Edinburgh council seeking more mini-tractor drivers to clear snow

Council chiefs are still trying to recruit staff to operate new mini-tractors hired to help clear snow from routes involved in the Spaces for People programme.

The Evening News highlighted last week how temporary cycle lanes on Comiston Road had gone uncleared for days, forcing cyclists to use the main carriageway.

The council said it had hired three extra mini-tractors for Spaces for People routes on top of the 16-strong fleet of the vehicles it bought last winter, but it needed more staff to operate them 24/7.

Each year, the council invites staff to volunteer for paid shifts to supplement road services personnel on winter maintenance.

An advert on the council intranet asks: “Ever wanted to drive a mini tractor? This is your chance.”

It continues: "Our winter team is still looking for a few colleagues with full UK driving licences to volunteer (paid). You'll be a key part of the team that keeps our roads, pavements, cycle and footpaths clear this winter."

Tory transport spokesman Susan Webber said the council should widen the pool from which recruits were sought.

“This is about us all pulling together. If it has to be council employees driving these mini-tractors, look around the entire council community and seek out those on furlough or not doing their jobs. At one point it was mooted that Edinburgh Leisure staff could be involved in these sorts of project. We need to be more ambitious and thinking out the box if we’ve got these pockets of vacancies that are seasonal and need to be resolved quickly.”

More mini-tractors have been hired to clear footpaths and cycle lanes

The council said it had enough resources to operate the 16 new mini-tractors to treat priority routes. The three mini-tractors hired for Spaces for People routes were operating but the council was in the process of recruiting extra volunteers to increase frequency.

Transport convener Lesley Macinnes said: “We’ve been doing everything we can to tackle snow and ice over recent weeks and our roads services teams have been working around the clock to treat priority pavements, cycle paths and roads.

“While we’re working to clear every Spaces for People cycleway, there may be times when people cycling may need to use the road if the cycle lane has not yet been fully cleared and I would urge people to take extra care.”

A message from the Editor:

Thank you for reading this article. We're more reliant on your support than ever as the shift in consumer habits brought about by coronavirus impacts our advertisers.

If you haven't already, please consider supporting our trusted, fact-checked journalism by taking out a digital subscription.