More salt bins needed in Laois ahead of future cold snaps

More areas in Laois are in need of salt bins and should be included in Laois County Council's road gritter programme, according to local councillors. 

Following an appeal from a member of the community, Councillor Conor Bergin has petitioned for the L2006 road at Cloonabeg, Clonaslee to be included in the council's road gritter programme. 

Cllr Bergin pointed out that the busy road to Tullamore has many houses along it as well as businesses which could benefit from the road being salted by the council. 

Speaking at the Borris-in-Ossory / Mountmellick MD on Wednesday, 14 January, Cllr Bergin said: "I know every road can't be on the road gritting programme but this is a black spot for ice and it can be very dangerous."

However, Darren Coss, Senior Executive Engineer at Laois County Council, told Cllr Bergin: "Laois County Council’s Winter Maintenance Plan sets out the priority routes for salting across the county. Unfortunately, due to the current operations being at full capacity there is no scope to cover any additional routes without having a negative impact on the priority routes.

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"Laois County Council is working towards increasing winter maintenance resources at which stage further assessments of additional routes can be considered."

Cllr Bergin said the reply was "disappointing", but acknowledged the limitations of the winter maintenance programme.

He said: "I know the winter maintenance programme, they can only do certain routes but even just to make salt available because we had a cold snap there in the last few weeks, and we don't know when the next one is going to come again."

Cllr John King supported the request for salt to be provided and asked whether or not councillors could make such requests in the case of urgent situations where roads have become more dangerous in regards to ice. 

Rory O'Callaghan of Laois County Council told Cllr King: "The winter maintenance programme is just the national and regional roads and that's funded by TII. But the Area Office could consider it if it was in really bad conditions. We could send out one of our pick-ups with a salting spreader on the back."

The issue came up again at the meeting when Cllr King queried about what salt trucks are available in the area and the routes they cover, as well as whether the council provide salt bins for health centres, schools and churches.

Rory O'Callaghan said: "Additional road salting operations, outside of the national and regional routes included in the Winter Maintenance Programme, are not provided by the Western Area. Additional salting operations when requested may be considered within towns subject to available budgets and resources.

"Salt bins are provided at various locations throughout the area for use by the public."

He also told Cllr King that the council does not provide salt bins outside schools, churches or health centres. When asked how much they cost, O'Callaghan said he believes they are between €600-€700.

Cllr King suggested that given the council's inability to provide the bins, perhaps local councillors could do so through discretionary funds and then the council provide the salt.

O'Callaghan agreed that the council would be open to this. 

Funded by the Local Democracy Reporting Scheme