Gritting information from
Suffolk County Council March-April 2010:
The weather conditions this winter have been very challenging in
terms of snow fall combined with the very cold temperatures and the
length of time these conditions have prevailed. These conditions,
together with the timing of these, have stretched our resources and
have resulted in a number of issues.
Restriction of Salt Supplies
The timing and the severity of weather has depleted salt stocks
across the country and these remain at a critical level. The
delivery and distribution of salt is currently being directed by
the 'Salt Cell' – which is comprised of the Cabinet Office Civil
Contingencies Secretariat, Department for Transport, Department for
Communities and Local Government, Highways Agency and the Local
Government Association.
Suffolk is currently assessed as a high priority as determined
by Salt Cell and we are receiving small, however, regular
deliveries.
All Highway Authorities are required to preserve salt and
continue to treat only the highest priority roads. For the
foreseeable future Suffolk County Council will only be able to use
salt on our Priority 1 network, which includes all A and B roads,
access to hospitals and fire stations. In the event of significant
falls of snow we will use grit at difficult spots on the lower
priority routes.
Self Help - Clearing pavements
There have been lengthy discussions in the media during this
winter regarding individuals clearing the snow away from pavements
in front of their homes or business and the issues of liabilities.
It is hoped that these discussions do not deter the community sprit
shown by people across Suffolk from carrying out this work in the
future.
The latest advice from the Government states the
following:
“Although, ultimately, it is for the courts to decide issues of
liability, as long as the clearing of snow and ice does not make
the situation more dangerous, then it is highly unlikely that any
claim against people who did so, would be successful. All that is
needed is a shovelful of table salt to prevent the formation of ice
on the cleared area and a pinch of common sense”
Potholes
The severe weather conditions, especially the exceptionally low
temperatures, have caused serious damage to our roads. This has
resulted in potholes and, in some cases, the road surface stripping
off. The strength of our more minor roads will have been weakened
and we will see the effect of that over the coming months. We
encourage the
reporting of potholes, giving as much information about the
size and location. We are responding as quickly as we can and
are having to do a temporary repair at this stage, dealing with
more serious potholes first to ensure the roads remain in a safe
condition. At the end of the winter we will go back and repair the
road surface in advance of the annual surface dressing
programme.
Suffolk County Council (SCC) has a duty to ensure, so far
as is reasonably practicable, that safe passage along a road
is not endangered by snow or ice. To comply with our duty as
Highway Authority for county council roads, we spread salt and
clear snow. There are practical limitations to what can be
achieved, and priority is given to areas of highest potential
risk. The first priority are the busiest roads.
After that we treat roads, pavements and cycle tracks
according to a system of priorities based on usage.
Spreading salt on the roads helps prevent or remove ice. When
snow is more than 50mm deep, it needs to be mechanically removed by
ploughing or digging. Salt becomes less effective as
temperatures reduce. In exceptionally low temperatures, salt
may have little or no effect and it may be necessary to spread grit
to give more grip on the ice, rather than trying to melt it.
Where to grit?
Roads are salted and snow cleared according to a system of
priorities:
- Priority 1 – All A and B class roads, and the
busiest bus and commuter routes on other roads. These are treated
on any occasion ice or snow is forecast to be a hazard;
- Priority 2 - Other significant bus routes and
other commuter routes. Treated if snow or ice is forecast to
persist for much of the day, or shorter term conditions will be
severe, e.g. rain turning to ice;
- Priority 3 – Other classified roads and busier
unclassified roads. Only treated in prolonged severe
conditions as resources permit; and
- Priority 4 – Remaining surfaced unclassified
roads. Treated in conditions of severe and prolonged snow, as
resources permit.
Suffolk Elgin
- view gritting and salting routes
To find out which roads fall into the above categories, please
go to Suffolk Elgin.
- Click on Map Roadworks, then click on the downward arrow
next to the words "Zoom to".
- Select one of the options Postcode, Street or Town -
this will open another box where you can enter the information
required for the option you have selected.
- A new box will appear headed "Map Layers and Legends" - in the
folder headed "Highway Network" click on Salting
routes.
- This will open another box showing Map Layer Information -
click on the X in the top right corner to close
this.
- The map will now display the gritting routes for roads
maintained by the county council - those with purple lines
down the centre of roads are Priority 1 routes; those with
green lines down the centre of roads are Priority 2
routes.
- By clicking on the coloured line along the route, another box
will open giving the route name and the salting
priority.
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Making the decision to grit
During the winter months we receive a detailed local road
surface weather forecast every day. Eight roadside weather stations
measure road and air temperature, rainfall, wind speed and
humidity.
We receive specialised winter weather forecasting service
provided by Meteo Group Weather Centre on a daily
basis. This predicts the possibility of freezing road
temperatures, snow etc, and the time those conditions may
occur.
Gritting the 1200 miles of Priority 1 routes takes 2.5 hours and
costs £10,000. Keeping the county's roads safe is the priority, but
we must also make sure the 38 gritters are not sent out
needlessly.
In Ipswich salting and snow clearing is carried out for Suffolk
County Council by Ipswich Borough Council (telephone: 01473 432727
or 433000).
Grit heaps
We provide roadside grit heaps on request from parish councils
so local people can treat local trouble spots on minor roads, which
otherwise would not be treated:
- grit heaps/bins are generally placed in locations such as, the
bottom of hills, junctions on minor roads which are on lower
priority routes for gritting;
- the grit from these heaps/bins must only be used on the public
highway;
- requests for heaps/bins are only accepted from a town or parish
council;
- the location of the grit heaps/bins must be agreed by SCC;
- SCC does not purchase the bins; these must be provided by the
Town or Parish Council;
- bins cost approximately between £150 and £450, depending on the
type;
- grit heaps/bins will be replenished at the start of the
gritting season and afterwards on request by contacting CSD call
centre 0845 606 6171. (Under normal circumstances it can take 2
weeks to top up heaps as it is normally uneconomic to top up one
heap in isolation);
- there is no charge for grit
- Town and Parish Councils are responsible for keeping the list
of volunteers to spread the grit;
- named volunteers for spreading grit or clearing snow can be
insured through the county council’s insurance.
Snow clearing
Snow can be cleared by ploughing, digging, or the use of
specially designed snow blowers.
As well as using our own equipment, we can call over 200
farmers and contractors across the county to help with clearing
snow. Payment is only made to farmers and contractors who
have a contract with us and are working on our
instructions.
In severe snow conditions, we will carry out snow ploughing
throughout the night to try to keep the most important roads
passable. This is normally confined to the busier A class
roads.
Pavements and cycle tracks
Pavements and cycle tracks are only normally treated in the
event of snow. The following order of priority is used:
- Priority 1 – Main shopping streets in town
centres;
- Priority 2 – Other town centre pavements and
important cycle tracks;
- Priority 3 – Pavements and important cycle
tracks; and
- Priority 4 – Residential areas.
For more information contact the
Customer Service
Centre.