Council ready to keep communities moving

As winter approaches, North Lanarkshire Council is ready to keep local communities moving.
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With its contractor Amey, the council has a fleet of 32 gritters on stand-by, with 20,000 tonnes of salt in stock and almost 2,000 grit bins filled. In addition, 14 new tractors fitted with snow ploughs and salt spreading equipment are available to clear footpaths.

A number of gritters are fitted with cameras which feed images of the road network back to Amey’s control room, giving staff live updates on weather conditions.

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The cameras will also show any incidents of violence against the staff or vehicles.

The council’s gritting routes prioritise all ‘A’ and ‘B’ main roads and some ‘C’ roads, key bus routes and access roads to hospitals, fire, police and ambulance stations.

When severe weather is forecast, these roads are gritted in the early mornings and, depending on the temperatures, again in the evenings.

Main roads to schools are already part of the secondary gritting routes, however this year a number of other roads near schools will be included.

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All secondary routes, which also include access to rural communities and key routes into industrial and residential area, are treated when severe weather is predicted to last for a significant period.

“We are well prepared and ready to deal with the winter weather on the roads and in communities,” said Councillor James Coyle, Convener of the Planning and Transportation Committee. Our procedures are reviewed each year to make sure we learn from the experiences of the last winter, and we have now added more roads around schools to our gritting priority routes.

“Our contractor Amey and our own Land Service team have also invested in new equipment to help clear the roads and footpaths.

“I would encourage residents to take some time now, before the winter weather arrives, to make sure they are prepared. Our web site has a range of information and advice on keeping people, vehicles and properties safe this winter.”

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Adam Forster, Account Director, Amey, North Lanarkshire said: “We 
have been preparing throughout the summer to help the communities in North Lanarkshire cope when the snow and ice arrives.

“Every year our winter maintenance team work incredibly hard to help keep the county moving during periods of harsh winter weather and are ready to do the same again this year.”

More information on being prepared for winter is available on the council’s web site at www.northlanarkshire.gov.uk/winter and the Scottish Government’s campaign at www.readyscotland.org.