Winter is coming... as gritters go out across Cornwall
A fleet of 28 are on standby across the Duchy 24 hours a day
The clocks have gone back, the nights are drawing in and winter is in the air.
This means that Cornwall Council’s winter service is geared up with a fleet of 28 gritter trucks, operated by Cormac, on standby and ready for action to help keep Cornish residents moving when the roads start to freeze.
They went out on Tuesday night, for the first time this winter season.
The Cormac crews are on 24-hour standby, including on Christmas day, ready to proactively take action based on constantly monitored temperatures, information from 22 road sensors and expert weather forecasts.
This information is used to decide if and when to spread salt on a number of roads before the expected time of freezing. Sometimes the weather can be difficult to predict, especially here in Cornwall, so crews are also ready to respond to emergency situations at very short notice.
It takes around three hours to treat each of the Council’s 25 salting routes which cover around 1,420 km (883 miles) of the road network and include the most heavily used A and B roads in Cornwall. Between them, these roads carry around 80% of daily traffic. Cormac also salt the roads to key sites such as hospitals, minor injury units, ambulance and fire stations, bus and railway stations and secondary schools.
There is a map on the Cornwall Council website to show which routes will be treated each day if the weather forecast indicates that there will be freezing conditions.
While Cormac and the Council will be doing everything they can to keep key roads clear during periods of snow and freezing weather, they say people can all do their bit by clearing ice outside homes, stocking up on grit for drives and paths, and by keeping an eye on elderly neighbours.
There is more information on what people can do on the government website.
“Even though Cormac’s dedicated team will be out at any time of the day or night when the weather dictates, don’t assume a road has been treated or is frost free. Please drive carefully and think of others – it can take up to ten times longer to stop in icy conditions.”
Cornwall Council portfolio holder for transport, Geoff Brown
“It’s important to understand that salting does not melt snow and ice instantaneously. The mixture needs time to take effect and sleet, hail and rain can also cause problems with the salt being washed off the road. You may not see the gritters but if the weather forecast has indicated sub-zero temperatures, the gritters will have been out, usually in the early hours of the morning. Before you set out, check your vehicle, the road conditions and the weather forecast. If conditions are poor, and journeys are not essential, consider waiting until the weather gets better.”
Steve Bayley, Cormac’s Highways Network Manager
Every year Cornwall Council pre-orders salt which is then stored in a number of covered barns based in Cormac’s highways depots throughout Cornwall. They currently have around 15,000 tonnes of salt ready for use this winter stored at seven locations across Cornwall and will replenish these stocks during the winter months if required.
Once again, the Council will be using Twitter to provide information about disruptions to services. Information on school closures will be posted on the Cornwall Council website. There is further advice and information at www.cornwall.gov.uk/snow.