Road and Street Gritting

These pages provide information about services to treat roads and pavements during frost, snow and ice conditions to keep them as safe to use as possible.

This page is divided into the following sections:

• Servicing of grit bins
• Where we grit
• When we grit
• Frost patrols
• Pre treatment
• Post treatment
• Contact information and gritting requests
• Provision of grit bins
• Clearing snow and ice yourself
• Maps

Detailed information on these services can be found in the Winter Service Plan 2011/12, which can be downloaded from the attached files section at the bottom of this /page.

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Servicing of grit bins

As part of the Winter Service arrangements in the new Waste and Environmental Services contract with Veolia, salt bins are now being removed from public highways for the summer and autumn seasons. Whilst off the street they will be cleaned up, repaired and serviced ready for return to their dedicated locations ready for next winter.

The winter service period commences on 1st November and all the grit bins will be returned to the street before this date.

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Where we grit

The Council's gritting activities are organised into two teams, one of which works on the carriageways (the section of the road used by vehicles), and the other on the pavements (for pedestrians).

Both teams work to a priority list, focussing on the highest priority areas to ensure that these are open and operational before moving on to lower priority areas. Further information on the classifications of the priority areas, including lists and maps of all roads in the borough grouped by priority area, can be found on the carriageway gritting and pavement gritting pages.

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When we grit

The Council and Veolia receive Haringey-specific daily winter weather forecasting information. The forecast gives predictions of the possibility of freezing road temperatures, snow etc, and the time those conditions may occur. This enables decisions to be made about whether to carry out gritting operations.

There are three types of gritting operation, which are carried out at different times according to the forecast and actual weather conditions:

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Frost patrols

Frost patrols are carried out when there is a forecast of near or sub-zero overnight temperatures, which may result in the formation of frost or ice.

Frost patrols are the most common form of gritting operation, and normally happen on 20 to 30 nights each winter. Frost patrols are carried out on carriageways and pavements based on the following criteria:

• Carriageways with the steepest gradients, where formation of frost or ice creates a particularly high level of risk
• Carriageways with steep gradients that may ice over for longer periods owing to a higher elevation or greater exposure
• Heavily used pedestrian areas with the steepest gradients, bridges, and steps in exposed locations that are likely to ice over and for longer

A list and two maps of the areas covered by frost patrols can be found in the attached files section below. Please note that these maps are large high-resolution files.

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Pre-treatment

This is gritting carried out upon the forecast of snowfall before the snow begins to fall. This is designed to guard against the possibility of the snow settling. We aim to complete pre-treatment of Priority 1 carriageways and pavements by the time that snowfall is forecast to begin.

Post-treatment

This is gritting that is carried out during or following a snowfall. This is designed to limit the amount of snow that settles, and reduce the likelihood of ice forming as the snow gets compacted. During any given weather event Priority 1 carriageways and pavements will be treated and re-treated if necessary. When all Priority 1 carriageways and pavements are considered to have been satisfactorily treated we will then grit Priority 2 pavements and carriageways subject to there being sufficient stocks of salt to do so. Gritting of Priority 3 carriageways and Priority 3 and 4 pavements will generally only receive limited gritting during any weather event as maintaining higher priority carriageways and pavements to a safe standard will take precedence.

There is further information on pre-treatment and post-treatment on the carriageway gritting and pavement gritting pages.

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Contact information and gritting requests

For urgent or emergency gritting requests during normal office hours (Monday to Friday, 8.30am to 5.30pm), contact the Veolia Haringey Contact Centre:

Tel: 020 8885 7700
Email: enquiries.haringey@veolia.co.uk

For urgent or emergency gritting requests outside normal office hours, call the Council’s Emergency switchboard on 020 8348 3148.

We will respond as quickly as possible to requests for emergency gritting to support responses by the emergency services and where there are vulnerable people at risk. Requests that do not fall into this category will be attended to if it is appropriate to do so within the Council’s approved priority response protocols as outlined in the Winter Service Plan 2011/12.

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Provision of grit bins

There are 153 grit bins throughout the borough in areas not normally subject to mechanical treatment, such as at hilly or exposed locations, and also potentially dangerous road junctions. A list and map is provided in the attached files section below.

Grit bins are replaced on the street during the autumn and will be topped up throughout the winter maintenance period subject to there being sufficient salt stocks to do so. If you need to report a missing or empty grit bin then please contact the Veolia Haringey Contact Centre:

Tel: 020 8885 7700
Email: enquiries.haringey@veolia.co.uk

Suggestions for new sites for grit bins are welcomed, so if you wish to suggest a location then please contact Veolia using the details above. Requests for the provision of a grit bin are assessed and judged against a set of criteria, and they will only be provided if full justification can be shown.

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Clearing snow and ice yourself

During periods of heavy or prolonged snowfall, gritting may only be possible on the main roads. In these circumstances, some residents may wish to clear snow and ice from their own pathways, as well as pavements outside their properties and those of their neighbours.

The Government has published a short guide to help residents understand how they can clear snow and ice safely, which can be found on the snow code page.

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Maps

Maps are available to download in the attached files section below. Please note that these are large high-resolution files.

The different gritting routes can also be viewed on Haringey's interactive maps. To view this, visit the Haringey Online Maps page, and then do the following:

• click on Map Layers in the top left
• click on the + sign next to Winter Service - Gritting Maps at the bottom of the list
• select which of the different categories you want to view by putting a tick in the box beside each one. You can select as many of these categories as you wish. When you have chosen the categories, click on the Update button, which appears at the top of the lists (you may need to use the scroll bar)
• the layers you have selected will appear on the map, in the same colour as icon next to the categories you have ticked
• you can zoom in on the map by using the toolbar above the centre of the map image.

For more help on using the Online Mapping function, click on the ? button at the top right.

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Attached Files

Useful External Links

Ku xiriirsaneyaasha soo socda ma aha qayb ka mid ah bogga internet-ka Haringey Council web site.

Ka hor intaadan isticmaalin, fadlan akhri ogeysiiskeena sharciga ah ee arintaan khuseeya.

• Met Office Website