As days become shorter and nights chillier, Somerset County Council’s fleet of 23 gritters is ready to be mobilised as soon as the temperature drops below zero in coming months.
Salt barns across Somerset are fully stocked and the team is on standby to treat 900 miles of road when the mercury plummets.
Last year Somerset County Council’s fleet of nearly two dozen gritters went out on 66 occasions when freezing temperatures were forecast, covering 70,200 miles help prevent ice forming with 1842 route actions in total – a significant increase from previous years.
This year the fleet is being bolstered with 20 new snow blowers, four new snow ploughs and there are three extra weather stations to signal cold weather warnings.
“Our dedicated teams are ready to spring into action when needed after working hard throughout the year to make sure our salt is stocked and our equipment is checked,” said Cllr John Woodman, Somerset County Council’s Cabinet Member for Highways.
“Be assured they’re checking the forecasts every day to ensure gritters go out whenever road surface temperatures drop, and frost or snow is anticipated.”
What roads do they treat?
They treat over a fifth of Somerset’s roads, opens in a new windowmarked red on the mapopens PDF file .
Their main priority is to keep the busiest routes clear whenever ice or snow is expected. The priority is roads that link major towns, villages and communities on high ground and the important routes across the County for long distance travel.
When do the gritters come out?
They carry out gritting when road surface temperatures are predicted to drop below 1°C and ice or snow is expected. Precautionary gritting normally takes place before the formation of ice – so that generally means their teams are out in the evening or early morning.
In the event of snow, they have established plans in place, working alongside the emergency services and partners to clear the network as quickly as possible. They can equip their gritters with snowploughs and have arrangements with farmers and snowplough operators who are employed to clear snow on our behalf. They prioritise their primary network and move on to clear their secondary and minor networks as resources allow.
Why don’t they salt every road in Somerset?
They can’t treat every road, as there aren’t enough gritters, drivers and depot staff to make this cost-efficient. However, they are carrying on the work with parish councils to fill roadside grit bins on request and are continuing to run a community-led snow warden scheme.
Getting about
Rain can wash salt away and in very low temperatures gritting may not be enough to prevent freezing – so drivers are always advised to take extra caution in winter.
Only the busiest roads are gritted, and most are not, so ensure you plan ahead and drive carefully, particularly if frost has followed rain.
For more information about Somerset County Council’s winter service programme, including a searchable map showing all the roads treated, please visit the opens in a new windowSomerset County Council website and follow @TravelSomerset on Twitter and Facebook.
The Road Safety team also have plenty of advice for road users in the winter months, so make sure to follow @SCC_RoadSafety and visit the opens in a new windowSomerset Road Safety website for more information.