East Renfrewshire is ready for winter with 3,800 tonnes of salt in stock

East Renfrewshire Council is well equipped to keep roads and pavements safe over the coming months, with winter maintenance crews ready to manage more than 295 miles of gritting routes.

Article Source: East Renfrewshire Council
Last Updated: 1 November 2023 13:13

Gritting crews are now on standby, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week throughout the winter season and ready to respond to weather alerts and ensure key routes are safe and passable.

The Council’s winter controller receives road updates and weather forecasts from specialist weather forecasters at least three times a day. Roadside sensors also send information to help check road conditions. Warnings of frost, freezing or snow conditions will result in precautionary salting of priority routes.

Fixed gritting routes are pre-planned by the Council so that during normal winter conditions, its 171 miles of priority routes are treated in runs. Priority routes cover over 56% of the total road network and include: ‘A’ roads, ‘B’ roads, one access route to fire stations and bus access routes, including one access route to each school served by a dedicated bus service.

Last winter residents named the Council’s five largest gritters after areas throughout the authority with a seasonal twist. The gritter names are: Brrrhead - named after Barrhead, Maidenchill - named after Maidenhill, Thaw-rnliebank - named after Thornliebank, Weather-Lee - named after Whitelee Windfarm and Netherlee and We Built This Gritty on Clarkston Toll - named after the song We Built This City by Jefferson Starship.

This year the Council has refreshed its fleet and has ten gritters geared up for the colder months. The Council is asking residents to once again come forward and suggest similar themed names for its five upgraded gritters. Name suggestions can be made on the Council’s social media channels.

Councillor Danny Devlin, Convener for Environment and Housing, said: “The Council has an essential role in keeping East Renfrewshire’s roads safe over the course of the cold winter months so it’s reassuring to hear the service is prepared for every eventuality. Teams work tirelessly each year to salt roads, clear snow, ensure grit bins are well stocked and respond to challenging conditions, so by prioritising routes it ensures main roads remain free from ice and snow as far as possible. Unfortunately resources don’t allow every road and pavement in the authority to be treated so support from residents who are able to grit their driveways, pavements and check in on elderly and vulnerable neighbours is always appreciated. Please keep an eye on the Council’s social media channels for regular gritting updates during periods of freezing temperatures.”

A total of 329 standard grit bins and 17 community grit bins are available across the area and residents are encouraged to make use of the free grit available.

Grit bin locations and more information about priority gritting routes can be found on the Council’s website at: eastrenfrewshire.gov.uk/winter-roads

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