Lincolnshire County Council leader on doing things differently including introduction of JCB Pothole Pro machine
Since being elected in May this year and becoming the new ruling group at the county council, there are a number of things we have wanted to do differently, writes Lincolnshire County Council leader Sean Matthews (Reform UK).
Myself and many other councillors make a point of getting out and about so that we can listen to Lincolnshire residents about what they think needs to change and also what they are happy with.
Of course, high on their list of priorities is the condition and safety of our roads and the efficiency and quality of the repairs and upgrades that we make.
One of the things we are doing is having a more thorough look at the latest pothole-battling machine – the JCB Pothole Pro. This bit of kit had a short trial in Lincolnshire a few years ago but we want to give it a longer test run.
A year-long trial is now underway, and we’re using feedback from other areas that suggest it might be more effective in our towns and city, so look out for it on the streets of Grantham in the future!
We hope to see this machine working on road defects with more accuracy, and this is a a real-world example of a different approach that could have big benefits.
We wouldn’t be looking to replace all our current machinery, put the Pothole Pro should be a great tool in our toolbox to help sort out the roads for the residents of Lincolnshire.
I can’t quite believe it, but we’re now entering our road gritting season, when drivers, machinery and our logistical teams are on standby for when the weather turns.
The vehicles all get a check over and the drivers get the chance to reacquaint themselves with the machines at ‘rally days’ at our gritting depots. Then they are on call for those frosty and icy nights to help keep our roads safe.
Remember that although all the key routes are treated, many smaller roads aren’t, and the salt that is put down takes a bit of time to work, so you should always keep the weather conditions in mind when you’re driving.
I’m enjoying the mild autumn we’re having so far, but we know that winter is just around the corner.
It’s also the time of year where we start filling our yellow grit bins around the county for residents to use on footpaths and local roads.
As part of our preparations for winter, we also separately offer town and parish councils a one-tonne bag of salt so that they can treat any other local trouble spots that the gritters don’t cover. They’ve been sent details of how to request these.
Rest assured we’re always working behind the scenes to help keep the county moving- all year round.