North Yorkshire County Council say that the county is well prepared to keep the county on the move and to keep elderly and disabled people safe and well during winter weather.
The county has been at the ready as temperatures have plummeted during the current spell of wintry conditions.
Highways gritting teams have been geared up for the challenge of wintry weather on the county’s 5,800 miles of roads since October
The £7m winter maintenance budget sees 54% of the roads gritted on one of England’s largest and in places most remote road networks. Eight new replacement gritters have been added to the fleet, making a total of 86, and there are 111 farm contractors, five road snowblowers and seven footpath snowblowers.
North Yorkshire County Council started the winter with 55,000 tons of salt stocks in our barns and 8,000 grit heaps and bins and throughout the winter they replenish these stocks so they are currently at the same level. Gritters are on call 24 hours a day, farmer contractors, duty managers and overnight patrols are all on standby and overnight patrols are in operation when necessary.
Farmer contractors have already been out to clear snowfall in upper parts of Swaledale and Wensleydale and the North York Moors over Blakey Ridge this week. Our winter highways operations are well placed to keep the county moving.
County Councillor Don Mackenzie, executive member for highways, said:
The county council places the highest priority on winter maintenance across our vast road network, one of the largest in the country.
Coping with severe winter weather on a big road network is a complex operation, but it is a top priority to keep the county on the move, We will grit as required to keep our highways open. Our first priority is major routes which connect or go through the county’s towns and we will clear these before moving on to our second level of priority routes which give access to smaller communities.
While we do everything we can to keep traffic moving during severe winter weather, it is important for drivers to drive with caution and consider whether their journey is absolutely necessary.”
The county Council uses the latest weather forecasting technology in planning its gritting operations. This includes ice prediction weather stations, a 24-hour weather forecast and road temperature sensor data.
Further information, road cameras, maps and videos explaining the council’s operations can be found at www.northyorks.gov.uk/gritting
Last winter 100% of gritting treatment was performed on time and the road weather cameras on the county council website were viewed 1,697,100 times. Sutton Bank was 21% of that figure.
Living in a cold home leads to thousands of excess winter deaths each year and often makes medical conditions like heart and respiratory diseases worse. It can also contribute to mental ill health.
Neighbours and friends to look out for elderly and disabled friends and family members as temperatures continue to plummet
“Our Winter Service”
Find out about the winter gritting service in North Yorkshire.
“Getting ready for winter”
Find out how NYCC prepare for winter in North Yorkshire.
“To salt or not to salt”
Find out how NYCC whether to salt or not to salt.
“Out on the road”
Find out what it’s like out on the road with the gritting teams.
“Keeping you safe”
Find out how the gritting teams keep you safe on our roads during winter.
“Spreading our message”
Find out how NYCC keep you informed about our gritting plans.
