Winter Gritting

Road Network in Barnet

Over 700 km of roads and 1400 km of
footways in Barnet

Almost impossible to provide resources to

deal with all road network
 Statutory Duty
Statutory Duty

The duty of a highway authority to remove snow and ice from

the highway is provided by sub-clause 41(1A) of the
Highways Act 1980:-

(1A) In particular, a highway authority are under a duty to

ensure, so far as is reasonably practicable, that safe passage
along a highway is not endangered by snow or ice.

The Highway Authority does have a duty, subject to the

limitation of so far as is reasonably practicable, to remove
snow and ice that accumulates on the highway. The definition
of highway includes carriageways, footways and cycleways
within the highway boundary.
 Road Priorities
Priority 1 Roads- Approx 240km or 35% of network
Principal Roads, main commuter routes, bus routes and roads
providing access to the emergency services.

Priority 2 Approx 170km or 25% of network

Roads in the vicinity of shopping centres, public transport
stations, public buildings, schools and roads with steep
gradients.
Priority 3
Remaining roads & footways

Priority 1 roads are regularly gritted (precautionary gritting)

Priority 2 roads are gritted mainly in times of snow (post gritting)

and only after priority 1 roads have been treated and found to
be safe.
 Priority 1 Roads
Priority 1 Roads
The Priority 1 roads have been split into 8 routes so that
these can be completed in 2 hours when spreading 20 gr/m2.
In 2004 these Priority 1 routes were thermally mapped and
optimised to maximise the efficiency of the gritting operations
and allow an earlier start on Priority 2 and 3 roads in severe
weather conditions.

Two of the 8 routes cover the coldest and more exposed areas
of the Borough (hilly, northern areas) and other areas that are
subject to ground water seepage. These two routes are also
known as Cold or Seepage Routes which are prioritised on
marginal nights, thereby creating operational and
environmental savings.

The Council has 9 dedicated gritting vehicles, as well as one

small demountable gritter which adequately cover these
routes.
Facts and figures this year
P1 roads treated 49 times
P2 roads treated 4 times
P3 roads treated once
Seepage routes treated 5 times
Salt used so far this season 2492 tons
P1 routes 1715 tons
P2 routes 115 tons
Grit bins ( 380 number) 320 tons
Assist refuse collection 200 tons
Gritting Town Centres 98 tons
One off gritting requests 44 tons
Current stock salt 1319 tons, amongst the highest in London
 Community Keepers Pilot Scheme
One of the recommendations of the Task & Finish Group
Councils Overview & Scrutiny arrangements

A pilot scheme with 4 community keepers & 3-4 schools

Community Keepers: To distribute the salt equitably amongst
fellow residents during severe weather and eliminate the
misuse of salt.

In exchange of your time Council provides

salt
-wheel burrows
-snow shovels
- snow clearing advice & training
weather forecast advice
 Legal Advice to Residents
Clearing snow and ice from pavements
yourself
There's no law stopping you from clearing snow
and ice on the pavement outside your home
or from public spaces. It's unlikely you'll be
sued or held legally responsible for any
injuries on the path if you have cleared it
carefully. Follow the snow code when clearing
snow and ice safely.

Community Keepers and all volunteers will be

covered by the Councils insurance provisions.
 Snow /Ice clearing tips
Clear snow early in the day, whilst fresh
Snow becomes hard when walked on &
overnight
Apply salt before night to prevent refreezing
Use salt or sand not water
Pay extra attention on steep footpath /steps
When moving snow do not block paths
Offer to clear neighbours path