Snow and Ice on the Roads
From October to March, County Highways make a daily assessment of the likelihood of snow and ice on the roads and decide whether to carry out gritting. Gritting – or more accurately salting – is carried out by a fleet of vehicles which cover the network in 4 hours.
How Does Salting Work
Salting does not mean that the road surface will instantly become ice free. Salt works by turning the ice or snow surrounding each salt granule into a saline solution which has a lower freezing point than water. The action of traffic helps the salt to be more effective by moving the salt around and eventually melting all the ice or preventing ice forming.
It takes time for the salt to become effective after roads are treated (the more traffic a road has, the quicker the salt will take effect).Rain can wash salt off roads leaving them prone to re-icing. If the rain turns to snow during rush hour, any earlier treatment will be washed away and it isn’t possible to re-salt in heavy traffic.
If road temperatures fall below minus 7 degrees Celsius the effectiveness of salt diminishes and it will not prevent roads from icing up.
If conditions are really bad, access to the roads is not always possible – even for the salt spreaders.
Salting is carried out on a three priority basis, described below.
Click here for a full map of Surrey showing the salting routes.
Priority 1 roads
Priority 1 roads are the most important roads in terms of the volume of traffic carried, and are the first to be treated in advance of any forecast frost, ice or snow. Priority 1 roads include:
- all A roads, B roads and roads carrying more than 8,000 vehicles per day
- main access routes to hospitals
- major bus routes
In our area this includes: A217 Brighton Road, A240 Reigate Road, Yew Tree Bottom Road, Epsom Lane North, Tattenham Crescent (by shops), Great Tattenhams, Tattenham Way, Merland Rise, Preston Lane, Chetwode Road, Marbles Way, Picquets Way/ The Drive loop to the Beacon School, Fir Tree Road, Banstead Road, Nork Way, Green Curve, Rose Bushes.
Priority 2 roads
During periods of prolonged and persistent frost, ice or snow, salting is extended to include these roads, but only once priority 1 roads have been cleared. Priority 2 roads include:
- roads carrying more than 4,000 vehicles per day
- main access routes to important industrial areas and secondary schools
- access roads to railway stations
- roads used by other bus routes and depots
- steep hazardous gradients and on bridges where local icing conditions are known to occur.
In our area this includes: Downland Way, Shawley Way, Tattenham Crescent (residential section), Garlichill Road, Headley Drive/Waterfield loop, Bunbury Way, Hillside/ Burgh Wood loop.
Priority 3 roads
During periods of snow clearing, the priority 2 network is extended to include access routes to primary schools.
In our area this brings in St Leonards/ Chapel Grove access to the rear of Epsom Downs School and the Partridge Mead/Roundwood Way/ Warren Mead access to Warren Mead Schools.
Pavements
Pavements are not routinely salted.
Areas that are not salted
Residential roads, alleyways, car parks and private property are not salted unless they are on the priority list above.
Motorways and trunk roads
Highways England are responsible for salting the motorways and trunk roads that pass through Surrey, including the M3, the M23, M25, A3, A23 at Hooley and the A30 (in Spelthorne only).