Brrrrrrrrrrr, it’s suddenly got cold and wet! Well, we do live in Scotland after all - the land of four seasons in one day. The sudden rain after months of relatively dry weather caused some slippery conditions and on the A761 between the Knapps and the Quarriers road end we saw two bad accidents in one weekend, with cars skidding off the road into the field. Please take care out there, and remember that conditions can catch out even the most careful drivers.
The rain and frost causes difficult road conditions. Please report road faults ASAP; you will save others a great deal of grief and might even save a life. You can report a road fault or pothole by phone or online. Visit www.renfrewshire.gov.uk or www.inverclyde.gov.uk depending on the location, or call Renfrewshire on 0300 3000 300 from Monday - Friday, 8am - 6pm. Outwith these hours, you can call 0300 300 0144 to report faults. For Inverclyde call 01475 714800 or out of hours contact RALF (Roads and Lighting Faults) 0800 37 36 35.
We prepare again for Christmas and look forward to the regular event which is the Gibb Stuart’s (Home Hardware) windows. Every year without fail, Sandy and his team go to great efforts to create a colourful and dynamic display - a visual extravaganza to brighten up the dark winter evenings.
For those with hectic schedules and unable to make the shops during normal hours, Gibb Stuart is staying open on Thursday evenings in the run up to Christmas. The shop will be open until 8pm on Thursdays 20th and 27th November, 4th and 11th December, with special offers in-store on those nights.
Last chance to get tickets for the local pantos. “Oh no it’s not” you say, “Oh yes it is!” And we are so excited at The Advertizer this year as, once again, one of our very own team is taking part in ‘Jack & the Beanstalk’ - we’ll leave it to our eagle-eyed readers out there to go along to the show and find out who!
Check our ‘What’s On’ listings for details of pantomimes, theatre events and fireworks displays - there’s plenty going on for all tastes.
Finally, if you’ve got any events for our December issue, please get these to us by our deadline of Friday 14th November.
NOTE: I wrote this last week, and today I'm hearing about yet another serious road traffic accident on the A761, where the water runs across the road at Scart Farm dip. Tragic that another set of people are hurt on this stretch of road.
Tuesday 28 October 2014
Tuesday 11 March 2014
March update
When I put together last month’s piece, the main theme was roadworks.
The drainage works at Brookfield have now been completed and a new 30MPH limit exists from the road end at Brookfield Cemetery all the way through to the junction at Gowanlea Nursery, which some drivers still seem to be unaware of.
I was hopeful that the impending closure of the A761 for a week would result in a much improved road surface between Kilmacolm and Bridge of Weir. Sadly, the new surface, a heavenly driving experience though it is, only stretches for a few hundred metres out of Bridge of Weir; thereafter it’s back onto the rumble strip. The improved section has to be commended, but it was clear from Social Media just how frustrated drivers have become, with various comments: “to be closed for that length of time to do what they did! Now the back road is horrific with potholes!” and “shocking that the road was closed for so long and how little has been fixed grrrr”.
I’m sure I can recall a time when the local council had a team of workmen who were on-call to fix the roads, clear the drains, cut the hedgerows, etc… Nowadays though, I guess possibly for cost saving reasons, all these maintenance jobs seem to be outsourced and subject to a tendering process. With potholes, we have someone quantify the job and highlight the proposed repair areas with coloured paint. Then nothing appears to happen for months, other than nature doing its utmost. Invariably by the time the work commences the job has grown in magnitude, but the contractor is only able to deal with their specific remit and the beautifully repaired pothole now has several unrepaired neighbours. And so it goes on, and on, and on; or am I just being cynical. But why are the roads falling apart? There must be a logical reason. Is it simply that the gulleys and roadside drains are blocked and the water now trapped under the road undermines the subsurface? If so, here’s an idea; maybe we should have a team of guys dealing with regular maintenance to keep the ditches clear!!!
Remember the clocks go forward one hour on Sunday 30th March!
The Advertizer is the ideal platform to tell the community your news as we reach over 14,000 homes and businesses in the Gryffe area. Send in your news and photos to: info@advertizer.co.uk, or by post to The Advertizer, Kilmacolm PA13 4QF.
Next deadline Friday 14th March!
The drainage works at Brookfield have now been completed and a new 30MPH limit exists from the road end at Brookfield Cemetery all the way through to the junction at Gowanlea Nursery, which some drivers still seem to be unaware of.
I was hopeful that the impending closure of the A761 for a week would result in a much improved road surface between Kilmacolm and Bridge of Weir. Sadly, the new surface, a heavenly driving experience though it is, only stretches for a few hundred metres out of Bridge of Weir; thereafter it’s back onto the rumble strip. The improved section has to be commended, but it was clear from Social Media just how frustrated drivers have become, with various comments: “to be closed for that length of time to do what they did! Now the back road is horrific with potholes!” and “shocking that the road was closed for so long and how little has been fixed grrrr”.
I’m sure I can recall a time when the local council had a team of workmen who were on-call to fix the roads, clear the drains, cut the hedgerows, etc… Nowadays though, I guess possibly for cost saving reasons, all these maintenance jobs seem to be outsourced and subject to a tendering process. With potholes, we have someone quantify the job and highlight the proposed repair areas with coloured paint. Then nothing appears to happen for months, other than nature doing its utmost. Invariably by the time the work commences the job has grown in magnitude, but the contractor is only able to deal with their specific remit and the beautifully repaired pothole now has several unrepaired neighbours. And so it goes on, and on, and on; or am I just being cynical. But why are the roads falling apart? There must be a logical reason. Is it simply that the gulleys and roadside drains are blocked and the water now trapped under the road undermines the subsurface? If so, here’s an idea; maybe we should have a team of guys dealing with regular maintenance to keep the ditches clear!!!
Remember the clocks go forward one hour on Sunday 30th March!
The Advertizer is the ideal platform to tell the community your news as we reach over 14,000 homes and businesses in the Gryffe area. Send in your news and photos to: info@advertizer.co.uk, or by post to The Advertizer, Kilmacolm PA13 4QF.
Next deadline Friday 14th March!
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