New gritter tracker shows which roads in Harrogate district are being treated

An online gritter tracker for North Yorkshire has been launched to help drivers plan their journeys.

The service by North Yorkshire County Council shows people in real time where gritters are being deployed on the authority’s priority routes and where they have been during the preceding 10 hours.

Any gritting will disappear after 10 hours to avoid confusing previous treatments with recent or current ones.

Cllr Don Mackenzie, executive county councillor for access, said:

“The online gritter tracker is a further tool to help people to make informed journey planning decisions with confidence, particularly during wintry conditions. It gives more detail than ever before, allowing people to see where gritters are and which parts of the network have recently been treated.

“This is a bespoke service that has been developed in-house specifically for North Yorkshire. It is no small feat to develop a system to track up to 80 gritters and all the data they generate.

“We are confident that from day one it will provide a useful service to people travelling in the county, but we are keen to hear from those who use it about any refinements that could improve it further.

“By launching it during this winter, we hope to receive feedback on live situations, which we will be able to review over the summer. Ahead of next winter, we will be able to introduce any enhancements to ensure it provides information that is as full and accurate as possible.”

You can view the online tracker here.

The online gritter map showing the roads treated in Harrogate in the previous 10 hours.

The online gritter map showing the roads treated in Harrogate in the previous 10 hours.

True grit – facts about North Yorkshire gritters

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Ripon company supplies gritters for London’s roads

A Ripon company is set to supply gritters to keep London’s roads safe during winter.

For the next seven years, 33 Econ Engineering vehicles will be located at different points in London ready to mobilise when temperatures plummet.

Econ, which has its main manufacturing base in Ripon, has been negotiating with three companies that have been awarded contracts to keep the capital’s roads ice and snow free.

Ringways, Tarmac and Kier Joint Venture and FM Conway were all awarded contracts by Transport for London to maintain the capital’s roads.

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All three companies have turned to Econ to purchase vehicles for winter maintenance.

Ringways has purchased 11 gritters, Tarmac and Kier joint Venture 13 and FM Conway has bought nine from Econ.

Jonathan Lupton, from Econ, said: 

“We are delighted to have been chosen by all three TfL contractors as their winter maintenance vehicle partner of choice.

“This is a significant contract award for us and demonstrates our standing within the highways and transports sector.

“For more than 50 years, Econ has become an industry leader in the manufacturing of gritters, and our vehicles are used by councils, highways agencies, and road contractors the length and breadth of the UK.”

TfL said in a statement:

“For the next seven years the three contractors will be ensuring our roads are kept open whatever the weather conditions. And for their part, they have chosen Econ Engineering to supply them with the necessary vehicles to ensure they fulfil their contractual obligations.”

No driver shortage for winter gritting in North Yorkshire

North Yorkshire County Council reassured people today that it has enough drivers to operate a full complement of gritters this winter.

The council, which spends between £6m and £10m each winter on gritting, has spent £2.2m on 18 new vehicles to replace some of the 80 in its gritting fleet.

The fleet, which is on call 24 hours a day, is complemented by more than 100 farm contractors.

County Councillor Don Mackenzie, executive member for access, said:

“People may recently have seen media reports suggesting the risk of a shortage of drivers in parts of the country. We can reassure people that in North Yorkshire we have sufficient drivers and robust systems in place to ensure we can operate our full complement of gritters.

“Our salt stores are well stocked, with 55,000 tonnes of salt – enough to fill 21 Olympic-size swimming pools – plus about 8,000 grit heaps and bins, and we have a strong relationship with a local supplier.”

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The council recently announced it would save up to £120,000 by improving the efficiency of its gritting operation, which led to concerns that the service would be cut back. But Cllr Mackenzie said:

“This change is in no way a reduction in our services and will not compromise the safety of our roads. It enables us to use our resources to maximum effect.

“We remain committed to maintaining the level of service that sees us routinely treat a greater proportion of our network than any other council in England.”

NY Highways formed

The new vehicles join NY Highways, which is one of numerous new companies formed by the council to bring back services in house. NY Highways took over the council’s £40 million a year contract with Ringway to maintain North Yorkshire’s roads.

Ross Bullerwell, managing director of NY Highways, said it was “well prepared” to “ensure we deliver a successful winter programme to keep the roads safe and clear for users”.

The council is also providing travel information to road users from 10 new weather stations on some of the highest and most exposed roads in the county.

Further information about when and where gritting takes place, grit bins and access to live road cameras images can be found here.

More efficient gritters to save County Council £120,000

North Yorkshire County Council has approved plans to make its gritting service more efficient which could save £120,000 this year.

The authority’s Business and Environmental Services Executive backed the proposals which it says will see gritters spread salt more accurately and reduce the average age of its fleet.

The measure will see the council gritters move to a new, lower, minimum salt spread rates as outlined in the UK Roads Liaison Group’s guidance.

True grit – facts about North Yorkshire gritters

 

Cllr Don Mackenzie, executive member for highways, said the savings had been made possible by investing in modern equipment :

“As the county council invests in modern equipment like ploughs and gritters, so we can introduce fine adjustments to our methods, thereby making valuable savings for our taxpayers, whilst continuing to deliver one of the most comprehensive winter gritting services in the country.”

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Meanwhile, David Bowe, corporate director of business and environmental services (BES), said: 

“We are moving to a more efficient and cost-effective way of delivering our service based on a review of national research and improved technology.

“The last time our spread rates were fully reviewed was over 12 years ago and advances in technology mean we can still deliver a comprehensive service but in a more cost-effective manner.

“We’ll always ensure our salt spread rates are appropriate for weather conditions. With routine treatments during milder winters the saving could be around £120,000 for the coming winter season. We will be able to utilise any efficiency savings on other essential council services.

“Any savings will depend on the weather conditions as no two winters are the same. We can spend between £6 million and £10 million delivering our winter service. Salt accounts for around a third of that cost. Please be assured that these changes will not compromise the safety of our roads.”