Plans to tackle winter weather revealed

Rochdale Borough Council Snow Plough/Gritter at work on the Borough's roads last winter

Rochdale Borough Council has set out plans of how it will deal with the winter weather this year.

The Council was pilloried at the end of December 2009 and the start of the new year for failing to carry out sufficient gritting, making driving conditions treacherous and journeys for people on foot dangerous.

The Winter Maintenance Review – a review which was carried out following the disruption caused last year – is now under consideration by the council.

The review states: “The review of winter maintenance activities undertaken at the of last season identified some key improvement areas. These have now been considered in detail.”

The document, submitted to the Rochdale Township meeting last night (Wednesday 10 November 2010) show that the stockpiles of salt have been increased from six days worth to ten days worth which equates to 4000 tonnes. Plans to keep the salt stock to reduce waste are also noted.

The review recommends areas which should receive a full gritting treatment should the snowy weather return; they include roads to secondary schools, bus routes, roads to fire stations, ambulance depots and police stations

Priority highways treatments have also been recommended, these routes will be treated in certain weather conditions such as prolonged snowfall where the rate at which the snow accumulates on the roads is greater than the rare at which it can be cleared. The priority routes include: local access roads, link roads and A roads.

In reference to pedestrian area treatments the review reads: “The proposal is for pedestrian area treatments is dependant on the availability of RMBC resources. Pedestrian areas will be treated in exceptional conditions in a priority order subject to available resources. Normal overnight frosty conditions will not warrant treatment of pedestrian areas.”

The first pedestrian priority areas include town centre pedestrian areas, outside bus interchanges and outside the train station. Once these areas have been dealt with and resources permitting the next areas which will be treated are footpaths outside secondary schools, footways outside hospitals, doctor’s clinics, medical centre and surgeries and footpaths outside all post offices.

The report states that the budget of £385,000 for winter maintenance provision will only deliver the minimum statutory requirements defined under the national code of practice for a mild winter.

It reads: “The level of service will ensure that safe passage along a highway is not endangered by snow or ice, so far as it is reasonably practical. The whole highway network will not be treated and significant risks which would be un-proportionally costly to cover as part of the core service.”

Andy Zuntz, Executive Director, Rochdale Borough Council said: “The winter maintenance service review has been presented to township committees and members have been invited to comment on the proposals.

"All proposals aim to improve our winter maintenance service following feedback from the public and members last winter, and to deliver the service in accordance with the latest guidance.

"Whilst the report is in the process of being agreed we have already implemented many of the key areas for improvement, including securing a new winter maintenance depot and having at least 4,000 tonnes of salt at the depot so we always have sufficient stocks to meet our needs.

“We are confident our plans to strengthen the winter maintenance service offer the resilience that is needed to meet the demands of winter conditions.”