The Council's gritting teams have been out in force over the past few days and nights, gritting at least twice per day. As our area is particularly hilly, we rely on the gritting service to help us to get out and about when we absolutely need to do so.
The Council's priority routes can be viewed below (we are in South and East Croydon):
These roads cover about 240km, and have been selected on the basis of being:
- A or B roads
- main bus routes
- approaches to rail stations
- steep gradients
- approaches to fire, police or ambulance centres
- approaches to facilities offering the COVID-19 vaccinaton
During times when temperatures remain below freezing for an extended period, or when there is heavy snowfall, the Council gives priority to the roads on the primary gritting routes. Of these roads there are 4 priority routes (about 70km worth) that are treated first, and only once the Council is happy that these are clear will the remaining 9 routes be covered. That said, having been out this morning I was able to see that many roads not considered a priority have benefitted from gritting.
The Council's gritting vehicles have electronic tracking devices, as well as technology that allows measures how much salt has been put down at any location. If your road is on one of the priority lists and you do not believe it has been treated this can be checked by the Council.
Salt bins
The council has 577 salt bins that are all repaired and filled at the start of each winter.
These bins have been placed at locations where drivers or pedestrians may need to put down salt in an emergency, particularly on pavements. For this reason residents are asked not to take salt away for use on their private driveways as this could be extremely dangerous for other people if the bins are empty when they are genuinely needed.
If you're concerned about gritting in your road, or your salt bin needs refilling, please contact 020 8255 2816
