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Council’s winter gritting roads survey not known until spring




West Berkshire Council's public consultation on which roads it should grit over winter has closed.

But the council will not hear what the public thinks about it all until it is nearly spring, as the results won't be collated and known until the end of February.

Gritting lorry
Gritting lorry

West Berkshire Council, as the highway authority, is responsible for looking after the district's 1,323km of publicly maintainable surfaced roads during the winter period, which runs from late October to early April each year.

By law, highway authorities must do all that is reasonably practicable to keep the publicly maintained highway free of snow and ice.

It is recognised nationally that it is not reasonable to grit every single road.

In West Berkshire, only the highest priority routes routinely receive salting treatments or are ploughed during snow conditions.

These are known as ‘primary routes’, and they are routinely treated throughout the winter season in advance of freezing conditions.

The council wants to save £40,000 and plans to reduce the number of winter gritting routes by revising the criteria used to determine which roads should be treated as part of its ‘primary route network’.

Its new plan is that all 'A' class roads that the council is responsible for will be gritted, along with other main roads that have higher traffic flows at peak traffic periods.

Also key public transport routes and access to public transport infrastructure and main access routes to towns and villages - for example those not served by a main road - large educational establishments, major hospitals and healthcare facilities, important emergency service locations and sites identified as critical infrastructure.



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