Still no solution to a Sticky Problem...

Can you see the pavement for all the Chewing Gum?

The sticky subject of the mess created by chewing gum on pavements in the local area has once again raised its head, following a post or two on Oscar's blog about the subject.

It's something I've mentioned myself in the past, almost one year ago, in fact. Unfortunately, nothing whatsoever has been done to tackle the problem, in spite of representations on the matter by several local people to Cllr Mike Priestley (Cabinet Member for the Environment at Conwy Council).

After several reminders, he has finally responded to Oscar's questions on the subject.

It would appear that the Council did own a Cleaning Machine but it was damaged by a flood at Dolgarrog and had to be written off.

One wonders if an insurance claim was submitted and what happened to the proceeds?

It would also appear that someone at CCBC has told Cllr Priestley that to buy a new machine to remove chewing gum would cost £120,000. No, that's not a typing error, I did say £120,000. Now, I'm not an expert on chewing gum removal, but, by using Google, I was able to find a machine specially designed for removing Chewing gum from Pavements that cost less than £5,000. Here's the link (with the price) so you can see for yourself:
http://www.getridofgum.com/remove_chewing_gum.html

So...what's going on? Is someone at Conwy Council trying to pull the wool over Cllr Priestley's eyes in order to save themselves some work?

Whatever the reason, it's disappointing to see that, one year later, nothing has been done...

A concidence to chew over...

Regular blogwatchers will remember a post from myself on the 30th December, commenting on the amount of chewing gum on Llandudno's streets and what a poor sight it presented:

http://llandudnoandcolwynbay.blogspot.com/2009/12/chewing-gum.html

In that post, I promised to email the Cabinet Member responsible for the Environment, Mike Priestley, and ask him what action could be taken to deal with this problem. I'm pleased to say that I have now received a response from Mr. Priestley, in which he says..

"I think you raise a fair point regarding Mostyn Street and I totally agree with you that it is a mess. I would however, at this point like to state that chewing gum on pavements is a national problem. I have been looking at this problem and ways to tackle it for some time now and have seen a number of chewing gum removal equipment demonstrations. I have to say, only one has caught my eye. This year I will be looking to purchase some equipment to address the chewing gum problem and will be seeking the best and most efficient system. The biggest problem I see is the length of time it will take to clear a particular road or street of chewing gum. My department is looking into this with a view to working with partners. I can also look to place a business case to have a one-off cleanse followed by our staff keeping on top of the problem.

I am also looking at a three prong attack on this

Education in schools and the media pointing out all the problems this causes

Enforcement – catching and fining those responsible

Cleaning – implementing a cleansing schedule which includes the removal of gum from our pavements

The above, I believe, can make a difference to our streets and pavements and this is an issue I want to tackle."

I'm pleased with Mr. Priestley's response and look forward to hearing what action is to be taken to deal with this sticky problem.

Chewing Gum

(Photo Credit)

The state of Llandudno's main streets are a disgrace. I'm not talking about the general standard of maintenance or litter...I'm talking about chewing gum...it is everywhere and it looks disgusting. To the best of my knowledge, there has not been any effort made by Conwy Council to remove chewing gum from Mostyn Street's pavements in 5 years at least, and maybe a lot longer.

The next time you're walking along Mostyn Street, take a look down at your feet and you'll see how bad the problem is. Over in Rhyl, Denbighshire County Council have the main streets steam cleaned (the most effective method of chewing gum removal) twice yearly. Back in May 2005, Conwy Councillors were complaining about the chewing gum problem and it was agreed that the purchase of a Gumbsuter machine be investigated.

So, four years later, why have Conwy Council done nothing? I intend to email Mike Priestley (Cabinet Member for the Environment) and ask him...