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Winter Services

Gritting Routes

Borough prepared for adverse weather

The Royal Borough's winter maintenance programme is now underway, with more than twice the supply of salt in store following the severe weather earlier this year. Regular gritting of primary routes is taking place in line with the latest weather forecasts. Extra funding of £100,000 means additional salt and equipment has been bought for use in extreme weather conditions:

800 tonnes of additional salt
new snow shovels and salt bins
eight salt spreaders to distribute salt more efficiently on footways
four smaller towable salt spreaders for use on smaller roads not on the primary and secondary gritting routes
a fifth smaller snow plough to target specific problem areas not covered on the primary and secondary gritting routes.

A leaflet detailing the annual gritting programme - including a map showing primary and secondary routes - is available at council offices in Maidenhead and Windsor, libraries, parish council offices and leisure centres and can be downloaded here. Government self-help advice is also available.

Clearing the snow from borough path ways (Dec 2010)

Winter Service Advice Leaflet

Winter Services Leaflet 2010-11

Winter Services Plan

The Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead has a Winter Maintenance Policy and during the winter months operates a gritting programme to help keep conditions as safe as possible.

Winter Service Plan 2011-2012

Gritting and Salt - Frequently Asked Questions

Why do we need to salt the roads?
Where do we salt?
How is it decided which roads are salted?
When is salting carried out?
What about footways?
Salt bins - why and where?
What happens when it snows?

Why do we need to salt the roads?

Snow Plough Ice can cause accidents and long delays. Salting the road before ice forms makes them safer to drive on and minimises delays.

Where do we salt?

Regular salting is carried out on main roads in the borough, these are called primary routes. During prolonged adverse weather conditions, secondary routes are added to the salting programmes, including some bus routes, roads outside schools, hospitals and some minor roads.

The Council's salting network does not include trunk roads and motorways, which are the responsibility of the Highway Agency.

How is it decided which roads are salted?

As there are limited resources for road salting, the Council prioritises its network in accordance with government guidelines. This is based on the importance of the road with priority given to those roads carrying the heaviest traffic, public transport services and where the risks of accidents are the greatest, in accordance with national guidelines.

When is salting carried out?

Salting is carried out when our forecasting and detection systems indicate road conditions are likely to deteriorate.This is decided by Duty Managers who are on standby 24 hours a day with a taskforce of three salting lorries, ready to deal with bad weather conditions. For salt to be effective it needs to be spread before ice forms. The Council gets information from the London Weather Centre and from a computerised road sensor system. From this information the Duty Managers can decide if salting is necessary and the best time for it to be done. In this way we can provide a cost effective service without compromising road safety. We aim to complete salting within four hours of making the decision.

What about footways?

Footways are not generally pre-salted. However, during prolonged adverse weather conditions we do salt footways and pedestrian areas in the centres of towns and villages, outside schools, hospitals and sheltered accommodation, in conjunction with the secondary road network.

Salt bins - why and where?

There are 57 salt bins located across the Borough, usually sited where there is a steep or hazardous hill, where there are buildings nearby and where salt lorries are unable to access. The bins, which are repaired and replenished throughout the winter, are for public use to help keep the roads clear - but the salt is not intended for use on private drives. If you find a bin which needs refilling please telephone 01628 683800 or use the online salt bin refill request form.

What happens when it snows?

The Council will endeavour to clear as many roads as is practical, but its first priority is to clear and keep clear the primary routes. Other roads will be cleared in decending order of priority as resources permit. The lorries will be fitted with snow ploughs and called into service. In extreme conditions the Council will open the Emergency Operations Centre in Windsor and call in additional resources as required.