2009’s Snowday was memorable for the abject collapse of the bus network, supposedly surpassing anything seen in the Blitz. It was also, inveterate borough watchers noted, memorable for such scenes as Tory flagship cost-cutters Hammersmith and Fulham running out of grit first and going to TfL for supplies. Despite that we had bus cancellations because the road conditions sharply worsened at the border. Our conclusion at the time was that this proved the need for a pan-London effort without all this ‘working with the boroughs’ crap. Fortunately in January 2010’s rather longer snowy period this is exactly what happened and it’s nice to give credit – things actually went much better than expected despite considerable pressure on grit supplies. Boris won’t be hauled before the Commons Transport Committee this time and it’s clear in the Commissioner’s Report who he has to thank for this:
However, due to the severe weather being experienced across the whole of the UK and for a prolonged period, by the beginning of the week commencing 4 January, it was apparent that there was a problem in supplies of salt for gritting. The London Local Authority Coordination Centre (LLACC) was implemented and TfL worked with the LLACC to coordinate grit supplies across London.
A pan TfL Gold coordinating group was set up and, through daily conference calls, assessed impacts and developed plans to maintain the effective functioning of the transport systems.
So they first got their organisation going at the London level, it seems. Then it snowed some more:
By Wednesday 6 January, the salt supply situation in the UK was such that the national ‘Salt Cell’ was implemented to recommend priorities for salt supply across the UK. In London, ‘mutual aid’ was implemented between the boroughs but despite this, it was increasingly clear that without significant resupply, there was the possibility of salt stocks in London being exhausted. A London wide
Gold group was convened by the Government Office for London on 7 January to ensure strategic coordination for London, particularly in relation to salt supply and use.The Mayor made the case for London to be represented on the Salt Cell, and it was agreed that David Brown, Managing Director, Surface Transport, would represent London.
Cross-organisational co-operation? Strategic co-ordination? Joined up administration? London represented? All good stuff. What was the result?
As a result, the bus network performed well and remained operational at all times during the bad weather.
See? That wasn’t hard, was it?* All it takes is the realisation that sometimes Big Government is the answer, not the problem – without a pan-London body we’d have had 31 boroughs arguing with each other about minute quantities of salt rather than one key man with the Mayor’s backing going to national level and making the case. Good work David Brown, I reckon.
* OK, it probably was, but hard jobs are easy if you get the right people *and the right organisation*. Been there, done that.
Tags: 9 Comments
9 responses so far ↓
David Brown of London Town knows what he’s doing, from what I’ve seen.
The rate and volume of snowfall during last winter’s episode was unprecendented. No amount of “cross-organisational co-operation” or any other dreary left wing blather would have made a button of difference.
When they had similar snowfall in Stockholm on Dec 17th 2009, all the buses in southern Stockholm were: cancelled… Got that? —Sweden.
If only they’d had you, Ken Livingstone and your strategic baloney to help out…. no doubt you could teach those Swedes a trick or two.
Biggest snowfall in twenty years is not unprecedented. It just means it has not happened in twenty years.
Did the buses stop running 20 years ago?
No.
“The rate and volume of snowfall during last winter’s episode was unprecendented”
Tedious libertarian knob makes weak excuses for public sector failure. Is this what you’re reduced to? I see no reason for politeness given the tone of your comment, but no doubt you’ll complain about rude lefties or something. You really are a piece of work.
“dreary left wing blather”
? I work in the private sector, we talk like that all the time. I hadn’t realised that co-operation was banned in whatever selfish wank-fantasy passes for your political opinions. How very Stalinist of you.
Anyway, you’ve missed the point, which is that they’ve learnt from their mistakes last year and one of the key reasons this year’s snowfall passed off much better was that there was a single voice for London prioritising gritting key bus routes rather than a chaos of boroughs going their own ways and running out of grit randomly. I’d have thought you’d have been first in the queue to complain about Ealing being cut off from central London because the Uxbridge Road stopped being gritted properly when it ran into Greenhalgh’s territory last year.
Appealing said
“No amount of “cross-organisational co-operation” or any other dreary left wing blather would have made a button of difference”
maybe not – but the insistance of the Tory councils (like mine – Wandsworth) who are so keen to ‘deliver value for money’ that they have minimal storage of grit.
They had just about enough to do the roads, but the pavements were ridiculous – and I don’t know many people who are able to ‘fly to their car’!
“When they had similar snowfall in Stockholm on Dec 17th 2009, all the buses in southern Stockholm were: cancelled… Got that? —Sweden.”
You need to get your facts straight – I watched a programme on snowfall around Europe and Denmark, Sweden and Russia all laugh at our inability to function in the snow. Only when the temperature falls below -20 in Finland are the children excused from playing outside at lunchtime.
Still – facts were never your strong point.
I don’t doubt things wouldn’t have been much better under Ken – but at least the bus drivers would have been more inclined to make an effort – because they didn’t hate him like they hate Boris.
This is what happens when the bean counters take over – they see the bottom line as efficient, but the morons don’t realise the bottom line isn’t everything.
““When they had similar snowfall in Stockholm on Dec 17th 2009, all the buses in southern Stockholm were: cancelled… Got that? —Sweden.”
You need to get your facts straight…”
On Dec 17, all buses in south Stockholm were cancelled — that’s a fact. What other fact did I not get straight?
Tom: “I see no reason for politeness given the tone of your comment”
You never do. I still owe you one.
http://www.stockholmbypixels.com/2009/12/say-what-winter-here.html
“Snowfall and high winds brought road traffic to a standstill in parts of the city. Several bus services were cancelled altogether yesterday.”
High winds, there. I wonder if the trams were still running?
Helen, “several” is the same as “all” if you are not the best with understanding English. A bit like wanting change from conservatives.
I may be wrong here, but is Stockholm now, in its stopped by snow phase, run by a more conservative administration? I thought that Sweden had shifted slightly in the last few years. 55b seats for the centre right party (majority) from what I saw.