LOW priority roads in South Gloucestershire will not be gritted from this winter as the budget for the council is cut by 14 per cent.
30km of roads under the jurisdiction of South Gloucestershire Council will not be included on gritting routes.
These changes have caused concerns by residents over ‘safety and accessibility’ to specific areas.
Residents and councillors objected to the proposals, with SGC Cllr Sue Hope saying that after “one of the worst winters in years the timing couldn’t be worse”.
A 10-week consultation on the cut, which will reduce the £692,000 winter maintenance budget by £100,000, said: “To achieve the full saving there is an option to reduce the fleet by two gritters, and to reduce the amount of time spent by drivers treating the highway network.
“This means removing approximately 30km of roads from the precautionary salted network.”
The report details that lower importance roads will be gritted in ‘extreme’ scenarios.
It said efforts were made not to remove roads that have a significant impact on schools or vulnerable premises.
The council did reveal in a statement that: “The budget is given flexibility to ensure fully service provision is maintained no matter what the conditions or the impact of the winter”.
Some 48 per cent of respondents to the consultation disagreed strongly with the way the council had chosen routes to remove from the primary network.
Removing Tormarton Road from the primary network attracted the biggest number of objections. Residents said it is a busy commuter route that provides access to the M4.
Concerns about removing other roads from the primary network included the impact on elderly people or schoolchildren, or their importance in accessing medical facilities.
Yate Town Council and Hawkesbury Parish Council both opposed the plans, describing the move as ‘unacceptable’.
A member of the Bristol Bicycle User Group said a hip fracture costs the NHS around £30,000, adding: “Is it really worth it? Obviously it’s different pots of money paying for things, and different budgets you are cutting, but it doesn’t seem too sensible to cut money to put people at risk of really hurting themselves.
“You only need four people to hurt themselves and you’ve blown your £100,000 saving straight away.”
The council is due to make a final decision on the proposals at a later date.
