
Sorry again if it came over that I was having a go at the bin men!!
Kx
where do you get all these lovely little cartoons on your posts, theyr'e great???
sorry for anyone who thought I was having a go at the bin men as I wasn't as I know it wasn't there fault, it was more the point of what do we pay council tax for now adays and I can't see why our road couldn't have been gritted as was other roads in Caithness - we are expected to get up and down the road safely and as mentioned before what if I crashed would the council pay for the damages?? I canne see it!
Onto the point of roads being clear and emergencies what would have happened if an accident happened in any houses which road wasn't gritted would the ambulance/fire engine etc not come up cause the road was bad?? They are heavy vehicles too....
Sorry again if it came over that I was having a go at the bin men!!
Kx
Ambulances and other emergency vehicles would have to attend an emergency in bad road conditions but could order a gritter to go ahead of them. by the way, my road was only gritted once and there is still snow on it.
I'm going to defend the council gritters. My boyfriend happens to be one of the unfortunate men that had to try to keep the local roads clear during our recent wintry weather. Yes he has worked overtime but not through his own choice. He has been working for the past 10 days without a day off getting up most days at 5am to start gritting at 6am. For most of those days he worked to 6pm constantly gritting trying to keep the local roads clear. There are a lot of roads in this area to try to clear but there are only so many gritters and men that can use them and these men are entitled to some time of. Gritting is a difficult job going out in terrible weather conditions and these men are shattered. As well as gritting they also had the pleasure of digging out cars stuck in the snow and this took them away from their job. I think they did a great job doing what they did in the blizzard conditions we had some days.
I'm going to defend the council gritters. My boyfriend happens to be one of the unfortunate men that had to try to keep the local roads clear during our recent wintry weather. Yes he has worked overtime but not through his own choice. He has been working for the past 10 days without a day off getting up most days at 5am to start gritting at 6am. For most of those days he worked to 6pm constantly gritting trying to keep the local roads clear. There are a lot of roads in this area to try to clear but there are only so many gritters and men that can use them and these men are entitled to some time of. Gritting is a difficult job going out in terrible weather conditions and these men are shattered. As well as gritting they also had the pleasure of digging out cars stuck in the snow and this took them away from their job. I think they did a great job doing what they did in the blizzard conditions we had some days.
I agree with you DIH, they work very hard and without them we wouldnt have got anywhere safely with our cars. they deserve a pat on the back for the hard work they do.
I know the gritter drivers work hard my uncle used to work for the council and be out gritting all hours as well, what my point is, we pay council tax so why don't the council employ more people and buy more gritters to make everyones life easier including those who work already??
We all pay a total fortune every year on council tax and really get nothing back in return do we??
Kx
What a sad lot most of you are nothing better to do but moan about Gritter lorries and binmen, the gritter lorries were out from 6am until 9pm and most of the men only had short breaks, they worked 7days without any time of when the snow was bad, anyway who was driving your cars when the roads needed gritted you lot or the Gritting teams, still i suppose if your picking fault with the council workers then you are leaving everyone alone.
misty woman
09-Mar-06, 12:16
It really gets on my nerves when i hear people complaining about the council workers who drive the gritters.How dare some of you critisize them the way you do.All these men work long,hard hours to keep the roads clear.Maybe you should all try driving a gritter lorry for the day and night in a blizzard before you critisize them anymore.:evil
klibreck45
09-Mar-06, 14:28
Well said Beena and misty Woman the men who work on the gritter lorries are the best, and for all the people complaining about their council tax well its not just gritting the roads and emptying your bins you pay for.
give them a break and just be grateful they are there when they are needed instead give them a pat on the back instead of moaning
misty woman
09-Mar-06, 17:46
Well said Beena and misty Woman the men who work on the gritter lorries are the best, and for all the people complaining about their council tax well its not just gritting the roads and emptying your bins you pay for.
give them a break and just be grateful they are there when they are needed instead give them a pat on the back instead of moaningWELL SAID klibreck45!
I think it's terrible, they didn't grit my drive and I had to clear my own step and path as well!
Has anyone ever wondered how the gritter driver gets to work when the roads are bad :p
weezer 316
09-Mar-06, 20:42
I agree, the manual side side of the council such as the bin collectors are appreciated. I think most peoples frustration of the council come with the administative side of things.
I recently claimed back rent that i had mistakenly paid for 7 weeks. Basically, my DD hadnt stopped at my old house and it wasnt until a few weeks later i noticed.
Now, when i tried to claim this back, Robbie Macintosh told me that there was no money in the account, therefore i couldnt get anything, despite the fact my name was off the tenancy and that the rent i had paid was from after my tenancy ended. When i asked for this in writing, his tune changed and he said he would get back to me with a refund!
A few days after this, he was talking to my aunt on an unrelated issue, and when she mentioned this to him, he said that "I was only joking", and carried on, as if to infer that if i hadnt pushed for a refund, I would have got it. Needless to say, she was raging, and I wonder what some OAP's and single mothers with much more on their plate do when faced with such incompetencey and downright arrogance. No doubt the council has made a few bob out of such people.
But like i said, the muscle side of the council, I am more than happy with.
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