As temperatures drop, Bedford Borough’s winter maintenance schedule is in full swing, with over 3,000 tonnes of salt stockpiled for use by the council’s gritting crews.
To make sure the gritters are deployed at the right time and place, professionally qualified officers gather information from weather stations across the Borough, utilise weather forecast updates, and employ satellite imagery software.
This data helps predict road temperatures, snowfall expectations, and the timing of weather events, guiding the scheduling of gritting runs.
The Council uses 6mm crushed rock salt, spread onto the roads using purpose-built gritters. While the salt itself doesn’t directly melt snow and ice, it creates a salty solution when the traffic mixes it in which reduces the accumulation of snow and ice on our roads.
Cllr Jim Weir, portfolio holder for highways, said, “Our gritting crews are ready to head out each day, until March, and their efforts are crucial in ensuring the safety of our roads and keeping traffic flowing during the winter months.
“On a single gritting run, our crews will cover over 480km of road.”
To stay informed about gritting activities follow the Gritter X (Twitter) account, @grittertweets, which provides daily updates on gritting runs and weather forecasts throughout the winter season.
Additionally, the latest updates can be found here or with a live map of the gritters at here. This gritter tracker allows residents to follow the exact locations of the gritters during their runs.
Matthew D’Archambaud, chief officer for transport, highways, and engineering, said: “We concentrate our efforts on areas where it will benefit the most people.
“Our priority is to keep main roads free of ice and snow at all times, ensuring a safe journey for those travelling across the Borough. We ask all residents to exercise extra caution during particularly cold conditions and to accelerate and brake more gently when driving.”
To further assist residents, Bedford Borough Council provides salt bins (grit bins) strategically placed at bends or hills where the risk of slipping on ice is higher.
These bins are not intended for use on private drives and paths and are there for the public to help keep the roads and pavements clear. Residents are encouraged to report any empty salt bins by contacting the Highways Helpdesk at highways.helpdesk@bedford.gov.uk.
