The gritty business of keeping Sefton moving in the cold weather

As the freezing temperature have hit, here’s a reminder of what we are doing to keep Sefton’s busiest routes moving.

Our teams are out gritting almost 470km of the Borough’s roads and pavements.

Late evening or early hours
You may not have seen them, but that’s because they go out when the weather is at its coldest, which is usually late evening or in the early hours of the morning.

A dedicated team monitors Sefton’s weather conditions 24 hours a day. When temperatures begin to drop to 0°C Sefton Council’s gritting units are deployed. They carry out a large-scale carriageway treatment programme, as well as footway gritting in key town centres.

The weather is monitored throughout the day and any further additional treatment will be carried out if needed.

National guidelines
In line with national guidelines, priority is given to major carriageways and footways. Cycleways are also gritted where they form part of the approved carriageway and footway gritting routes.

You can find a map of the routes covered here.

Although gritting has taken place, we do encourage people to take extra care when driving, walking cycling and wheeling. Some side roads and pathways may still be icy.

Preventing build-up of frost and ice
Spreading grit (or salt) on roads helps to prevent the build-up of frost and ice. It is mixed with brine as it is spread. This speeds up the thawing process and reduces waste.

Gritting works most effectively when there are significant amounts of traffic to break it down and spread it over a wider area. That is why the gritters are often out very early, ahead of the rush hour.  It is also why busier roads tend to clear more quickly than side roads with less traffic.

Snow
Gritting will not prevent snow from settling on the road surface. After heavy snow fall, resources will be co-ordinated by the Council and partner organisations to clear paths at priority locations. Snow ploughing will be carried out on the carriageway when the level of snow is excessive and could cause a potential obstruction.