As winter approaches, East Dunbartonshire Council is ready to respond to dropping temperatures and snow to keep its traffic and pedestrians safe and moving.
The Place, Neighbourhood & Corporate Assets Committee last week approved the adoption of the Winter Service Plan for 2017/18 which guides how the Council responds to severe weather, be it heavy snow or freezing temperatures
Councillor Jim Gibbons, PNCA Committee Convener, said, “Every year we seem to be faced with new challenges but the people of East Dunbartonshire should know we are well placed and are doing everything in our power to be prepared.
“Our gritting fleet is always ready, we have salt supplies stored in our salt dome and our highly experienced teams are on standby 24/7 throughout the winter responding to meteorological reports to keep roads and pavements as snow and ice-free as we possibly can.
“This is not an easy task as conditions change rapidly but our on-call Duty Officer checks a dedicated forecasting service – specific to East Dunbartonshire - three times a day and uses this to make a decision on what action is required to keep our roads safe.
“We also have road condition sensor stations at various locations which give information on the current road condition, road surface temperature and the amount of residual salt. This allows us to save money by only gritting when it’s needed and not wasting supplies unnecessarily by being as efficient and effective as possible.”
East Dunbartonshire, like all other local authorities, needs to prioritise what roads it treats. There are two categories of gritting route – Primary and Secondary.
The Primary routes cover 67% of East Dunbartonshire’s 510km of road and consist of:
- Main roads
- Bus routes
- Access to fire, police and ambulance stations
- Access to hospitals
- Steep or dangerous roads
- At least one access road to each school
The Secondary routes cover local and general access roads, less used industrial roads and cul-de-sacs, which are only salted during prolonged periods of adverse weather and when resources allow.
Residents can check information about road conditions and gritting plans via the Council’s website and social media, with Facebook posts and tweets when the gritters are out and about.
The Council has specialised gritters for footways which are based in strategic locations throughout the East Dunbartonshire area. The main footway routes cover:
- Main shopping areas
- Footways adjacent to community centres and health centres
- Footways near to sheltered housing and schools
- Steep or particularly wet footways that create enhanced risk
If freezing conditions are forecast Primary Footway Routes will be gritted in advance as a precaution.
Councillor Gibbons added, “We also make grit available for our residents to use in their own streets, paths and driveways. More than 400 grit bins are placed at strategic locations for people to help themselves. These are for public use and are regularly checked and refilled. If a grit bin near you is empty please phone 0300 123 4510.
“Additional grit is available from Broomhill Depot, Kilsyth Road, Kirkintilloch. This is a facility for members of the public to use, so please bring a shovel and container.”
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