A COUNTRY lane which claimed 17 vehicles because it was ‘not gritted’ during the snowy weather posed a “threat to life”, it has been argued.
Lee Evans, from Little Chalfont, said Buckinghamshire Council “refused to grit” Bell Lane in Little Chalfont, which left numerous drivers stranded since Sunday (January 24).
PICTURED: One driver slides off the road and into a snowy bank
Mr Evans was part of a team of people, including the AA, who helped to recover vehicles that had lost control on the lane he said was a ‘treacherous skating rink’.
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He said he and others notified the council when incidents began to pile up, adding the authority closed Bell Lane hours later instead of salting it after he pressed it to act.
Mr Evans took to social media to warn drivers about the closed road but “many ignored the signage”, he said.
PICTURED: More drivers seen slowly creeping along the icy lane
He said the lane was reopened on Tuesday (January 26) after the “final two cars” were removed.
“The road was closed because of the ice,” said Mr Evans. “Recovery was carried out [by the] AA, myself and other locals. I contacted the council, as did several others, when so many incidents were occurring and it was clear that a threat to life was apparent.
“Bucks Council refused to grit the road and never did. They repeatedly said it was not within their remit. It took them four hours to make a half-hearted attempt at closing the road after I requested it.
“A total of 17 cars were recovered over the three days of snow – many ignored the signage.”
PICTURED: Another driver banks sideways crossing the entire lane
In a social media post he published on January 25, Mr Evans warned drivers away from Bell Lane writing “road closed means road closed”.
Adding: “It has taken us more than four hours to remove all of the stranded vehicles this afternoon – and one car is so badly wedged into the bank we couldn’t get it out before darkness fell. It is a skating rink – thick ice on a steep gradient.”
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“I don’t know why people think that road is OK to drive on in the icy conditions,” someone replied. “I used to live on Bell Lane and it used to drive us mad. The sheer amount of crashes and bumps was ridiculous. As well as people driving too fast without any regard for the people who actually live there.”
PICTURED: An AA van at the scene, locals helped them rescue drivers
In response, a spokesperson for Transport for Buckinghamshire (TfB) said: “Resources are limited and can only be diverted to further activities if available and without risk to the major network.
“Winter service is an important part of TfB’s maintenance work. It involves salting major roads when there is a risk of ice, clearing snow and reacting to other weather-related emergencies.
“A fleet of 25 salting lorries treat approximately 1,405km (44 per cent) of Buckinghamshire’s road network to make the county’s roads safer, reducing collisions and delays caused by ice and snow. These vehicles provide 24-hour cover, enabling us to respond to changes in weather conditions.
PICTURED: At dusk yet another vehicle is seen struggling on the ice
“Using daily local weather forecasts, decisions whether to salt or not are based on road temperatures rather than air temperatures. Salting is likely to take place whenever road temperatures are forecast to fall below 0.5°C and ice is expected to form.
“With such an extensive road network in Buckinghamshire TfB cannot treat all roads. Gritting routes are reviewed each year and are based on several factors, including the flow of traffic, bus routes and school traffic, road gradients and bends, collision records, route accessibility and adjacent key facilities such as blue light routes.
“Part of Bell Lane, Little Chalfont is treated under the main precautionary routes between A404 and Elizabeth Avenue, and was treated four times during the weather event of the 24th Jan 2021 in order to keep the major roads clear."
Images courtesy of Lee Evans
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