Gritters from Island Roads’ winter maintenance fleet will be out and about on the Island’s highways network this weekend.
It is not that a cold snap is expected, rather Island Roads will be undertaking its annual ‘autumn parade’ – a day of activity to help ensure the winter maintenance fleet and drivers are both fully prepared for the colder months ahead.
During the day, all the winter drivers will re-familiarise themselves with their routes and be brought up to speed with any changes in legislation or safety procedures. All the fleet and equipment will also be tested to ensure it is ready for use.
The salt supply at Island Roads’ winter maintenance depot at Stag Lane has already been topped up to a level of 1,600 tonnes. To put that in perspective, last year a total of 547 tonnes was used on the network.
The gritting fleet comprises 11 vehicles – 6 frontline gritters (those named by local school children) supported by other back up and specialist vehicles.
Island Roads relies on several sources of information in order to determine whether the network needs to be treated. Firstly, there is a forecast supplied by the Met Office specifically for the Island and in addition to this Island Roads also receive continuous readings and information from 2 weather stations at Duxmore and Rowridge. This information is supplemented by on-the-ground visual inspections from Island Roads staff.
The gritting routes will be the same as in previous years and are available to view at https://www.islandecho.co.uk/gritting-routes.
