An Aberdeenshire MP has said he has been inundated with complaints about the state of the roads already this winter.
Andrew Bowie, who represents West Aberdeenshire and Kincardine, received multiple complaints about the lack of clearing and gritting during the recent cold snap – as well as the potholes that followed.
He claimed the roads were “more treacherous” than he can ever remember and questioned if Aberdeenshire Council had changed its policies or winter treatment plans.
He said: “The weather this year has not been any worse than in previous years, yet for some reason the roads were more treacherous than I can remember. Whether this is a result of a different policy or strategy I don’t know, but it must be looked at.”
Mr Bowie has now written to the local authority, and outlined specific concerns regarding the large number of potholes that emerged in the thaw.
The MP has sought to get answers as to how much of the additional money provided by last year’s council budget for the repair and maintenance of roads has been spent or allocated.
If it has not been spent or allocated yet, he has asked the authority for reasons why.
‘Double the salt’ used in December
Mr Bowie said: “Receiving e-mails about potholes is nothing new, but over the past couple of weeks I have read a concerning number of e-mails for such a short space of time.
“Whilst I know that the issue stretches right across my constituency and beyond, the volume of complaints from Westhill, Banchory and Upper Deeside has been astonishing.”
An Aberdeenshire Council spokesman insisted there there had been no change to policy and stressed the roads teams had actually doubled the salt usage compared to December 2021.
He said: “Our winter maintenance operation policy has not changed this season, nor has any reduced level of service been provided. In fact, we used almost double the salt tonnages in our winter treatments this December compared to December 2021.
“From December 4 to 18 across Scotland, our weather forecaster showed temperatures 1.8C below the average seen from 1991-2020. In times of severe winter weather, we work hard to prioritise our primary network before moving on to other routes. If conditions continue to impact the primary network, then it will delay treatment of other roads and footways.
“With regards the road network condition and potholes, any issues posing an immediate danger to the public are inspected and actioned within 24 hours. All other defects are inspected and repaired on a risk-based approach. We would encourage motorists and residents to report any potholes online.”
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