Winter work gets underway on the roads

With summer memories fading fast, Transport for Buckinghamshire's (TfB's) area maintenance teams leave behind their lawnmowers to start winter tasks.

More than 33 million square metres of grass were cut during the summer season, and attention now turns to the maintenance required to prepare the verges for winter.

TfB's teams are cutting drainage 'grips' on the verges to help water drain from the road, tidying footways, clearing overhanging vegetation and cutting back hedges to ensure roads and footpaths are as safe as possible for the winter season.

Throughout the season, more than 9,050 potholes have also been repaired so the roads start the winter season in the best possible state, ready for the cold weather.

The gritting teams are also getting ready for their first trip out; road temperatures and weather reports are now being monitored in readiness for the first gritting run. TfB's 25 gritters have been checked and serviced and the drivers briefed.

This year around 10,500 tonnes of salt are safely stored in fully-stocked salt barns across the county, ready for use on the 1,427 kilometres (891 miles) of primary routes when required.

TfB makes the decision for gritting daily, based on forecasts of expected weather conditions and road surface temperatures. Should the road temperature fall below zero, crews will be called in to carry out their precautionary salting runs.

Gritters can be tracked, by name, online. You can see 'Mitten', 'Mr Sprinkle' and 'Lambourgritti' as well as the rest of the fleet on their duties across the county in real time.

Once a decision has been made about whether or not to treat the roads, TfB will update its website daily, and use Twitter - on @tfbalerts - to keep people informed.

Mark Shaw, Buckinghamshire County Council Cabinet Member for Transport, said: 'After last year's relatively mild and wet winter, we're prepared for all conditions once again this season. The wealth of experience and knowledge within our winter teams fills me with confidence that we can deliver a top notch service to keep our roads as safe and secure as possible.

'We must remember, however, that salt is not a cure-all substance, and I'd encourage residents all to check that vehicles are ready for the cold weather, and remember to always drive to the conditions of the road.'

Winter driving workshops are taking place across the county during November and December to enable road users to brush up their skills when driving in difficult weather conditions.

Booking details: www.buckscc.gov.uk/transport and click on the 'Winter' button.

Tuesday 17 November 2015 – Central Tyre Buckingham, Wharf House Yard, Stratford Road, Buckingham MK18 1TD
Thursday 19 November 2015 – STS Tyre Pros, Amersham Road, Chesham HP5 1NG
Tuesday 24 November 2015 – Kwik Fit Tyre Pros, 511 London Road,High Wycombe HP11 1EP
Wednesday 2 December 2015 – STS Tyre Pros, Park Street, Aylesbury, HP20 1DX

All workshops are 6.30pm to 8.30pm.


IN THE PICTURES

Gritters at work across the county