Weather - Fewer staff for Hamburg's winter road clearance service: criticism from CDU
This year, Hamburg's winter road clearance service has significantly fewer staff available than last year. According to the Senate, 725 employees and contractors are available to clear snow and ice from roads and cycle paths. In the previous year, there were 850, in winter 2018/19 even 900, as the Senate announced in response to a minor question from the CDU parliamentary group.
Richard Seelmaecker, transport policy spokesman for the opposition parliamentary group, criticized the 15 percent drop in personnel compared to the previous year: "It was only the week before last that we had a severe onset of winter in Hamburg. Now it is clear that the Green transport senator (Anjes Tjarks) is making massive cuts to winter road clearance staff, thereby jeopardizing the safety of Hamburg's residents."
Last winter, there were hundreds of icy accidents in Hamburg, in which several people were injured, some of them seriously. "We need to increase the number of staff again to ensure that snow and ice are cleared and gritted in good time," demanded Seelmaecker.
The winter road clearance service ensures that important roads and particularly dangerous routes remain passable. Cycle paths on main roads are also cleared and gritted by the city cleaning service as far as possible. Residential and side streets are generally treated as a secondary priority, explained the Senate. Residents are responsible for the sidewalks.
In recent years, several new residential areas with roads and cycle paths have been built in Hamburg. The traffic areas to be cleared have grown as a result. In 2022 alone, 317 kilometers of cycle paths were included in the winter service, according to the Senate's latest climate report.
Small question from the CDU parliamentary group
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- Despite the city cleaning service in Hamburg having fewer staff for winter road clearance this year, with only 725 employees and contractors, compared to 850 last year and 900 in winter 2018/19, as critiqued by the CDU parliamentary group, Richard Seelmaecker, the transport policy spokesman for the opposition, emphasized the importance of increasing staff to prevent icy accidents and ensure timely snow and ice clearance and gritting.
- The operational force responsible for Hamburg's winter road clearance service has significantly less staff available this year, which may impact the safety of the city's residents, as Richard Seelmaecker, CDU's transport policy spokesman, pointed out in response to a minor question from the CDU parliamentary group.
- The reduction in staff for Hamburg's winter road clearance service, as noted by the Senate last year, has resulted in a decrease of 15 percent compared to the previous year, which has raised concerns from both the Senate and opposition politicians, such as Richard Seelmaecker.
- The city of Hamburg has a growing number of cycle paths that are included in the winter service, totaling 317 kilometers in 2022, but the reduced operational force responsible for road clearance and maintenance may lead to delays in clearing and gritting these paths, potentially affecting the safety and convenience of cyclists.
Source: www.stern.de
