'What the heck is a hoar frost?' and other winter FAQs

The cold weather has started settling in, and our gritters went out for the first time at the end of October. Here are some answers to frequently asked questions that crop up every year when we begin our winter service...

Can you refill my salt bin?

Salt bins are stocked at the beginning of every winter, and then restocked depending on demand and weather conditions. You can report empty salt bins using Fix My Street – pinpoint the location and select ‘salt bin refill’ from the drop down menu. We can’t fill bins immediately in response to each report, but bins reported empty will be added to the list for the next cycle of top-ups. There are over 1,200 salt bins across Buckinghamshire which TfB are responsible for; each bin holds about half a tonne of rock salt, the same stuff used on the roads.

My road doesn’t have a salt bin – can you provide one?

We can sell salt bins to private organisations with links to Bucks County Council, such as social care properties or schools. We will consider requests for new salt bins at known trouble spots on the public highway, however funding for new salt bins will need to be provided externally. We will consider requests from private organisations to buy salt bins as well; requests can be made using the contact forms on our website. 

Do new salt bins cost anything?

Initial setup costs are £475 per salt bin but once they are installed we will have no future liability for them, though it may be possible for us to refill private bins at a cost. For new estate roads all new salt bin requirements will be assessed, and the developer would fund the cost of the new salt bin and salt.

Why don’t you grit my road?

Our primary salting routes cover the most important roads to keep everyone moving, covering 1405km of the county's A and B road network – that’s about 44% of the total network, and is more than many local authorities grit. In times of very severe weather salting will be carried out on secondary routes as well. These generally include classified roads which are not included in the primary routes, unclassified roads serving communities of 200 dwellings or more and unclassified roads with a gradient of 10% or less. In general, the secondary salting network will be treated in the event of severe ice or snow. 

Why are you gritting, it’s not even cold?!

Our first gritting run this year was really early, 26^th October (there was a lot of excitement in the office at this surprising news) and several people questioned why we were salting when the forecast wasn’t that cold. The simple answer is; because road surface temperature is often several degrees lower than air temperature. We have a tried and tested system for making the gritting decision during winter – our dedicated winter team receives a detailed weather forecast analysis every day, which contains information on air temperature, road surface temperature, likelihood of snow and ice, humidity and wind speed. Using the data they are given, the team decides whether or not to salt the roads, and at what time.

…But are you saving some salt for when it’s really cold?

Yes. We have four rock salt barns based across Buckinghamshire in High Wycombe, Amersham, Aylesbury and Buckingham, as well as an emergency reserve of 3000 tonnes of salt near south Bucks, just in case. Each barn holds around 2,000 tonnes of salt at a time and is topped up throughout the winter. Last year, despite three major snow falls (a rarity for Buckinghamshire) we did not run out of salt.

The salt barn at Handy Cross depot

What the heck is a hoar frost?

We will quite often mention if a hoar frost is forecast in our daily gritting updates – a hoar frost is, put simply, a very thick and fibrous looking frost. A lovely fact, courtesy of the Woodland Trust is that hoar ‘comes from old English and refers to the old age appearance of the frost: the way the ice crystals form makes it look like white hair or a beard.’

Hoar frost occurs in much the same way as dew with moisture in the air condensing onto a surface. When the surface (i.e. the road temperature) is below zero, regardless of air temperature, the moisture will condense as ice rather than water – this is a hoar frost. Thus, although conditions may appear perfectly dry, ice can form on cold untreated surfaces. 

Hoar frost

Do you name your gritters like other counties do?

Yes – our gritters are called: Walter the Salter, Salt Disney, Usain Salt, Snow Farah, Grit ‘n’ bear it, Grit Expectations, Gritty Bang Bang, Ice Ice Baby, Snowbot, Rocky Horror, The Gritter Good, True Grit, Betty, Dawn Raider, Salty Snowflake, Brrrrrrrian, Blizzard Wizard, and Snowphie. When they’re out and about you can track them, here.

Can you call the next one Gritty McGritface?

No.

For more information on the council’s winter services, visit buckscc.gov.uk/readyforwinter

TfB to work on bridge and crossing in Marlow this half term

Starting from Monday 22nd October Transport for Buckinghamshire (TfB) will be busy in Marlow Town Centre, including commencing work on the long anticipated bridge bollards upgrade. 

The works are likely to take up to three weeks, depending on weather conditions, and will take place during week nights only with the bridge and road remaining open during the day. During the night closures TfB will also be taking the opportunity to install new pedestrian crossing refuge islands outside Burger’s, as part of a joint scheme with the Town Council, using Local Area Forum funding.

The old bell-shaped bollards will be removed and new, more robust, bollards will be installed on both approaches to Marlow Bridge, which are designed to be much more difficult for HGVs to get through. Both approaches to the bridge will be resurfaced as well. The work will be carried out overnight under a road closure between 9pm and 6am, Monday to Friday, for about three weeks. The bridge will remain open during the day and there will be restrictions in place to protect the bridge when the old bollards have been removed and the new ones not fully installed. 

Demo bollard on display in Marlow last September 

It is anticipated that these sturdier measures will deter and prevent overweight vehicles abusing or ignoring the 3T weight limit on the historic Marlow Bridge. Deputy Leader and Transport Cabinet Member Mark Shaw commented: 

“This work has been a long time coming, and I’m glad that after all the investigations and planning that has been going on behind the scenes we are finally able to move ahead. The new bollards have been designed to be less easy to abuse than the old ones, and will offer additional protection to an important historic structure.”

At the same time, to make full use of the road closure, TfB will begin the first phase of work to install a new crossing point at The Causeway, outside Burger’s, in a joint scheme with the Town Council and Local Area Forum (LAF). This first phase, to install the refuge islands, will be carried out under the same night closures as the bridge works and will take around five nights, depending on the weather. The second phase, to remove the adjacent parking spaces and complete a dropped kerb, will be carried out later in the year.

The plans for the new refuge islands on The Causeway, Marlow town centre 

Marlow’s Mayor, Chris Funnell, enthusiastically welcomed the news that the crossing works are commencing this week, commenting: 

“I’m delighted that after a long campaign to push for this project to get going, the crossing on The Causeway is now finally being started. Safety is our first priority and we need to ensure that everyone, particularly the disabled, young people and the elderly, have a safe way of crossing the road to get to the park. The new refuge will also act as a visual signal to drivers to be vigilant in that area.”

Mark Shaw added “I’m also really pleased that TfB have scheduled the crossing works for the same time as the bridge works – when teams can share road closures it not only minimises disruption in the town, it saves money. I’m looking forward to seeing the new bollards and the crossing completed; I think they will both be good for the town.”

Work commences on the bridge bollards tonight (Mon 22nd) from 9pm, and the crossing works are scheduled to begin on the 29th, weather permitting.

This article was corrected on 23/10/2018 to say that the weight limit is 3T, and not 3.5T as originally stated. 

It’s National Customer Service Week 2018!

This week is national customer service week and we’ll be focusing on a different element of our customer service every day on Twitter and Facebook – but if  you’re impatient you can see the whole lot here, now…

Our Customer Pledge

Our customer service is based on three core principles; whatever the job we always strive to keep you safe, get the job done, and keep you involved. This is all part of our customer pledge – find out a more on our website.

Reporting to us
Did you know you can report almost anything to us using Fix My Street? Fix My Street is quick, simple, and precise – every report is allocated to the right team quickly, 24/7, and generates a unique reference number so it can be tracked by anyone.  

Who you gonna call?

However, in any emergency it’s best to phone us, and not try to report online or via social media, or post (we really did get a letter about a fallen tree once!). We can be reached 24/7 in an emergency on either 01296 382416 or 01296 486630 (out of hours). Emergencies are things like flooded roads, fallen trees on roads or pavements, or serious and dangerous issues like sinkholes. If you’re not sure what we’re responsible for then check out our day-to-day maintenance page which details everything we take care of. 

Finding out about roadworks in your area

Did you know you can use an interactive map on our website to find out about road works and closures in Buckinghamshire (and beyond)? We’ve put together this 2 minute video guide to show you how to use the map, and its many hidden talents…

We also publish a press release every Friday saying where we will be doing resurfacing works across Buckinghamshire in the coming week. We also put it on our website, here.

Getting communities involved  
We work closely with elected county councillors in Buckinghamshire, as well as parishes, to find out local priorities and issues. We meet regularly via local area forums, working groups, conferences, as well as issuing briefings and information. This helps us shape our long term improvement programme every April.

TfB Stakeholder Conference 2018

TfB Stakeholder Conference 2018

The most important time of year for customer service: Winter!  

Our winter maintenance will be starting soon! To round off national customer service week we’re focusing on how TfB will be getting ready for winter. Every day during the winter we issue daily gritting updates, so drivers can know what to expect on the roads.  You can see the daily alerts on Twitter, Facebook, or on our winter maintenance page on the county council website. We have loads of winter web resources such as gritting maps where you can track our gritters, gritting route maps – we salt 44% of the roads in Buckinghamshire – and road safety advice. Read more on our winter maintenance page.

TfB to man Marlow Bridge during overnight A404 works this week

Highways England will be closing the A404 near Marlow to do white lining works overnight on Tuesday and Wednesday this week (18^th/19^th September). The closure will be between junction 9B and the Bisham Roundabout, northbound on Tuesday night and southbound on Wednesday night, from 10pm to 5am on both nights. There will be a signed diversion for HGVs, as well as increased warning signs of the 3T limit on the approach to Marlow Bridge, as well as a camera van on the bridge itself.

Transport for Buckinghamshire (TfB) will put gatemen on Marlow Bridge all night to deter overweight vehicles from using it as a diversion route. The gatemen will be wearing body cameras for their own safety.

Deputy Leader and Cabinet Member Mark Shaw commented: “While this is an overnight closure only, and we aren’t anticipating too many issues, we would rather be safe than sorry. There are a lot of works happening in and around Marlow at the moment, and there were well publicised problems with the bridge being misused a couple of weeks ago. We discussed the options with Highways England, and made the decision to take the protection of the bridge on ourselves.”

For further information, or to give feedback on the works and closures please contact Highways England.

Marlow Bridge misuse – Statement by TfB and Deputy Leader Mark Shaw

Last weekend, 1-2 September, Highways England (HE) closed a section of the A404 at Marlow to remove the Volvo footbridge for restoration works. Given the location of the closure, and its proximity to the Grade 1 listed Marlow Bridge, Transport for Buckinghamshire worked with HE and their contractor, Kier, to agree how the bridge would be protected from misuse by vehicles exceeding 3T. The agreement was for Kier to provide traffic management marshals to man both sides of the bridge and deter overweight vehicles.

The past weekend’s activity, backed up with photographs from the public and personal statements from local councillors, has shown that the agreed measures were not fully implemented. The bridge was open for all to use – including drivers who chose to ignore the official diversion and clear weight restriction signage on the approach to the bridge.

Highways England issued this brief statement to TfB on Tuesday this week: “We are aware of reports that that the traffic marshals may not have been in place at all times: we are speaking with the teams working over the weekend to establish the facts.”

TfB understands that HE’s investigation is ongoing, and as such is simply prioritising plans to ensure the same will not happen again when the Volvo footbridge is reinstated under another weekend closure of the A404 in October. TfB is acutely aware of the impact on the town of the enforced closure of the bridge following the Girteka incident in November 2016 and has no intention of allowing a repeat of that incident.

Mark Shaw, Deputy Leader and Cabinet Member for Transportation, commented “The abuse of the bridge last weekend is extremely troubling, and frustrating because we thought it would be protected, as firmly agreed in the weeks before the closure. I urge Highways England to act quickly on their investigation now, because we – and the residents of Marlow – have been waiting since the weekend to understand why this happened. 

In the meantime we are all focused on how to best protect the bridge in October, a task which I would now rather was handled by Transport for Buckinghamshire. Whether that means marshalling the bridge ourselves, or closing it for the weekend – a decision we would not take lightly – remains to be seen. I’m appalled by what happened last weekend and want to assure Marlow residents and businesses that the last thing we want is a repeat of what happened in 2016.”

Further closures

Residents may also be aware that the A404, Bisham to junction 8/9, is shortly to be closed overnight for lining works (Tuesday 18th and 19th September).  It is TfB’s intention to close the bridge to all traffic whilst this A404 closure is in place.  As the works are scheduled for overnight only, the impact on the town will be minimal.

A404 Marlow Weekend Closures for footbridge works – August / October 2018

Highways England will be carrying out essential maintenance to the footbridge which crosses over the A404 near Marlow, which will require removing the bridge for up to six weeks under two non-consecutive weekend road closures.  While these are not Buckinghamshire County Council’s works, the closures and diversions will impact on our road network. Highways England is working closely with us to minimise the works’ impact, and ensure that our residents are kept well informed.

Road closure details:

The northbound and southbound carriageways of the A404, between the junction with the A4155 just outside Marlow and the Bisham Roundabout, will be closed and a diversion in place. Parkway (which runs parallel with the A404) will also be closed.

The two closures are scheduled from:

9pm on Friday 31 August through to 5am on Monday 3 September 2018 (please note that should works not be possible that weekend, the contingency weekend is 21 to 24 September 2018)

9pm on Friday 12 October through to 5am on Monday 15 October 2018 (please note that should works not be possible that weekend, the contingency weekend is from 26 to 29 October 2018)

Please be aware that these closures have been carefully programmed but are subject to change due to weather conditions or unforeseen circumstances – please check the yellow signs placed in advance at the junction for confirmation of the closures dates/timings. Please do not attempt to walk onto the A404 during these closures to see the bridge being removed.

Highways England apologises in advance for any inconvenience or disruption caused during the work; if you have any questions please contact them on 0300 123 5000 or email info@highwaysengland.co.uk

What are the works?
The bridge requires work to the staircases and repainting. It is not possible to do the work at the site, and so the footbridge will have to be removed to a nearby location for approximately ten weeks.  This will require a full weekend road closure for the removal of the bridge in August, and then again for its reinstatement in October.

Diversions:

Local traffic will be diverted via Henley-on-Thames (A4130 and A4155). Traffic on the M4 intending to reach the M40 (and vice-versa) will be diverted via the M4, M25 and M40

Delays are expected during these weekend closures, and Highways England advises that you plan ahead of your journey to allow extra time or avoid this route where possible.

Pedestrian footbridge diversion

An alternative route for pedestrians who would normally use the bridge to get between Marlow and Westhorpe Park will be provided between August and October 2018.  The route is shown below in red and should take approximately 15 minutes.

Working on it | TfB’s Long Term Improvements for 2018-19

Despite the very hot weather disrupting some road resurfacing schedules, Transport for Buckinghamshire’s 2018-19 programme of road improvements has been well under way since April, with 10-15 road sites being treated every week.  The total budget for long term improvements across the whole Buckinghamshire network is almost £30 million for this financial year – this budget is to primarily cover road and footway resurfacing, but also covers investment in bridges, streetlights, drainage, safety schemes, parking, safety barriers and traffic signals.  

Road resurfacing in action during the 2017-18 programme. Photo: Jerry Lake 

TfB is responsible for over 3200km of roads across the county, as well as the bridges, footways, streetlights, traffic signals, bollards and gullies that keep the highway functional and safe.  Maintaining this valuable and vast asset requires long term, strategic planning that balances day-to-day maintenance with longer term improvements.  

Deputy Leader and Transport Cabinet Member Mark Shaw commented on the challenges TfB face in maintaining the county’s most valuable asset:

“Buckinghamshire is in a uniquely challenging position; we’re a rural county yet close to London, with the smallest county road network – in kilometres – of the whole country, yet with one of the highest volumes of traffic nationally. That high volume of traffic, more and more of which is larger goods vehicles, puts a massive strain on road surfaces. The Council is committed to maintaining the roads to a safe and serviceable level, which is why we’ve put more money into road maintenance this year, and I’m proud of how hard the whole TfB team is working to make real long term improvements.”

Road and footway resurfacing 2018-19

The most high profile element of our work is road and footway resurfacing, which is also the biggest part of our capital spend, with over £20 million budgeted for it across the county this year. Over 100 road resurfacing and 18 footway resurfacing schemes are planned for 2018-19, as part of a works programme designed by TfB in collaboration with local County Councillors. When roads have been chosen for resurfacing they are prioritised and the appropriate treatment is chosen – there is no ‘one size fits all’ approach to road surfacing, with several options available to extend the life of a road. Every Friday we release a programme of works around the county for the upcoming week, which can be found here on the County Council website, as can the details about the different types of road surfacing we use.  Since April eight major surfacing schemes have already been completed in Buckinghamshire, equating to an area of over 16,000m².

Road surfacing in action by TfB teams, photo: Jerry Lake 

A further £2.78M has been invested in a ‘plane and patch’ programme, where smaller areas of damaged road surface are cut out and resurfaced. We are using this technique to deal with the significant deterioration of Buckinghamshire’s roads that occurred last winter. Some highly visible and longstanding areas of concern have been addressed quickly and effectively through this approach, and by the end of June, approx. 62,000 m²of plane and patch has been carried out across the county.

Structures, 2018-19

This year in excess of £1 million will be invested on improvements to various structures across the county, including bridges, subways, parapets, and monuments. Structures work is undertaken by a combination of in-house structures operatives and skilled contractors, particularly for the works requiring specialist knowledge such as for listed historic structures, such as Marlow Obelisk, which will undergo renovation works later in the summer.  Other structures projects for the coming year include a footbridge in Buckingham and a monument in Thornborough.

Structures work in action

Buckingham's London Road footbridge, which is undergoing refurbishment by TfB during 2018-19. Photo: Beth Mills

Drainage, 2018-19

The countywide drainage improvement programme creates sustainable, long term solutions to some of the more significant drainage issues across the county. Where road surface water and ineffective drainage are an issue a solution is designed and built by a team of drainage specialists – in general the work will involve installing new pipework and soakaways, improving ditch capacity, and refurbishing existing drainage systems to increase capacity. £1 million has been allocated for the 2018-19 drainage programme, and will include over 30 sites, eleven of which have already been completed.  You can read about how drainage improvements were made in Buckinghamshire last year here, and see the full list of planned works for 2018-19 on the County Council website. 

Streetlighting, 2018-19

‘Street lighting’ actually refers not just to conventional streetlights but to all road side illuminated signs and bollards, as well as lighting in subways, and all the associated cabling. This year over £2.5 million will be spent on major street lighting works, which includes replacing over 500 streetlight columns, and continuing the countywide programme to replace all old style sodium lamps with more modern and efficient LED units. Over the last six years almost 15,000 LED conversions have been completed in Buckinghamshire, with over 3,200 old style lanterns expected to be replaced this coming year.

Streetlighting works, photo: Matt Fowler

Other schemes

• TfB also carries out local, smaller schemes on our roads and streets. These are developed with, and often funded by, third parties such as parishes and Local Area Forums (LAFs). Over 200 of these schemes are planned for 2018-19, including pedestrian crossings and cycle ways.
  
• Over £300,000 will be invested in countywide network safety schemes whilst a further £879,000 from the DfT Safer Roads allocation, will enable a number of safety schemes to be carried out along the A40 between West Wycombe and Stokenchurch
  
• In excess of £400,000 has been allocated for the upgrade of traffic signal infrastructure across the county
  
• £250,000 is to be invested on safety fencing improvements across the county
  
• A further £500,000+ has also been budgeted this year for locally organised projects such as traffic calming and other highway safety improvements.

More information about what TfB does can be found on the county council website, and by following TfB on Twitter and Facebook.


Transport for Buckinghamshire thanks George Green resident Jerry Lake, for his wonderful resurfacing photographs. 

Gritters are out in Buckinghamshire as hot weather affects some roads

Transport for Buckinghamshire are getting the gritters out of summer retirement to tackle the effect of the prolonged hot temperatures on the roads. 

Road surface temperatures are much hotter than the ambient air temperature, and are now regularly exceeding 50^oc by mid-afternoon in places, causing some road surfaces to soften. As bitumen bleeds through to the road surface it can look very black and slick, particularly on roads that are subject to a high level of turning and braking movements from traffic, or that do not get any shade.

County Councillor Mark Shaw, Cabinet Member for Transportation, commented: 

“This is not a problem unique to Buckinghamshire, roads are suffering all over the country at the moment as this unbelievable weather persists! Look out for our gritters spreading sand and dust over the roads in Bucks over the coming days and weeks, to absorb the bitumen and help prevent deterioration of the road surface. My huge thanks go to TfB teams working in sweltering temperatures to keep the roads safe. The gritters will continue operating until the extreme hot weather conditions subside, and road surfaces return to a more normal temperature.

Heat stops play...

The country is currently experiencing the longest period of consistent hot weather since 1976, with temperatures frequently reaching 29^oc and above, with no sign of things cooling down soon. This hot weather is also impacting on the progress of the summer road resurfacing programme, because temperatures are too high to lay down certain types of surface treatments.

Whilst there are not currently expected to be any long term effects to the condition of the highway network, road users are asked – as usual – to exercise care while travelling, including taking care of their vehicles and themselves. While vehicle breakdowns are no more likely in hot weather than any other time, the conditions would be very hot and uncomfortable. Cars should be checked before longer journeys and motorists should carry plenty of water to keep hydrated.

The County Council has issued advice to residents to combat health risks from hot weather: wearing UV sunglasses, drinking plenty of cool drinks, looking out for those with serious illnesses and never leaving anyone in a closed, parked vehicle.

TfB make emergency repairs to large underground sinkhole in Marlow

Yesterday, Wednesday 16th May, Transport for Buckinghamshire made emergency repairs to a large underground void at the junction of Dean Street and Queen’s Road, Marlow. Reports were made of a small opening in the road surface which, upon investigation, was revealed to be hiding a hole of several cubic feet, exposing water pipes.

The road was excavated to expose the full extent of the void, the hole was backfilled and the new road surface was laid.

County Councillor Mark Shaw, Cabinet Member for Transportation, commented: “Well done to the TfB team who attended to this quickly – from the outset it did not look like a big drama, with some sources christening it ‘the world’s smallest sinkhole’, but it was a bit more serious than that. When sinkholes form it’s fairly common for only a small crevice to be visible from ground level, but from the photos of Dean Street yesterday it is possible to see that the road was subtly caving in for several feet around the small hole, hinting at what was beneath – i.e. nothing! Sinkholes aren’t common – I think the last one we saw was on Bourbon Street in Aylesbury last summer – but we need to take them seriously as they could pose a danger to road users.”

Thanks to Twitter user Lizzie Owens, @mummyinmanolos, for sharing the images of the excavation. 

Chesham drivers – make way for gully cleaning!

We will be out and about in Chesham next week, Monday 11^th – Friday 15^th June, to clear gullies on nine different roads. 

If you live or work on one of the roads scheduled for treatment please don’t leave vehicles parked on the cleaning days, so the large cleaning vehicles can get through, and easily access the drain covers.

The timetable is as follows:

11^th June

Amersham Road

Bois Lane

12^th June

Moor Road

Wey Lane

Germains Close

13^th June

Missenden Road

Park Road

14^th June

Chartridge Lane

15^th June

Bellingdon Road

Did you know TfB is responsible for over 79,000 gullies in Buckinghamshire? Read more about what TfB does. 

Marlow Bridge night closures to avoid misuse during diversion

To prevent a similar occurrence to 2016 when an HGV damaged Marlow Bridge leading to extensive closure time, Buckinghamshire County Council has decided to take preventative measures and close Marlow Bridge overnight to protect it from unlawful use during the closure of the A404 near Marlow and Bisham by Highways England, which is taking place on alternate nights next week (commencing Monday 19^th March).

Highways England will be carrying out night lining works on the A404 and A404 (M) on Monday (19^th) Wednesday (21^st) and Friday (23^rd) next week. The works require a full closure of the north and south bound carriageways from 10pm to 6pm on each night.

While there will be separately signed diversions for cars and HGVs, BCC has decided the risk to abuse of the weight limit of the bridge by HGVs attempting a shortcut is too great. It is not a decision taken lightly, and we regret any inconvenience caused to residents.

Press release from Highways England below:

Please be advised that work to renew the road markings along the A404 and A404(M) north and southbound carriageways was unfortunately uncompleted but has now been rescheduled to take place overnight, between 10pm and 6am, on the following dates:

·       Monday 19 March for 2 nights – A404(M) northbound carriageway from M4 junction 8/9 to junction 9b

·       Wednesday 21 March for 2 nights – A404 southbound carriageway from the M40 (Handy Cross) to Burchetts Green

·       Friday 23 and Monday 26 March – A404(M) southbound from junction 9b to the M4 junction 8/9

During the closures, the following clearly signed diversions will be in place suitable for all types of vehicles:

·       A404 Southbound Closure – traffic will be diverted via Wycombe Road, A4155 to Henley-on-Thames and A4130 Henley Road. A secondary route will be in place from Marlow through Bisham and across the roundabout for those wishing to access the A308

·       A404(M) Northbound and Southbound Closures – traffic will be diverted via the A308 and Bath Road

It is not expected that these works will generate excessive noise, however we would like to apologise in advance for any disturbance caused during the works.  If you have any questions, or if you’d like you know about our work please contact us on 0300 123 5000 or email info@highwaysengland.co.uk

Snow updates, March 2018

It might be March but spring is definitely not in the air. The snow continues to fall and looks like its set to for the remainder of the week and the weekend too. Updates below.

Update, 4pm March 2nd: Freezing rain threatens further ice

Buckinghamshire is currently being hit by sleety freezing rain which has the potential to turn untreated surfaces icy quite quickly.

Although the majority of main roads remain open, all routes are difficult and with continuing heavy snowfall conditions are only going to get worse through this afternoon and evening.

Gritting crews are remobilising now and will run right through the late afternoon and evening. Second crews are resting in preparation for another tough night, with persistent snowfall expected from around 4pm to midnight. Specific timing for action is being decided at a local level based on forecasts and feedback from the gritter drivers, but all areas will be treated tonight.

Roads being cleared by gritters in Ivinghoe

Weekend forecast:

Conditions on Saturday morning may become slightly drier and warmer, although forecasts could change. Should temperatures rise, flooding of roads through melting snow, especially where drainage is covered by deep drifts, could be an issue. TfB emergency crews are primed.     

Last night and earlier today:

TfB gritter drivers and winter teams had very busy night last night, Thursday 1^st March, with several gritting and ploughing runs carried out across the county. During the morning rush hour the majority of main roads were covered with heavy slush, but the main problem was drifting snow in exposed areas with ploughs battling some very heavy and fast forming drifts. 

A rural road in the Wycombe area, early hours of Friday morning (2nd March)

All areas have been busy throughout the morning. Although fresh snowfall has been minimal, the north of the County in particular has been dealing with heavy drifts of blown snow from adjacent land, with the A413 between Whitchurch and Winslow, the A4010 at Risborough, and part of the A418 all closed earlier today.

Snow down, baby!

Transport for Buckinghamshire responded to a call for help this morning from their colleagues at Wycombe District Council housing department. Residents at Saunderton Lodge, WDC’s emergency accommodation on the outskirts of town, were snowed in – and three women at the lodge had gone into early labour.

Snow drifts from the surrounding fields had overwhelmed the 400m+ driveway causing residents vehicles to get stuck, blocking the way. Kind volunteers from the public worked with contractors to try and dig people out, but reinforcements were soon needed.

A call was made to the County Council resilience team asking for help, and a TfB crew was sent out ASAP with a snow plough and gritter to save the day. At the last report they were all still safe and warm at the lodge, but safe in the knowledge that they could get to hospital when the time comes!

Everyone at TfB is delighted they could help out, and wishes the expectant mums all the very best for the safe arrival of their snow babies! 

High Wycombe gritters clear the way at Saunderton Lodge

Thurs 1st March

Today we are doing a gritting run countywide at 2pm and another later on this evening at 7pm. Persistent but largely light snow has been seen this morning, and some drifting in the high winds has seen treated roads remain slushy but with black driving surfaces. Our crews have been active all morning across the County, covering secondary routes and now returning to primary routes. Heavy but less frequent flurries are likely this afternoon.

Our main concern overnight is with the expected very low temperatures. Ice will form on the untreated network and it is even possible that it will form on the treated roads too. With the predicted snowfall tomorrow this does mean that driving conditions could be difficult during the rush hour. 

"The @tfbalerts gritters have been through #Buckingham town centre and all clear this morning." Tweet from Cllr Warren Whyte, Member for Buckingham East, this morning - 1st March '18

How do we know when to grit?

Over the last few days we have been busy salting the county’s roads, covering both our primary and secondary routes. Every day the temperature of the road surface and residual salt is monitored, and our dedicated winter team receive updates regarding air temperature, likelihood of snow and ice, wind speed and so on. This information is used to decide whether gritting is necessary or not. Over a typical winter period, we can expect to complete about 50 -55 runs but so far we have already completed 72 runs – and the season isn’t over yet!

Transport for Bucks has 25 individual primary salting routes covered by a dedicated gritter (all with their own names!). Each of our gritting runs uses between 55-85 tonnes of salt over the 25 routes, depending on the spread rate decided and also whether the salt is a pre-wet mix or whether it is used dry.

County Councillor Mark Shaw, Cabinet Member for Transportation has praised the winter maintenance and gritting crews:

“I’d like to thank the crews for all they have done over the last couple of days and all that they will continue to do over the coming days. Over the winter period, we have 50 gritter drivers who are on call every day for six months – including the entire Christmas period and New Year’s too! It’s a hard job but our crew do it well and without complaint. I know I speak on behalf of the entire county when I say how grateful we are.” 

Gritting runs are made up primary, secondary and snow routes:

Primary – or precautionary – routes are the most important routes that keep everyone moving. The precautionary routes make up 44% of the total network of the county’s A and B road network. These runs cover 1405km of road! In an ideal scenario it is these roads that are treated prior to the formation of ice.

Secondary routes are treated in the event of prolonged severe weather once primary routes are treated and are running well. The secondary routes cover classified roads that aren’t included in the primary routes and unclassified roads that serve communities of 200+. Sometimes, cycle ways and footways in key pedestrian areas might also be gritted as part of the secondary routes.

Snow routes, as you might expect, are used when there is particularly heavy snow. When this occurs, the winter service begins working as a 24 hour operation and we focus on the County’s most strategic routes – around 22% of the overall network. Once the snow has cleared sufficiently, we go back to using our primary routes as soon as possible. 

Mutual aid

Although our focus must rightly be the main roads of Buckinghamshire we are delighted to assist our colleagues across Buckinghamshire wherever possible. As an example, this week we have added to our salting route around Stoke Mandeville to assist with preparations for the Winter Paralympic Heritage Flame Lighting Ceremony, and have provided salt to assist organisers in ensuring pedestrian routes are safe to access.

For more information on our winter service, check out our '5 things you need to know...' blog from last December.