Pedestrian's group! Pavements and paths in icy weather

pitkin2020

Mupette wrote: »

Well its another day and the road i live in has not been touched, the old peoples home next to me is still snowed in, i can't get out with my wheelchair, and it's a huge risk to go out with my walking stick bunle4x4 why don't you come and get my shopping for me

Your in the same boat as lots of others and have to just sit it out. I tried to get out of the carpark this morning for a doctors appointment but my hand brake is frozen solid, not surprising as its -9 at the moment.

With regards to the pavement maybe if everyone who lived in the house cleared a bit of pavement each, like i did after the snowfall it wouldn't be so bad. I have no ice on my pavements after spending just 10 mins clearing the snowfall away.

geri1965_2

Can anyone tell me what they think about my idea?

I use gritty cat litter for my cat - every day I remove the solids, and the tray is changed completely once a week. The dirty litter (it's just wet from urine, so no poop in it) is usually put into a carrier bag and into the bin.

Anyway, would it be really disgusting if I recycled it onto the icy pavements instead of binning it, during this weather? It is only urine, and dogs go on the pavement all the time. It's not even completely wet, a lot of it is dry and hasn't been touched, it's just hard to separate it.

My OH thinks I am a freak for even thinking about it.

Mupette

pitkin2020 wrote: »

Your in the same boat as lots of others and have to just sit it out. I tried to get out of the carpark this morning for a doctors appointment but my hand brake is frozen solid, not surprising as its -9 at the moment.

With regards to the pavement maybe if everyone who lived in the house cleared a bit of pavement each, like i did after the snowfall it wouldn't be so bad. I have no ice on my pavements after spending just 10 mins clearing the snowfall away.

Thats a problem here its a block of flats on one side and the other side of the road, they don't even speak english..

The only thing i got to clear snow is a dustpan.. but i can't get down to do so..

geri1965_2

I cleared mine with a dustpan and it was relatively easy (this was on the first day of snow) but the bending did hurt my back a bit (have had a bad back for a few days, nothing too serious but I didn't want to aggravate it more by doing the whole street).

neilmcl

Here's a tip, get some old, wollen socks and put them over your shoes. The best think for walking on ice apparently.

Mupette

geri1965 wrote: »

I cleared mine with a dustpan and it was relatively easy (this was on the first day of snow) but the bending did hurt my back a bit (have had a bad back for a few days, nothing too serious but I didn't want to aggravate it more by doing the whole street).

Thats the problem i can't bend down, if i got on the floor to do this i would never get back up..

neilmcl wrote: »

Here's a tip, get some old, wollen socks and put them over your shoes. The best think for walking on ice apparently.

yes agree my mum told me about this.. good tip

WestonDave

The OP might be interested to know that yards from the hospital he mentions, the shopping street is untreated. Why? because when the shop keepers went to the grit bin to get some grit to treat the pavements (bear in mind the road is a bus route so gritted by lorry) some low life(s) had nicked it all presumably for their own driveways! It is therefore like a sheet of glass. The shop keepers were prepared to do it themselves, but trying to get hold of grit is a nightmare.

Fortunately we live in the sort of area where people still look out for each other, and as I can get around I've made sure the older neighbours have what they need (most are sensible enough to keep things like long life milk in at this time of year and keep stocks up) which so far has just been the odd bottle of milk.

If you clear snow before it freezes over night you can pretty much brush it away - a bit of salt on it gets rid of any last bits. The problem we had was that most of the shops had shut and gone home before it stopped on Wednesday so clearing the street didn't start until after a freezing night. I'd like to see the German/Canadian law brought in which requires people to clear the path in front of their property or face a fine (presumably with suitable safeguards for the elderly or disabled - but not the chronically idle!)

Lube

Whilst it would be nice to do paths, unfortunately given the inclement weather there just isn't the resources to deal with paths usually.

For a start man power and equipment is needed on the roads, as a accident on a road can be far more dangerous than a slip on a pavement although I dare say there maybe odd death unfortunately

We have two salt mines in UK there are working flat out 24/7, and salt is already in low supply for the roads

We are alreday seeing some roads not being able to get grit due to lack of salt

What we do need is residents asked to do there bit outside there own house, without fear of being sued. A common sense approach would be ideal.

geri1965_2

neilmcl wrote: »

Here's a tip, get some old, wollen socks and put them over your shoes. The best think for walking on ice apparently.

I've been doing this for the last couple of days and it works quite well. I can't get the socks right over my boots though so they've just been on the front half! I feel a bit silly getting on the bus in them as well..

WestonDave

Lube - the bit about being sued is a bit of an urban myth. Most legal experts suggest that whilst its theoretically possible, its unlikely unless you could be proved to have left the surface dangerous due to maliciousness or negligence. As far as I know the only ever case of someone getting sued for this was someone who cleared a path by chucking hot water over it - of course it then froze and left a sheet of ice. That said a change in the law requiring people to do it, would remove all doubt.