Frequently Asked Questions regarding salting (sometimes known as gritting)
Where to salt?
The road network has been divided into 4 levels of a hierarchy in order to prioritise treatment of ice and/or snow.
The top 2 priority networks (P1 and P2), which generally comprise all A roads together with certain B roads and other roads, will receive precautionary treatment if ice and/or snow are forecast. Very occasionally, depending on weather it may be necessary to treat only the top priority (P1) network before moving on to the P2 network.
The next priority network (P3) comprises the remainder of the B road network, certain links to villages not on the precautionary network, and certain bus routes and industrial estates.
Where the forecast weather is that conditions are unlikely to improve for at least 48 hours, that is the temperature is unlikely to rise above freezing within that period, salting will be carried out on the Priority Three (P3) network if Priority One and Two networks do not require treatment.
On the remainder of the road network (P4) certain roads may be salted if spreaders and manpower are not required on higher priority roads.
When to salt?
The Council receives a specialised winter weather forecasting service based on local information from the ice prediction system and outstations around the county. The forecast, received on a daily basis, gives predictions of the possibility of freezing road temperatures, snow etc, and the time those conditions may occur.
In addition, throughout the winter season when temperatures are marginal inspectors patrol certain routes to check the accuracy of the forecast by measuring road surface temperatures. This enables decisions to be made if, or when salting is necessary. The aim is to treat Priority 1/2 roads before the morning peak traffic time, though the target time for action otherwise depends on forecasts and conditions.
Please visit the Met Office website, see related links below.
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Do you provide salt bins?
There are currently 900 salt bins throughout the county in areas not normally subject to precautionary treatment, at hilly, exposed locations and potentially dangerous road junctions. They are restocked with salt when needed.
Requests for the provision of a salt bin are assessed and judged against a criteria. They are only provided if full justification can be shown.
Can a salt bin be removed?
Often salt bins become the focus of vandalism or the meeting place for youths. If this becomes an unbearable nuisance, a request for the bin to be removed can be made. The agreement of other residents in the area, often the local council, would be needed before the facility is withdrawn.
Are pedestrians routes salted?
In very severe weather conditions, especially when snow or ice may remain for some days, consideration is given, in priority order, to the treatment of pedestrian routes - such as:
- Town centre streets/main pedestrian routes
- Shopping frontages
- Busy pedestrian routes
- Hospitals and doctors surgery frontages/routes
- School frontages/routes
- Community centre frontages/routes
- Steep sections of footway/footpaths
- Predominately elderly residents areas
- Other residential areas
- Industrial estates.
Cross-border arrangements
The County Council has arranged reciprocal agreements with some adjacent Authorities whereby they will carry out precautionary treatment on certain roads in Northamptonshire and vice versa.
These roads are treated on the decision of the salting authority and thus there may be a difference in the timing of treatment.
This arrangements has allowed greater efficiency in the winter service operation and permits a more extensive network to be treated.
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