On behalf of Oxfordshire County Council
Read the story on the Oxfordshire County Council website or below:
Last winter we welcomed 30 new gritters on to Oxfordshire’s roads. Every time the temperature drops below freezing, they hit the highways to spread salt and make our motorists safer.
Now we are looking to name the fleet. And we need your help.
What do you want to see them called? If you’ve got a good idea, we want to hear it. Who knows – you might get to see your suggestion emblazoned on the side of one of our gritters.
We’d particularly love to see some names with local significance. Maybe you’ll be inspired by Oxfordshire’s rich history and cultural importance.
We’ve got plenty of famous authors to choose from, such as George Thaw-well, Lew-ice Carroll, JRR Saltbin or Sir Chill-ip Pullman? How about crime writers Dame Agatha Gritsie or Coolin’ Dexter and his famous fictional detective Inspector Morse (or perhaps Inspector Norse)? Or the actor who played him – the appropriately named John Thaw?
Maybe there should be a tribute to Wantage-born monarch King Alfred the Grit, or Blenheim Palace-born wartime Prime Minister Sir Winston Chur-chill? What about patron saint of Oxford Saint Frideswide (or should that be Saint Slideswide) or local actor and comedian Hugh Lorry?
Music fans might want a nod to legendary Oxford band Radiospread, or veteran DJ and broadcaster Whispering Bobsleigh Harris.
While football supporters may well want to give Oxford United a mention, perhaps through Milk Cup-winning manager Maur-ice Evans or club legend Snowy Beauchamp.
So, get your thinking caps on and send us your suggestions. Maybe you can help us spread a few smiles as well as the salt.
Entries can be submitted to Let’s Talk Oxfordshire by 5 November.
We’ll sort through the best and then our drivers will pick the winners – after all, they’re the ones who’ll be behind the wheel.
Other names are being by suggested by pupils from the primary schools nearest to the council’s three deports – in Deddington, Drayton near Abingdon, and Woodcote – and by listeners to the Radio Oxford Breakfast Show.
Once they’re named, it’s hoped people will be able to trace their journeys on cold winter nights through our gritter tracker.
Oxfordshire County Council and its highways maintenance contractor, M Group, work hard to ensure that the county’s roads keep moving and stay safe when the colder weather hits.
There are three covered stores around the county, keeping over 10,000 tonnes of road salt dry and in optimum condition for use by our 54 specialist gritter drivers.
The fleet of gritting vehicles consist of 15 26 tonne trucks, 12 18 tonne vehicles, two 7.5 tonne trucks and one 3.5 tonne ‘baby gritter’, to treat very narrow roads and the park and rides. In total, 30 vehicles are stationed at three winter depots across the county, ready for when the temperatures drop.
The council salts approximately 42 per cent of Oxfordshire’s road network, one of the highest rates in the country.
While Oxford City Council looks after the gritting inside the Oxford ring road, Oxfordshire County Council has responsibility for the rest of the county – including all A roads, B roads and some C roads, apart from the M40, A43 and A34, which are covered by National Highways.
Our gritter drivers treat 27 routes across the county in each gritting session, covering over 3,500km in total, of which 1,960km (1,200 miles) are salted – that’s the equivalent of travelling from London to Iceland.