Winter 2011/2012: what's the true grit situation?

After two severe winters in a row it would be expected that councils would err on the side of caution when it comes to ordering enough salt to grit the roads with.

On 8th October 2011, the Local Government Association (LGA), which represents over 300 councils, claimed that council highways teams are "better prepared than ever before to keep disruption to a minimum".

However, on 31st October 2011 the Institute of Advanced Motorists (Iam) warned that many British roads will become more hazardous as councils reduce spending on essential winter road services.

Iam's concerns will be echoed by the likes of GEM Motoring Assist, another road safety organisation which fears that government purse-tightening has compromised road safety for the members it provides breakdown cover to.

With weather experts such as Exacta Weather predicting "frequent and heavy snowfalls" to occur across many parts of the UK later this month (November 2011) British road users could soon discover the extent of their council's resilience to a cold snap.

Confidence about salt stocks

A survey by the LGA found that

• Over half of all councils (51 per cent) plan to have more salt reserves in stock than they did last winter; 48 per cent are confident of having the same amount
• Councils were aiming to have a median average equivalent of 4,900 tonnes of salt in their salt shed; compared to a median average of 3,400 tonnes last year
• During winter 2010/2011, an average of 3,900 tonnes of salt was put on each council's roads and pathways

Councillor Peter Box, Chairman of the LGA's Economy and Transport Board, said: "This year councils have more salt and better plans in place to make it go further while even more volunteers and community groups have been lined up to help with the great gritting effort."

Fears about salt spending

Iam does not share Cllr Box's confidence. The road safety organisation points out that estimates from the Department for Communities and Local Government (DCLG) show an overall 3.6 per cent decrease in the in projected spending for salting roads, snowploughing and emergency arrangements across England.

Iam points out that DCLG figures show that:

• 67 councils are reducing the amount they are spending on winter road services
• 33 are budgeting more than 10 per cent less than last year
• 21 councils are budgeting 30 per cent less than in 2010/2011

David Williams, chief executive of road safety association GEM Motoring Assist believes that spending cuts are likely to compromise road safety. However, he does stress that it is, at present, difficult to isolate the impact of budget reductions on individual items like road gritting.

Mr Williams said: "There has been a significant reduction in spending on road safety officers, traffic police officers and road safety research grants. Road deaths for the first six months of 2011 are up compared to the same period last year but linking this rise to spending cuts at this early stage is dangerous."

According to the Department of Transport, there was a 37 per cent increase in the number of cars overturning in snow and ice on UK roads last year – a statistic which illustrates the danger of driving on wintry roads.

Road safety experts advise that measures such as fitting winter tyres and allowing more time to brake can help make driving in winter safer.

The drivers who sensibly adjust their motoring habits when the cold snap arrives will be hoping that local authorities show equal care when it comes to gritting roads.