Service Description: Winter Maintenance is an important part of the work of the Highways Team and involves the clearance of roads affected by snow, ice and drainage problems to provide as safe a passage as possible for users of the highway.
Also known as:- Gritting, Salting, Winter Maintenance
Answer: Roads are salted during the winter period (from late October to mid April), during which time staff regularly examine special forecasts issued from the London Weather Centre. After considering these and Information produced by a dedicated Ice Prediction System (consisting of two detectors strategically based on the Island) we decide whether to carry out precautionary salting. The Ice prediction system allows us to accurately predict the road surface temperature and the air moisture content. This means that salting is only undertaken when it is necessary, resulting in a considerable saving to the Council without compromising road safety. The majority of pre-salting is carried out late at night or very early in the morning depending on the forecast. This ensures that treatment is completed before ice or frost forms.