Wheels in motion as highways winter service gets ready to hit the road

A fleet of hardy gritter drivers are ready to hit the road once the temperatures drop, as the council’s winter road service moves into gear.

The council’s highways team are all set for snow and ice, with 4,500 tonnes of salt ready to be used across the borough’s roads when the wintry weather sets in. In recent weeks, the team have also been busy filling up the 650 grit bins which are dotted across the borough.

The team regularly monitor air and road temperature, through weather stations located across the borough, a computerised ice detection system and cameras. Once conditions demand it, the team of drivers will hit the road and be on call 24 hours a day, seven days a week, with the winter service running right into April 2024.

The gritters also use automatic gritting technology, which spreads exactly the amount of grit salt required to help prevent ice from forming. This enables the driver to focus on driving and ensures no salt is wasted.

A new addition to the council’s snow-fighting armoury for this year is a snow blower, which can be used to clear roads when the snow is too deep for the ploughs. The blower was bought as part of a wider investment into the borough’s roads to further drive up standards following a move to bring the service in house.

Around 200 miles of roads are salted during each round of gritting. There are seven routes covering different parts of the borough and each gritting run takes around four hours to complete.

Councillor Shah Wazir, cabinet member for highways at Rochdale Borough Council, said: “There’s a huge amount of planning and preparation which goes into the winter service, with driver training, salt stocking and much more happening months before the cold weather sets in.

“The work that the team do to keep the borough running is so important. Without it, vital services would struggle. We need to ensure that ambulances can get where they need to be, that people can get out to work and important appointments and that children can get to school safely.

“I’m really proud of our team. They’re often out and about on the road at 3 and 4am, when everyone else is in bed, and I know that a number of them left their families at home on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day last year to grit the roads and keep everyone safe.”

During spells of bad weather, residents are being encouraged to park in a way that makes it easy for the gritter drivers to move along the roads and to always check on neighbours, particularly older people. It’s vital that people’s cars are safe and ready for winter and that motorists don’t forget to carry the basics, like de-icers and blankets. It is also vital that drivers understand that gritting can only do so much and in periods of very bad weather, they should always stay off the roads if at all possible.

Information on gritting, salt bin locations and much more, is available at: www.rochdale.gov.uk/gritting

Residents can also get live daily updates on X (formerly known as twitter) by searching for #RochdaleGrit

Tips for driving in extreme weather:

1. Allow extra time for your journey.
2. Make sure you have enough fuel.
3. Check your battery is good.
4. Check your tyres are suitable.
5. Carry a shovel in your boot.
6. Carry a bit of rock salt (available from builder’s merchants).
7. Don’t over-rev the engine or your wheels will spin. You may need to set off in second gear in manual cars to avoid skidding.
8. Use as high a gear as possible to improve grip.
9. Build your speed up slowly on hills.
10. Always brake gently and in plenty of time.
11. Don’t block junctions or roundabouts.
12. Keep more distance than usual from the car in front - You may need 10 times the normal gap.
13. If you see a gritter, stay well back because salt or spray can be thrown across the road. Do not overtake unless it is safe to do so - there may be uncleared snow on the road ahead.
14. Give cyclists more space.
15. Keep a look out for pedestrians - particularly at zebra crossings, pelican crossings and outside schools.
16. Push broken down vehicles off the carriageway - abandoned cars are one of the main obstacles which get in the way of snow ploughs.