Technical & Environmental Services Intranet Pages

With the Festive Season upon us the Institute of Advanced Motorists has the following advice:

• Beware the quick drink after work. One pint with your colleagues might seem harmless but it can quickly turn into two, then three. Shell out for a taxi, get the train, or walk – it’ll cost much less than a drink-drive charge or accident.
• Ignore peer pressure. Your friends or family have had a few and don’t want to pay for a taxi. You have your car but have been drinking. Just say no – it’s your licence at stake.
• Driving with good intentions to a party, to a pub or to a restaurant and then just having a drink or two, puts more pressure on you to risk driving home, even if you’re not sure whether you are below the limit.
• You are likely to be breathalysed if you are involved in a collision, even if it is not your fault. Whether or not you think you’re fit to drive, don’t take the chance or somebody else’s mistake might become your problem.
• Even if you resist and don’t drive home, a drinking session the night before could put you over the legal limit the morning after. Bear this in mind and make alternative transport plans for the next day – don’t just risk it.
• Many crashes involve pedestrians who have been drinking. When walking home after a few drinks, take extra care, and if you’re driving be aware that pedestrians may be the worse for wear.

THIS YEAR YOU COULD BE BANNED IN 90 MINUTES

The Christmas Drink Drive campaign has been launched with some motorists being warned that they facing losing their licence within 90 minutes of being charged.

It is proposed to conduct thousands of breath tests throughout the country at all hours of the day and night.

A system of Video links between police stations and the courts will mean suspects appearing before the magistrates before they have been released from custody.

A trial conducted last year resulted in 11  people receiving disqualifications using this method with one appearing before magistrates within 81 minutes after being discharged.

There were 250 deaths and 1,230 serious injuries involving drink and drug driving last year. Some 17,000 drivers were breath tested during the campaign last year with 6,662 arrests being made.

 CHILDREN’S ROAD SAFETY PROGRAMME

The BBC children’s channel, CBBC, has launched a new series featuring parents and their children learning about road safety and safe driving.

In the programme, ‘CBBC Driving Academy’, four teams comprising a child and their parent are pitched against each other in a number of road safety related tasks. The show is hosted by actor Joe Swash and Sandra Dodson, deputy chief driving examiner with the DSA, assumes the role of Driving Academy chief examiner.

CBBC Driving Academy is aired on BBC One, weekdays at 3.05pm and on the CBBC Channel, weekdays at 4.30pm.

New shared service arrangements for Waste, Street Cleaning and Grounds Maintenance commenced on 4th October 2011

Joint Waste Client Team - Officer Contact details

This team who are based with the rest of the Technical Services Team on the 3rd floor of the Civic Offices, will in future deal with all waste and recycling matters in both the Hart and Basingstoke area.

Sarah Incher - Waste & Recycling Manager email - sarah.incher@hart.gov.uk
Maria Massarella - Transitional Waste & Recycling Manager - starts on 1st November 2011
Kevin Ennis - Waste & Recycling Officer - email kevin.ennis@hart.gov.uk
Jo Perrin - Waste & Recycling Officer - email jo.perrin@hart.gov.uk
Lee Searle - Waste & Recycling Officer - email lee.searle@hart.gov.uk
David Platel - Waste & Recycling Officer -  mail david.platel@hart.gov.uk
Ashley Maund  - Waste & Recycling Officer - email ashley.maund@hart.gov.uk

Street Cleaning and Grounds Maintenance enquiries - Officer Contact details

This team will in future deal with all street cleaning and grounds maintenance matters.

Steve Featherstone - Basingtoke Operations Manager - email: Steve.Featherstone@basingstoke.gov.uk
Philip Mundy - Street Cleaning Supervisor - philip.mundy@basingstoke.gov.uk
Phillip Bacon - Grounds Maintenance Supervisor - phillip.bacon@basingstoke.gov.uk

Whilst operational staff will continue to be based at Harts Springwell Lane depot, administration and management will be based at Basingstoke's Wade Road depot.

Please note that as part of the new working arrangements Angela Nash, Lynne Broome and Tony Neal have been transferred to Veolia Environmental Services, whilst previously you may have contacted them on waste and street cleaning matters, in future all enquires should be directed to one of the team members listed above.

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NOW IS A GOOD TIME TO FOCUS ATTENTION ON WINTER DRIVING

With the early October nights already ‘drawing in’ and the end of British Summer Time during the last week of October looming, we are about to enter one of the most dangerous times of year on our roads.
There is no doubt that bad weather and longer nights in winter pose a danger – with about 50% of all reported road traffic collisions at night occurring in wet conditions.
Between 3-6 pm is also a dangerous time - when people are travelling home after a busy day at work and children are making their way home from school. During the summer up to a quarter of all collisions happen during these hours, but when the clocks go back, heavy traffic and rapidly deteriorating light increases this statistic to a third.
Now is therefore a good time to focus on staying safe on the road this winter – whether you are driving on work business or in your own time.

BEFORE YOU DRIVE
Driving in winter weather – falling leaves, snow, ice, wet and cold - creates a great challenge for vehicles and drivers. Keeping yourself and your vehicle in good technical repair reduces your overall chances of any mishap or disaster while driving in winter weather.
To prepare your vehicle for winter driving give it a complete check-up - electrical system (battery, ignition and lights); brakes; tyres; exhaust; wipers; fluids, radiator/antifreeze and heating/cooling system. Keep your fuel tank near to full to ensure that you do not run out.
It is particularly important to check your tyres are in good order, and have plenty of tread depth. Recent research has shown that effective well maintained tyres can have a major effect on stopping distances on wet and slippery roads. Weekly checks, or when refuelling, are recommended.
In really extreme weather, prepare an emergency kit for your car. Include things that cater for the unexpected - what would you need if you found yourself stranded miles from help during a snow storm? Include things like warm clothing, boots, gloves or mittens, flashlight with fresh batteries, blankets, and fresh first-aid supplies. During bad weather let people know where you are going, your route of travel, and when you expect to arrive. Plan your driving and likely arrival time in advance. Never drive if fatigued or under the influence of alcohol. Allow for extra travelling time or even consider delaying a trip if the weather is inclement. Is an alternative method of travel possible? Listen to weather forecasts, and if weather and visibility are hazardous, ask yourself ‘is this trip really necessary?’

ON THE ROAD
Drive according to current road and weather conditions. Whenever driving conditions are less than ideal, it pays to be cautious. Make sure that all windows (front, side and rear) and mirrors are clear and that wipers and defrosters are in good working condition. Drive slowly with low beam headlights on if visibility is poor, test your brakes frequently, leave a bigger gap and never tailgate. Posted speed limits are for ideal travel conditions. Driving at reduced speeds, in a lower gear and at a safe distance from the vehicle in front are the best precautionary measures against any misfortune while driving on slippery roads. Lengthen your following distance behind the vehicle ahead of you - stopping distances double on slippery roads.

IF THE WORST HAPPENS
If you get stranded, don’t panic. Keep yourself safe, and follow the detailed procedures in your driver’s handbook if you are in a work vehicle. In your own vehicle you should contact the appropriate support organisation and follow their guidance.

SAFE DRIVING THIS WINTER

Remember to make sure you and your vehicle are in top condition; plan your journeys and adapt your travel to allow for the road and weather conditions.

WINTER TYRES

October represents Tyre Safety Month which is promoted by TyreSafe and they have made a new online movie which can be viewed at www.tyresafe.org.

While the film was shot on an ice rink to highlight the staggering difference in performance between winter weather and standard summer tyres, the group is keen to stress that winter tyres really come into their own when the air temperature drops below 7 degrees Celsius, which is usually experienced throughout the UK between October and March, and not just when the road is covered in snow or ice.

In the film, two driving manoeuvres are performed with a pair of almost identical cars, the only difference being that one was fitted with standard summer tyres and the other winter weather tyres. When carrying out an emergency stop at a speed of just 15mph, the car with summer tyres took four metres longer to stop - almost a full car length.

Meanwhile, in a cornering test, the car with standard summer tyres suffered massive under steer and ploughed through a set of cones which simulated the edge of the road. However, the car equipped with winter weather tyres stayed in complete control thanks to much higher levels of grip.

The film was shot on an ice rink to drive home the difference between summer and winter tyres in extreme conditions, but in reality, any cold, damp road surface will make a real difference to how a tyre performs. Whenever the temperature drops below 7 degrees Celsius the tread compound in normal summer tyres begins to harden, providing less grip and reducing safety says Tyresafe.

Winter tyres are expected to be extremely popular with safety conscious drivers this year following two successive years of extreme wintry conditions. During the recent harsh winters many drivers were left stranded, unable to travel or faced with large repair bills from grip-related accidents. However, the technology present in winter weather tyres helps to minimise these challenges.

Drivers can see the movie on TyreSafe's website, www.tyresafe.org, where it also has additional information and a downloadable leaflet about the added safety benefits provided by winter weather tyres.

Battery Recycling Bins are now in Situ

There are battery recycling bins located in the Civic Office (by vending machine in reception) and all of the leisure centres. They will accept all domestic batteries from portable equipment such as radios, mobile phones, clocks, MP3 players etc., including all Zinc-Carbon, alkaline, Silver Oxide, Lithium, Nickel Cadmium (NiCd) and Nickel - Metal Hydride (NiMH) but not automotive "wet" lead-acid batteries from motorbikes and electric vehicles like motorised wheelchairs etc.