Gritting or true grit

Is Hounslow's record this last week worse than other boroughs? I was shocked that on Thursday morning the pavements on Brentford High Street (not any old side street) were only being gritted at about 10am. Yet crossing over to Richmond, all the pavements along major bus routes had been cleared. Could not the refuse and recyling staff who have not been able to collect our rubbish becasue of the ice on side streets, not be put to gritting and clearing of footways on main roads and shopping areas? I suspect the answer is no, as the privatised contract would not allow for that obvious flexibility in use of person-power.

I know that people have been demanding that every side-road (carriageway and footway) should be cleared of snow by the Council, but is the tax-payer prepared to pay the cost of that, given we havn't had weather like this for almost 50 years? One thing that would cost the Council nothing, would be to encourage people to clear the path in front of their own houses, and those of neighbours who are unable to. The Council's communciations machine could also dispel the myth that I have heard several times this week - that you shouldn't clear snow on the public footway as you could be sued if someone slips and injures themselves. Well I Googled this, and found it to be something of an urban myth - the case would only stick if it could be proven that you had maliciously sought to injure that person, ie you're safe to clear snow and ice!

In most snowy parts of north America and north Europe, residents in side streets are EXPECTED to clear the path in front of their house and in many places are fined if they don't. I'm all for having a bit more of that common support for our neighbourhood here (though realise the fines for a once-in-a-blue moon event might be a bit ott.)