Winter gritting

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As part of our maintenance duties, we provide 24 hour cover to respond to snow and ice using a fleet of specialist gritting vehicles.

Gritting involves spreading rock salt on the roads to prevent ice forming. During heavy snowfalls, snow ploughs may be used to remove snow.

Which roads are gritted?

Renfrewshire Council is responsible for maintaining 800 kilometres of roads. With a limit to our resources, we have a list of routes that are attended to in order of priority.

Like other councils, a great deal of effort goes into ensuring that our high priority routes are kept clear of snow and ice with the lower priorities being attended to as resources and circumstances allow.

Our order of priority is as follows:

1. 'A' class roads and main radial routes within Renfrewshire.
2. 'B' class roads and main distributor and main bus routes including, where appropriate, access routes to hospitals, ambulance depots, main police stations, fire stations and schools.
3. Local distributor roads including those serving industrial estates, isolated communities or dependent establishments.
4. Local access roads within communities and local rural roads.
5. Prospective public roads.
6. Private roads

When are roads gritted?

We receive regular and detailed weather forecasts predicting conditions on Renfrewshire's roads and we will normally send out the gritting teams whenever ice formation is forecast.

When instructed, all priority 1 and 2 carriageways are gritted prior to the morning peak traffic.

In marginal weather forecast conditions, winter service treatment may be restricted to particular routes with the potential of extending the service in the event of a deterioration in road conditions.

Does gritting always work?

Despite the best efforts of gritting teams, our success in tackling ice and snow problems depends on many outside factors.

Although we receive regular and detailed weather forecasts predicting conditions on Renfrewshire's roads, ice can form on a road surface before the gritting has been completed. Early morning frost is particularly hard to predict.

Gritting is carried out when it is not raining to avoid the salt being washed away. If the rainwater freezes quickly, ice can form before the gritters have completed their routes.

If rain turns to snow during the morning or evening rush hour, it is very difficult to grit roads because of traffic congestion. Rock salt has a limited impact on icy surfaces when temperatures drop below minus eight degrees centigrade.

It is therefore sensible to drive with caution in winter conditions.

Does the council grit footways and footpaths?

Resources to treat footways and footpaths are limited but the council will grit some footways in certain circumstances. Footway/footpath treatment priorities are as follows:

1. Paisley town centre pedestrian areas.
2. Other designated areas of high pedestrian usage, e.g. shopping areas, precincts, routes serving schools, hospitals and dependent establishments.
3. All other public footways/footpaths.

Subject to the availability of resources, Category 1 footways/footpaths will be treated in conjunction with priority 2 carriageways.

Category 2 footways/footpaths will generally only be considered for treatment after significant snow or ice events. The appropriate treatment would be a salt/grit mix which would be applied during normal working hours where resources allow. There may be occasions when Category 2 footways/footpaths are pre-treated during normal working hours if freezing is forecast to follow heavy rain.

Category 3 footways/footpaths will only be considered for treatment during extended severe snow or ice events as resources allow.

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Self-help

Over 300 grit bins are provided at locations such as steep gradients, bends and steps. Everyone can do their bit to help, particularly in conditions of heavy snow.

To find your nearest grit bin, take a look on our LocalView Map.

Clearing footways around your own home and helping elderly or infirm neighbours will ensure that many footways will be safer and easier to use. Where resources allow, the bins will be replenished with a grit/salt combination during the winter for use by the public on a self help basis but the grit/salt mix should not be used for treating private property.

There is no law preventing you from clearing snow and ice on the pavement outside or on paths to your house (or any other building you're responsible for).

Provided you are careful, use common sense and don't do anything likely to cause harm or distress to others, it's highly unlikely you'll be found responsible for any accidents. In fact, it's people using areas affected by snow and ice who have a responsibility to be careful themselves.

Any restocking requests should be made to the council's Customer Contact Centre on 0141 842 4466 (8am to 6pm Monday – Friday).

Further advice on self help can be found on the DirectGov website.

Exceptional adverse weather

Under normal winter conditions our usual gritting arrangements will apply. However, exceptional events, such as those that occurred last winter where the whole country was affected by snow combined with sub zero temperatures lasting several weeks, require special arrangements.

In these circumstances the council will implement contingency arrangements which may involve targeting resources at the highest priorities in order that lifeline services across the community can be maintained.

Details of any special arrangements in these circumstances will be issued through the media and this website.

The information contained on this page is reproduced in a leaflet which can be downloaded at the link below:

Winter Service Leaflet (pdf - 141KB)

More details on our roads winter service policies and procedures can be found in our service plan:

Winter Service Plan (pdf - 1.24MB)

For more information:

• email: pt@renfrewshire.gov.uk
• phone: 0300 300 0144
• call or write to:
  Planning and Transport
  Renfrewshire House
  Cotton Street
  Paisley
  PA1 1LL
  

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