Roads Service rejects council appeal for more road salting

In a letter to Moyle District Council, the acting Divisional Roads Manager, wrote:

"Thank you for your letter...regarding concerns about the restocking of salt boxes during the recent severe weather and also requesting consideration for additional salting routes.

"Addressing your first point, grit piles and salt boxes were filled in the weeks leading up to the recent severe weather.

"The local section engineer is confident that the unprecedented demand for continuous filling and replenishment on a daily basis was met from within Road Service's normal resources.

"However, it must be noted that considerable quantities of salt and grit were frequently removed from these locations and taken away for private use and not for the public road for which they were intended."

In regards to the salting of roads in the district, the letter said that in order for a road to be considered more than 1,500 vehicles had to travel along it each day or in exceptional circumstances 1,000 to 1,500 on roads with special difficulties.

It reads: "Causeway Road has a seven day average flow of around 1,700 vehicles per day at the Giant's Causeway end, and is salted from the Whitepark Road junction to just past the Giant's Causeway entrance.

"Traffic flows on the remaining eastern section of Causeway Road, Ballinlea Road, Glenshesk Road and Torr Road, are all considerably below 100 vehicles per day.

"Unfortunately, none of these routes meet the criteria for inclusion in the salting schedule.

"Torr Road is well provided for by way of salt/grit piles and salt boxes for use by the public on a self help basis.

"It is proposed to reassess this provision on the three remaining routes for the provision of salt/grit piles and/or salt boxes."