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Have passed several gritters over the weekend as I've travelled around on the motorways, and was wondering if you can actually claim compensation from anyone for paitwork or glass chipped as a result of these gritters throwing out thousands of 'missiles' per minute? I have no chips, it's just a point of curiosity.
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Writing as someone who has had the side of their car pebble-dashed by one of these gritters, I can say that this is extremely annoying, but unless you have water tight and conclusive evidence that the gritting lorry was to blame, councils simply don't want to know.
It's the same scenario if you hit a large pot-hole and have to shell out £££ in order for your suspension to be rebuilt. This happened to me in Liverpool in the early '90s and even with photographic evidence etc. go no-where.
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There is a stretch of the A320 that crosses the M25 at J11. The council installed a water run off in the central reservation consisting of pebbles and gravel. Problem is lorries using the laybys as night stops were too lazy to go to the next roundabout and always did u-turns over the central reservation dragging the large gravel and stones onto the road surface.
Over the space of a year, I had 2 windscreens and a light broken by flying stones on this section of road. I wrote to the council who were sympathetic, asked for photo's, bills etc which I sent. After several months of correspondance they wrote back saying they weren't liable. The following month, work started on fitting a barrier along the whole length of that central reservation.
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I saw something on BBC News 24 yesterday, saying they are using smaller grit now, so as to lessen potential damage to vehicles on the road!
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I have to say, on Wednesday evening I was travelling up the A1 and went past 4 or 5 gritting lorries, I felt no need to slow down as the grit was almost like dust it was that small, plus there is the fact that I don't need to worry about a broken screen (Profile), there are about 3000 in the warehouse outside my office door.
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Just a teeny-weeny point, but surely you'd be hopping mad if you skidded and crashed because the council hadn't gritted the roads?
They're damned if they do and damned if they don't according to this thread.
Cheers
Rob
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But why does the grit have to be dispensed from such a great height. I realise that would give maximum spread, but surely they could have come up with a better delivery system by now?
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But why does the grit have to be dispensed from such a great height. I realise that would give maximum spread, but surely they could have come up with a better delivery system by now?
Hear hear!
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L'escargot by name, but not by nature.
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Maybe once we all have smart RFID number plates, every car can have a hopper of grit slung under it, and technology could be developed to instruct the hoppers to empty over patches that hadn't been gritted :-)
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Highways Agency advice from their website basically says do not overtake a gritter or snowplough; tinyurl.com/yryw3
Which isn't really practical on the motorway.
This would suggest that there is no come-back on the Highways Agency.
PP
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I agree - you either hold back or take the plunge and pass the gritter; you take your choice!
Personally, I always try (if time permits) to hold back and wait for the gritter to do its work between junctions.
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groups.msn.com/honestjohn/problems.msnw?Page=1 - Pictures say a thousand words.....
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Necessary evil, grit. I tend to almost stop when I see a gritter coming towards me - that way the lumps hit you at 40 mph not 80 or whatever and tend not to chip the paint (not that worried about the screen).
I have noticed on 2 occasions this week though that the shower has not been as bad as expected - perhaps they *are* using smaller lumps?
Merry Christmas all.
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ISTR that a couple of years ago, a new way of spreading grit was introduced - it is already slightly mixed with water so that a sort of slush is applied rather than just the grit itself. This not only makes it more effective, but also reduces the chance of chipping the paint of any cars that get showered.
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This will get me censored/censured but I've just received another set of pyjamas to add to the other unopened ones going back to 1987, so frivolity rules at THe Growleria
As a trucker stops for a red light, a blonde catches up. She jumps out of her car runs up to his truck, and knocks on the door. The trucker lowers the window, and she says, "Hi, my name is Susie and you are losing some of your load." The trucker ignores her and proceeds down the street. When the truck stops for another red light, the girl catches up again. She jumps out of her car, runs up and knocks on the door. Again, the trucker lowers the window. As if they've never spoken, the blonde
says again, "Hi my name is Susie, and you are losing some of your load!" Shaking his head, the trucker ignores her again and continues down the street. At the third red light, the same thing happens again. All out of breath, the blonde gets out of her car, runs up, knocks on the truck door. The trucker lowers the window. Again she says "Hi, my name is Susie, and you are losing some of your load!" When the light turns green the trucker revs up the engine and races to the next light.
When he stops this time, he hurriedly gets out of the truck, and runs back to the blonde, whose car has stopped behind him. He knocks on her window, and as she lowers it, he says... "Hi, my name is John, it's winter in Indiana, and I'm driving the damn SALT TRUCK!"
..now then, where's the rest of that Chilean Merlot?...
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Funny old part of the world you live in Growler:
Todays Straits Times:
Motorcyclist freed from python's grip
BANGKOK - A Thai man remained unconscious in hospital yesterday after being nearly asphyxiated by a 4m python that he had been transporting on a motorbike for release in a national park, police said.
Emergency workers called to a roadside on Tuesday were shocked to discover the python tightly coiled around Samrauy Phonlerk, 43. More than a dozen people beat the 20kg reptile with sticks for over 20 minutes before it released its grip.
Mr Samrauy had volunteered to take the snake to a national park after it was caught slithering through Prachinburi town, 136km east of Bangkok. AFP
What's this got to do with gritting DD, No Dosh? Are they champed firmly together?
DVD
(Molars)
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Yes DVD I know. And guess what, a Frenchman and HD aficionado I regularly ride with keeps a python for a pet, what's more. It (she -- how do you sex a snake?) is called Samantha. Indeed he was late for our ride last Sunday complaining he had to run around finding a goat or something for Samantha's breakfast.
I put it down to the the heat, the gin, the flies and the local women, personally.
Anyway this has nothing to do with grit, but you started it.
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Molars are gritted, but what the hey, I liked the joke.
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On the subject of gritters, does anyone know if the gritter driver actually knows when his grit runs out?
I ask this because I regularly pass gritters with their orange beacons flashing but no grit coming out the back. On one occasion at least, I could see that the spreader "thing" was twirling round as well but nothing coming out.
Does this mean that roads can be left ungritted that the driver may think he has gritted?
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On the subject of gritters, does anyone know if the gritter driver actually knows when his grit runs out?
They do have a sensor that illuminates a light on the dashboard when the grit no longer comes out the back, however the salt corrodes it and in turn makes it useless. A lot of the time the driver either relies on looking in his mirrors when a car is behind him and can see the grit coming out shone up by the car\'s headlights; or if no one is behind, opening the window as a car approaches from the opposite direction and listening for the \"clink chink chink\" noise as the grit hits the passing car.
I ask this because I regularly pass gritters with their orange beacons flashing but no grit coming out the back. On one occasion at least, I could see that the spreader \"thing\" was twirling round as well but nothing coming out.
Generally the gritting lorries rarely run out, what happens is a blockage occurs due to the stuff freezing - yes believe it or not the grit can actually freeze, so the driver has to make sure his lorry is empty of grit before parking up for the night otherwise it renders the lorry useless until the whole lot thaws out. The driver has to get out occasionally and clear the blockage where the spreader \"thing\" is with a shovel.
Does this mean that roads can be left ungritted that the driver may think he has gritted?
Yep, but another one will be along later.
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Think laterally guys!
option 1
1) The gritters usually have a stretch to do comprising just a few junctions. So following at a decent distance means you are on gritted roads but on the downside adding 3 to 4 minutes to your journey tops? Not exactly the end of the world
option 2 if 3 to 4 minutes is vital
2) welly down the off-slip, negotiate island, welly down on-slip to re-emerge in front of the gritter, remembering that you are now potentially on ungritted roads.
YKIMS!!
;)
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In the old days at school we used to ask. "How does the man who drives the snow plough get to work"
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I've been overtaken by a gritter whilst riding a bicycle when weearing shorts.
This is far worse than any chipped paintwork
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I read often, only post occasionally
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I wonder if any research is done into the optimum proportions of grit and salt? I'm sure that usually there is too much salt and not enough grit.
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L'escargot by name, but not by nature.
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I've been overtaken by a gritter whilst riding a bicycle when weearing shorts.
I bet you grit your teeth as it passes you!!
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L'escargot by name, but not by nature.
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