Getting gritty with it!
Bucks residents took part in a public vote throughout December to name four Transport for Buckinghamshire (TfB) gritters. Sixteen pre-selected names were whittled down through a Twitter poll.
The four names chosen by the public were:
- Spready Mercury
- David Plowie
- Grit Happens
- Chris Gritty
The social media campaign to choose the names reached 360,000 people, and more than 2,000 people got directly involved by casting a vote.
Two of the gritters, Spready Mercury and David Plowie, will be based at the Griffin Lane Depot in Aylesbury. The other two gritters will be based at the Amersham and Handy Cross depots.
On Friday 11 February, Steven Broadbent, Cabinet Member for Transport, attended the unveiling of Spready Mercury and David Plowie in Aylesbury.
“Thank you to everyone who helped choose the names of four of our gritters. I was impressed by the response from the public and just how hotly contested the voting rounds became! It was also a pleasure to take part in the official unveiling,” said Steven.
He added: “I’d also like to thank our winter crews, who are currently on call 24 hours a day to help keep our roads moving safely.”
Alan Foster, TfB Gritter Driver, commented:
“Thanks very much Bucks for naming my vehicle David Plowie. Bowie is my favourite artist, so I look forward to driving it around Aylesbury and beyond!”
Follow TfB’s gritter updates on Facebook and Twitter. And visit Buckinghamshire Council’s winter maintenance page to find out more about how the council decides when to grit roads and the routes the gritters follow.