As Island Roads gears up for the winter season, Isle of Wight Council members have been seeing first-hand the work that goes into keeping the network safe during cold conditions.
Elected members were recently invited to Island Roads’ winter maintenance HQ at Stag Lane to learn more about the highway PFI company’s work to grit the network in the event of freezing weather. They were also given the chance to accompany a gritter driver on a short practice run.
The winter maintenance season runs between 1st November and 31st March although resources are ready to be deployed outside of these months if necessary.
Decisions on whether to undertake a gritting run are made based on bespoke, localised, weather information as well as readings from weather stations at Duxmore on The Downs Road and Rowridge on the Middle Road at Calbourne.
Island Roads has a gritting stock of 1,600 tonnes at the start of the season – well in excess of what would be needed for even a severe winter.
There are no changes to this year’s gritting routes which will again focus on keeping the Island’s main roads and those connecting towns. Around 350 kilometres – some 43% of the network – are treated during gritting runs.
You can see the gritting routes in your area here.
Dave Wallis, Island Roads’ maintenance and operations manager, says:
“Our winter maintenance activity creates a lot of public interest so we thought it would be a good idea to invite local elected members along so they could see first-hand all that is involved.
“We hope they found the visit informative and that they are now even better placed to answer any queries on the subject they receive from their constituents. We’d like to thank councillors for their interest.”
Council Chairman Claire Critchison, along with daughters 12-year-old Leah and 9-year-old Alice, was among those present.
Cllr Critchison said:
“We may take it for granted that the gritters will be out to prepare the roads for freezing weather but it was interesting to see exactly what is involved in the process and how much work goes into ensuring the fleet is ready to spring into action.”
This weekend Island Roads will be holding the annual ‘Autumn Parade’ a day of activity to ensure the fleet and its drivers are fully prepared for the winter ahead. As a result, you may see gritters out on the network.
Double standards..
No hard hats, high viz, glasses, gloves and letting kids on site.
Make your mind up island roads.
Island Roads are run by Cowboys – Yeehaw!
Double standards from island roads.
No high viz, hard hats, gloves,glasses.
And letting children in on site.
These guys are useless. About time we got a private company to do the job. Our roads are terrible, the worst in the UK.
Even some of the private Companies on the Island are run by Cowboys
(Believe me)
Temperatures in low double figures.. time to get the gritters out…. waste more of the peoples money…
Glad to know, think the worse month is going to be Feb and March with the current seasonal changes happening in this country.
Always has been, kids ladybird book, “what to look for in winter” said that 60 years ago, so hardly” current” seasonal changes.
We used to have an island roadworks and maintenance team employed by the the Isle of Wight Council covering the whole island. Somehow a mainland firm took over under the name of Island Roads. Standard of road works has gone down dramatically since. Should be like New Zealand where roadworks when started have to work 24 hrs a day until finished.
Best way to make these DANGEROUS Island Roads safe is to
Install speed camera’s, traffic calming and Double Yellow lines down many roads.
Start with placing double yellow lines and speed camera’s down
Great Preston Road in Ryde
“The road is a Speedway”
Great Preston “road” is full of subsidence! Probable the worst road on the island.
Probably true.
The Road in parts is terrible, drainage is poor.
Yet IW council were talking about building more properties in this area
(Crazy)
IW Council don’t have a clue about Road Safety
Great Preston Road is a Dangerous Road
(Vehicles parked on both sides of the Road and many ‘idiots’ park on the pavement)
It’s about time something was done.
I am waiting for the day when a serious accident will take place
AND THEN THE COUNCIL WILL FINALLY DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT!
I believe in prevention, it’s better than cure.
It would help if the roads weren’t in such a dreadful, dangerous state due to this company’s woeful record on road repairs. How many roads that have been defectively repaired using no overbanding whatsoever will start to break up the minute we have an overnight frost?
well they got 1 thing right. Winter is definitely coming shame thats all you have got right