Roads and Transportation Service

1. Roads and Transportation Service EAST AYRSHIRE COUNCIL GET READY FOR WINTER FOOTWAY TREATMENTS October 2011

2. Roads and Transportation ServiceFootway Treatments • Traditional Approach • Drivers for Change • Review of Footway Gritting Routes • Trigger Levels • Treatment Winter 2010/11 • Review Summer 2011 • Proposed Treatment Winter 2011/12

3. Roads and Transportation ServiceFootway Treatments - Traditional Approach • Priority 1 footways developed over time. • Route cards and records were rudimentary. • No trigger levels in place. • Footways treated by Outdoor Amenities. • Action determined by Area Engineer at 7-8am. • Employees had to return to base to organise equipment. • Road salt spread by tractor towed spreader or by hand.

4. Roads and Transportation ServiceFootway Treatments - Traditional Approach • Problems were highlighted during winters 2008/09 and 2009/10. • Main source of complaints received by Roads and Elected Members related to the treatment of footways – or rather the lack of treatment. • East Ayrshire Council undertook a major review of the Winter Service during 2010. • One of the main areas reviewed was the treatment of footways.

5. Roads and Transportation Service Footway Treatments – Drivers for Change • Summary of Previous Four Winters • Salt Used 2007/08 8132 tonnes 2008/09 12121 tonnes 2009/10 13743 tonnes 2010/11 10443 tonnes • Treatments 2007/08 90 Days 2008/09 109 Days 2009/10 112 Days 2010/11 117 Days

6. Roads and Transportation Service Footway Treatments – Review of Routes Priorities based on footway hierarchy and wider pedestrian and other policy priorities • Priority 1 Footway Routes – 142km Urban shopping areas and precincts. Footway access to emergency facilities including fire and rescue, police, ambulance services and hospitals. Other public services (Schools, health centres etc.). • Priority 2 Footway Routes - 56 Km Other access routes to town and village centres. Known problem areas including significant gradients.

7. Roads and Transportation Service Footway Treatments – Review of Routes

8. Roads and Transportation Service Footway Treatments – Trigger Levels • Priority 1 footways treated when of a forecast of ice or snow with temperatures below zero for the next 24 hours • Winter controller issues instruction to treat as part of lunchtime decision process. • Priority 2 footways treated when adverse conditions forecast over a prolonged period, treated during the working day. • Priority 2 treatments commence upon completion of Priority 1 footways.

9. Roads and Transportation Service Footway Treatments – Winter 2010/11 • Priority 1 footways outwith Kilmarnock treated as before with rock-salt applied by mini gritters. • Priority 1 footways within Kilmarnock treated with a sodium chloride brine spray as a trial . • Peacock Ltd utilised pray equipment mounted on quad bikes to treat 70km of footway. The brine solution was applied at 20ml/sqm. • Priority 2 footways treated with road salt.

10. Roads and Transportation Service Footway Treatments – Review 2011 • Brine spraying was popular with town centre shopkeepers – no complaints regarding dirty shops. • No detritus left on footways treated with brine spray. • Brine spray alone not effective on fallen snow. • Priority 1 footways generally treated between 5 – 8am. • Pro-active decision making made more effective use of resources. • Scope to increase lengths of Priority 2 footways. • Community Service groups used to assist in extreme weather conditions.

11. Roads and Transportation Service Footway Treatments – Winter 2011/12 • Trial in Kilmarnock extended for a further winter. • Calcium chloride to be used instead of sodium chloride. This is effective to lower temperatures and have a longer residual life but is more expensive. • Snow ploughs to be available for quad bikes. • Monitoring regime to be developed to ensure effective feedback on trial, with comparisons made with control sites. • Trigger level for Priority 1 brought forward to 10am, effect is likely to increase number of days of treatment.