AGENDA ITEM NO. 11
REPORT TO: Executive Board
REPORT NO: CEnO/27/06
DATE: 21 November 2006
LEAD MEMBER: Councillor Mark Pritchard (Waste and Environment)
LEAD OFFICER: Chief Environment Officer
CONTACT OFFICER: Steve Jones (Telephone 296021)
SUBJECT: Policy on Highway Winter Maintenance
WARD: All
1. PURPOSE OF THE REPORT
To seek Members' approval of a Highway Winter Maintenance Policy (see Appendix 1)
2. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
2.1 Section 111 of the Railways and Transport Safety Act amended Section 41 of the Highways Act 2003 and became effective on 31 October 2003.
“(1A) In particular, a highway authority are under a duty to ensure, so far as is reasonably practicable, that a safe passage along a highway is not endangered by snow or ice.”
2.2 The policy will define Wrexham County Borough Council's service delivery and priorities and will also strengthen the defence against third party claims.
3. RECOMMENDATIONS
3.1 That Members approve the proposed procedures for delivering the Highway Winter Maintenance service.
REASONS FOR RECOMMENDATIONS
To ensure Wrexham County Council provide an effective highway winter maintenance service which meets the new statutory requirements.
John Bradbury
Chief Environment Officer
4 BACKGROUND INFORMATION
The policy will ensure a consistent approach to precautionary treatment and define priorities for the clearance of snow and ice in prolonged bad weather.
5. CONSULTATION
5.1 On 27th September 2006, the Chief Environment Officer presented a report to the environment and regeneration scrutiny committee (CEnO/20/06S).
5.2 A desktop environmental assessment has been carried out (Appendix 3).
5.3 A health impact assessment has been carried out (Appendix 4).
5.4 People's Voice Survey (Appendix 5).
6. SCRUTINY COMMITTEE COMMENTS
6.1 This Authority had never had a Winter Maintenance Policy, but Section 41 of the Highways Act placed a statutory duty on Local Authorities to maintain the highway to ensure it was kept clear of snow and ice.
6.2 The implementation date of the policy was to be staggered over two years. The procedural side would be introduced first during the winter season 2006/07, and the second phase, ie the revised routes taken by the vehicles during the winter season 2007/08. Visits to neighbouring Authorities had been made, and the priorities for this Authority would be similar to those for Cheshire and Shropshire.
6.3 Concern was raised that not all primary schools were on priority gritting routes. Mr Steve Jones - Works Manager, stated that he could investigate the impact of putting all primary schools onto the priority list.
7 IMPLICATIONS
7.1 Policy Framework This policy will eventually form part of the Highway Maintenance Strategy, and the Highway Asset Management Plan.
7.2 Budget There are no budget implications.
7.3 Legal The legal implications are referred to in the main body of the report.
7.4 Staffing There are no staffing implications.
7.5 Other Risk Assessments are attached (see Appendix 2).
8. EVALUATION OF OPTIONS
Not applicable.
BACKGROUND PAPERS / LOCATION / WEBSITE INFO.1. Highways Act 1980
2. Code of Practice for good highway maintenance management July 2005
HIGHWAY WINTER MAINTENANCE SERVICE
1 Weather Forecasts
1.1 Daily weather forecasts are received throughout the winter period and are specific to Wrexham County Borough. The forecast is provided by Meteo Group Limited who utilise their experience at weather forecasting combined with information provided by Ice Prediction sensors situated in Wrexham, Bwlchgwyn and Glyn Ceiriog to predict the weather for a 24 hour period from 12 noon daily. The weather forecast provided by Meteo Group forms the basis of the decision making process with regards to gritting actions taken in the interest of road safety over the succeeding 24 hours.
2 Priority of Roads
2.1 Roads within the Authority have been grouped into priority- 1, 2 and 3 routes.
2.2 Priority 1 roads are routes carrying substantial volumes of traffic having characteristics, which require protection from frost throughout the night. These routes include both Class A and B roads.
2.3 Priority 2 roads are non-principal roads that form main distributor routes in urban areas, access routes to smaller rural communities and schools, industrial estate roads and remaining bus routes. Height above sea level and gradients are factors in distinguishing these roads from priority 3 roads. It will also include:-
· Roads carrying 4 service buses (including school services) or more per hour between 06.00 and 10.00 am.
· Roads serving emergency services/public transport centres and secondary schools/higher education establishments.
· Roads with gradients greater than 10% and carrying more than 1000v/day
· Main access roads to rural communities/villages.
2.4 Priority 3 roads are all the remaining routes.
2.5 A risk assessment has been carried out on each road priority (see Appendix 2) and showed that pre-treatment is required on priority 1 and 2 routes only. Treatment on priority 3 routes will normally be restricted to snow clearance or treatment in times of snow or persistent heavy frost.
2.6 Snow clearance may be carried out by either Wrexham County Borough Council or by contractors retained on term contracts. In snow conditions Priority 1 roads will be cleared first followed by Priority 2 and 3.
3 What material we use
3.1 The preferred de-icing material used by Wrexham County Borough Council is 6mm nominal size rocksalt. The material is spread onto the road network at a rate of 10 grams/m2 (up to –2 degrees C) and 15 grams/m2 (below –2 degrees C) prior to the development of frost and ice. This figure is increased to 40 grams/m2 if snow is forecast. Rocksalt is mined from a non-renewable source and in high concentration can be environmentally unfriendly and in certain situations can damage vegetation. It is therefore important that the material is only used when necessary and in the correct locations.
3.2 To effectively remove ice from the road surface the rock salt requires the action of traffic, which assists in the process of breaking down the salt granules into a saline solution. This rapidly melts the ice and prevents further ice forming for several hours. Coated salt, which provides better adhesion to the road surface and reduces corrosion to vehicles, will be used for pre-salting at a rate of 10-15 grams/m2 (depending on temperature). For modern open textured surfaces on dual carriageways, the rate will be increased to 20 grams/m2.
4 When we take action
4.1 The winter period is defined between 1 October – 30 April, but standby will normally apply from 1 November – 31 March. Outside of the standby period, forecast and action will be via volunteers from the workforce. Forecasts are received by 1.00 pm every day 1 October – 30 April by staff at Ruthin Road or by Engineers on call at weekends. A decision on appropriate action will be made and the work force informed.
4.2 In order to prevent the formation of ice, roads will be treated no more than 4 hours before the forecasted frost. Prior to pre-salting a Supervisor will patrol and update weather forecasts and make a final decision in consultation with the duty Engineer. The standby crews will then be called to ensure that the routes are treated before (but not more than 4 hours before) the formation of ice. The situation may be varied by weather conditions such as heavy rain immediately before a frost, which may restrict the time to carry out the work.
4.3 Further actions should not be required, however, a morning 4.30 am inspection will be made by Supervisors to ensure the action has been effective. In the event of continued freezing conditions into the morning, or if rain is forecast, crews will be brought in at 5.00 am to deal with the situation as it arises.
4.4 Whenever snow is forecast we aim to pre-salt all the priority 1 and priority 2 routes prior to its arrival. However, this is not always possible, for example when snowfall starts as rain and turns to snow. When this situation occurs salting is delayed until the rain stops in order to prevent the salt from being washed away. This situation can be even more difficult if it occurs during the rush hour as traffic congestion impedes the gritter's progress.
4.5 Once snow has fallen we will continue to work around the clock until all priority 1 and 2 roads are clear. Priority 1 roads will be cleared first, followed by priority 2 and then all other roads, although we sometimes have to return to the priority 1 and 2 roads before all the other roads are clear, to ensure they remain clear of ice and snow. This will often be necessary towards the end of the day, especially when the snow has been thawing all day and evening temperatures fall below freezing causing the melted water to freeze.
4.6 During periods of snow we deploy our full fleet of 18 gritters equipped with snow ploughs. We also have a network of farmers that we can call on to help clear the roads, using tractors and ploughs provided by Wrexham County Borough Council. However, salt will not instantaneously remove snow or ice. The action of traffic is essential for salting to be effective by breaking down the salt granules to form a saline solution, which melts the ice. Once the priority 1 and 2 routes are clear work will continue on priority 3 routes during normal working hours only.
5 Cycleways and footways
5.1 No footways, pedestrian areas or cycleways are specifically included in pre-determined routes for precautionary salting. Nevertheless, there will be a certain amount of over spill of salt onto footways and cycleways when precautionary salting is being carried out on adjacent carriageways. Footways will only be treated once snow has settled or during periods of prolonged freezing conditions on a priority basis at locations including:-
· Town Centres
· Hospitals
· Old People's Homes
· Day Centres
· Schools (during term times only)
· Footbridges
· Bus Stops
If any reports of icy footways are received for locations not included in the above criteria, the footway will be inspected to assess whether it should be treated or not.
6 Salt Bins
6.1 Salt bins are distributed in areas (not on gritting routes) for the use of pedestrians and motorist to treat the public highway only. They are restricted to roads with inclines of more than 10% and will not be provided on precautionary gritting routes. Salt bins on existing routes will be removed.
7 Resources
7.1 The workforce involved will be primarily from the Environment Department. All drivers will be trained and assessed. Additional resources can be brought from other sections or Departments if required.
7.2 The Council owns a fleet of 15 large and 3 small demountable gritters, which are stored at Ruthin Road Depot. The rocksalt (coated and un-coated) is stored in Ruthin Road Depot.
8 Tracking
8.1 In order to reinforce the Council defence and to ensure routes have been gritted satisfactorily each precautionary gritting vehicle will be fitted with a tracking system. The system will monitor the time and the quantity of salt placed on any road.
ENV DEPT Safety at Work
/RISK ASSESSMENT (Winter Maintenance)
Priority 3 Route – All remaining routes (not covered in priority 1 or 2) /WCS Risk Categories
Persons at risk: Highway Users
Originally Assessed: 1/9/06
By: S.Jones/P.Evans / Chance
Level / Likely / Probable / Possible / Remote
Fatal / 16 / 12 / 8 / 4
Major injury / 12 / 9 / 6 / 3
Minor injury / 8 / 6 / 4 / 2
Negligible / 4 / 3 / 2 / 1
POSSIBLE HAZARDS / RISK / RATING / REGULATIONS
Ice. / Driving on untreated roads. / 3 / Highways Act 1980 (Sec.41)
Railways & Transport Safety Act 2003 (Sec.111).
CONTROLS:
None.
FURTHER CONTROLS REQUIRED (if any)
Review Date: / Undertaken by / Signed / Review Date: / Undertaken by / Signed
ENV DEPT Safety at Work
/RISK ASSESSMENT (Winter Maintenance)
Priority 2 Route – Non-principal roads that form main distributor routes in urban areas, access routes to smaller rural communities and schools, industrial estate roads and remaining bus routes. /WCS Risk Categories
Persons at risk: Highway Users
Originally Assessed: 1/9/06
By: S.Jones/P.Evans. / Chance
Level / Likely / Probable / Possible / Remote
Fatal / 16 / 12 / 8 / 4
Major injury / 12 / 9 / 6 / 3
Minor injury / 8 / 6 / 4 / 2
Negligible / 4 / 3 / 2 / 1
POSSIBLE HAZARDS / RISK / RATING / REGULATIONS
Ice.
High volume of vehicular and pedestrian traffic. / Driving at speeds; usually 40 mph or less, on untreated roads. / 12 (major accident/injury likely) / Highways Act 1980 (Sec.41)
Railways & Transport Safety Act 2003 (Sec.111).
CONTROLS:
1) Duty Officer obtains weather forecast from PA Weather forecasting by 1:00 PM every day – Decision to pre-salt.
2) Inspection by Supervisory staff prior to pre-salting to update forecasts – final decision to pre-salt in consultation with duty officer.
3) Stand-by crews called in.
4) Pre-salting of routes in the period 4-6 hrs prior to ice forming.
Salt to be spread at the rate of 10 – 20 grams/m2 prior to frost and ice developing; increasing to 40 grams/m2 if snow is forecast.
FURTHER CONTROLS REQUIRED (if any)
When rain is followed by clearing skies and dropping temperatures, salting is normally delayed until rain stops (to avoid salt being washed away).
`Dawn Frost` - Impossible to forecast with any accuracy. Duty Officer and Supervisory staff to monitor if situation arises.
Review Date: / Undertaken by / Signed / Review Date: / Undertaken by / Signed
ENV DEPT Safety at Work
/RISK ASSESSMENT (Winter Maintenance)
Priority 1 Route – Roads carrying substantial volumes of traffic having characteristics, which require protection from frost throughout the night. These routes include both class `A` and `B` roads. /WCS Risk Categories
Persons at risk: Highway Users
Originally Assessed: 1/9/06
By: S.Jones/P.Evans. / Chance
Level / Likely / Probable / Possible / Remote
Fatal / 16 / 12 / 8 / 4
Major injury / 12 / 9 / 6 / 3
Minor injury / 8 / 6 / 4 / 2
Negligible / 4 / 3 / 2 / 1
POSSIBLE HAZARDS / RISK / RATING / REGULATIONS
Ice.
Volume of traffic. / Driving at speeds; usually in excess of 40 mph, on untreated roads. / 12 (major accident/injury likely) / Highways Act 1980 (Sec.41)
Railways & Transport Safety Act 2003 (Sec.111).
CONTROLS:
5) Duty Officer obtains weather forecast from PA Weather forecasting by 1:00 PM every day – Decision to pre-salt.
6) Inspection by Supervisory staff prior to pre-salting to update forecasts – final decision to pre-salt in consultation with duty officer.
7) Stand-by crews called in.
8) Pre-salting of routes in the period 4-6 hrs prior to ice forming.
9) Salt to be spread at the rate of 10 – 20 grams/m2 prior to frost and ice developing; increasing to 40 grams/m2 if snow is forecast.
FURTHER CONTROLS REQUIRED (if any)
When rain is followed by clearing skies and dropping temperatures, salting is normally delayed until rain stops (to avoid salt being washed away).
`Dawn Frost` - Impossible to forecast with any accuracy. Duty Officer and Supervisory staff to monitor if situation arises.
Review Date: / Undertaken by / Signed / Review Date: / Undertaken by / Signed