After the snow has increased nationwide for the snow When New Year's reception at the city Baesweiler 3.01. I could in conversation with colleagues to determine from the region that the subjective sensation led the onset of winter, and after Christmas, not only in Geilenkirchen, but everywhere to reactions in the citizenship under the following motto: "Elsewhere, everything is better at home is all crap "We have a mayor part, sorry to find other relief that everywhere the same name-calling turned onto the city was building yards and all communities equally suffered from the salt shortage.
I have in recent days, all accrued with me Criticisms once collected and compiled factual information. This information is listed below.
order in the next winter, which could indeed start in a few days to stand not only with the few remaining tons of salt, we look for tirelessly for alternative salt supplier to us - of existing, but unfulfilled contracts with major suppliers also - may provide short-term salt. Local entrepreneurs in the construction industry, the knowledge of the market help us in this search. Together we have the ear of the market and want to react quickly.
Meanwhile the yard working intensively to the removal of the face as persistence icy remnants of snow on the roadsides and parks. So no break in the men from the building that have my great respect.
And here are the questions and answers about the winter in our city:
first Takes place in Geilenkirchen a winter service instead, which is comparable to other communities?
subject to the staff and equipment and winter maintenance of the review by the municipality to the municipal supervision and testing institution by the state of NRW. The GPA has for Geilenkirchen found no difference in the resources of the winter maintenance compared to other municipalities.
Geilenkirchen but shares with many other area communities in NRW a handicap when winter: relatively low population density, large number of individual towns, roads in the jurisdiction of the municipality, district or country. Comparisons between Geilenkirchen and neighboring communities with significantly less Räumkilometern a comparable population (eg Übach-Palenberg, Baesweiler, Alsdorf) limp therefore a priori. However, were stronger in these municipalities still compacted at 29.12. determine how similar Räumzustände in Geilenkirchen.
could Even in large cities such as Essen and Dusseldorf on the 28th I 12. notice in the same residential areas Räumstatus as in Geilenkirchen: frozen snow cover with icing directly on the asphalt, no salt or grit application, street crossings difficult due to snow accumulation on the curb edges due Räumtätigkeit of residents.
second Is the city responsible for snow removal at the county or country roads?
The responsibility for winter maintenance on the county or country roads in the city of Geilenkirchen is located in the district of Heinsberg and the maps were NRW. Observations from citizens, after which clearance vehicles drove over the raised plow blade uncleared roads are covered on these different responsibilities due. Such vehicles are on the way to or from their use routes.
third What criteria will be cleared on municipal roads in Geilenkirchen?
overriding principle is the respect of road safety obligations under the road and street law NRW (§ 9, para 1 and 3):
"(1) The road construction includes all the construction and maintenance related tasks. The support for road construction have to build their capacity to the streets in a regular traffic need the sufficient condition to build and strengthen, expand or otherwise improve, and to entertain. As far as this, they taking into account their performance are incapable, they have to refer to the non-roadworthy condition unless otherwise orders of the traffic authorities by traffic signs or traffic facilities. ...
(3) The support for road construction are best efforts to evacuate them under paragraph 1 incumbent tasks, in snow and ice and spread. The provisions of the Act remain unaffected for the cleaning of public roads. "
Unlike what many people believe the citizens, there is no legal right to clearing of roads. Also means the restoration of the trafficability of roads not the complete thawing of snow and Eisbelags by application of salt or grit. In NRW includes "navigability" one that can be expected with disabilities or in places with a closed snow cover must. At all levels of competence, ie the District, Circle and here in Geilenkirchen is as an organizing principle:
busy roads, dangerous slope or slopes, and drifts through vulnerable sections take precedence over little-used roads. On the other hand, has to work the winter maintenance cost to achieve with the resources deployed an optimum. Short turnaround times, elimination of air travel, the greatest possible coverage of the network are important criteria.
in Geilenkirchen is made between three levels of urgency frequency and importance for inner-city traffic. Under extremely unfavorable conditions such as snow on 24 and 25.12. There may be delays in the evacuation of the downstream levels of urgency.
The winter maintenance of urban construction yard is carried out according to a precise operational plan. The movements of the individual clearance vehicles are recorded with GPS devices and are always documented. The operational plan also provides for manual clearance before a troop of hard to reach places.
4th What to do with the snow?
Multiple criticism was that the snowplows push snow from the roadsides and sidewalks cleared of residents already. This was the pedestrians crossing the roads and motorists leaving their properties difficult.
work after the above mentioned principles of the winter after a cascade of urgency, in which the clearing of roads, particularly of dangerous points and priority is the evacuation of crossing points, bus bays, etc. downstream. This meant that the blades free of such bodies by hand only after the intensive clearance phase on 24 and 25.12. . Done The consideration of driveways, walkways or already cleared Crossings at Räumeinsatz with dozer blade would slow the progress of the clearance significantly. Here's to the understanding of citizens to appeal to the common good (to maintain safety on public roads) before the individual interests (garage entrance free) occurs.
have begun Chance of municipalities in North Rhine-Westphalia in the days after Christmas so that, after the evictions wegzutransportieren the accumulated snow mountains and deposited in the open. This is necessary because of the involvement of foreign companies expensive procedure that is also environmentally problematic, because snow is charged after a hospital stay of several days with pollutants in the subsequent defrosting May pollute rivers. In Switzerland, this method is therefore prohibited in several cantons.
is economically and ecologically sensible of the temporary waiver of a portion of parking and the pushing together of snow on individual car parks. This is in Geilenkirchen in many places also practiced Sun
for the areas of parking lots that belong to supermarkets, is - against the wishes of isolated complainant - not the city, but property owners are responsible. In fact remained uncleared after Christmas, many such parking spaces in Geilenkirchen.
5th Does the City also hazards on roads that are not cleared by the constitution?
This question was asked several times and concerns such as steep routes or trips to the Flower Street Park and the routes to school and access facilities for garbage truck. For the purposes of the above traffic control, requires the removal of such bodies with in the operational plans of the winter service. Due to the evacuation of school buildings has been postponed in recent days because of school holidays, however. Everywhere in the NRW waste disposal company complaining about the poor accessibility of garbage and slips and accidents on roads in residential areas. Geilenkirchen were complaints about not emptied garbage cans with a few isolated cases so far off. There are other local considerations on the establishment of special stowage areas for garbage cans in a strong adverse effect due to snow. The town of Geilenkirchen is evaluated with the waste management company operating here the experience of recent weeks and appealed to the attention up to that of their fellow citizens in the preparation of the waste container. Sometimes, a few yards to make the barrels emptying easier and safer.
6th How did it come to the salt shortage? The city has been asleep?
The town of Geilenkirchen in the summer of 2010, the opportunities for storage 400-500 t salt reviewed in order to stock with a sufficiently large amount. The hiring hall space was not possible for two reasons: first attacks mounted, the metal salt of hangars on aggressive. Second, prone to caking stored salt that is not consumed in a year if it is not housed in a hermetically sealed, dry timber hall, and is no longer capable of scattering. Such a timber hall was not to rent. Instead, the city of Geilenkirchen has purchased an additional silo and doubled the amount of the pre-salt reservoir held over 2009 fast. At the same time, the city of Geilenkirchen in a purchasing consortium of municipalities in the district Heinsberg and contracts for the supply of the experience of the harsh winter of 2009 with sufficient amount of the largest salt company in North West Europe. By avoiding such a contractual commitment to the communities costly suspensions of silo capacities for the entire year's supply. This principle has until December works: The company delivered more than 1 million tons of salt on early booking and had over 2009 zusätzlich100.000 tonnes more than planned production. The unusually early and in several waves of winter running all contracts and pension plans, however, made a dash through the bill. The contractual amounts are already provided (for up to a truck of 25 t Geilenkirchen). The producer is waiting for shipments from Chile as a relief.
The salt stock is a matter of risk assessment. All local authorities and state enterprises were warned by the harsh winter of 2009 and have to order the quantities increased. Everywhere in Germany, but also in Belgium and Luxembourg, must now deal with the salt very economical. The remaining stock in storage in Geilenkirchen must serve for the next heavy snowfall and may now only be used for de-icing of vulnerable points.
7th Why not spread the city granules, gravel or sand?
granules or chips are kept at present in an amount of 50 tons in yard and to with the next snowfall of dangerous points are used. Such materials have but one serious disadvantage: they clog the drains after defrosting. The subsequent cleaning costs would be substantial. The use of numbing agents is seen by homeowners do not like, granular, grit and sand are but a reputation to damage floors if they are brought by street shoes into the house.
8th What can we learn from the onset of winter?
The Management Board, in its meeting held on 27.12. agreed on four measures that are now considered appropriate and subject to Council decisions in 2011 can be implemented:
a) for the visibility of the line profile of connecting roads between towns are punting for use come
b) the CDU has suggested snow fencing along roads with particular frequency of snow banks and the purchase and contractual agreements with property owners to installation of such fences are checked
c) the city of Geilenkirchen is the neighboring municipalities in the district of inter-communal use (rental) to propose maybe even the joint construction of a wooden hall to store road salt in sufficient quantities in the southern county
d) to service certain Räumstrecken in the villages are Agreements are made with farmers who are equipped with dozer blade and can relieve the yard. The
received by the city reviews and issues are carefully evaluated and incorporated into future planning for continuous improvement of the winter service.
management and policy will have to consider very carefully how far the city of Geilenkirchen will be upgraded in the future deployment of personnel and material (comparable to the standards in states with harsh winters, such as Bavaria or Saxony) and received at the same time the risk will, the household with to charge expenses we held later in mild winters as totally useless be. Geilenkirchen behaves in the risk assessment and practical use of winter maintenance as far as the large majority of municipalities in North Rhine-Westphalia, even if this attempt to refute the subjective opinions of individuals.
