Solihull Council confirms gritting arrangements

COLD SNAP: The Chester Road, Castle Bromwich in the winter of 2010/11

THE Castle Bromwich councillor who heads-up Solihull Council’s transport and highways department has said he is confident that the authority is “fully prepared” for the winter.
Councillor Ted Richards confirmed today that 4,500 tonnes of road salt had been stockpiled in readiness for bad weather.
Gritting crews will be on stand-by 24/7 between now and March, with plans in place to keep nine main routes through the borough moving.
A particularly mild winter last year meant that crews were little tested, although the council will be mindful of the problems that more severe weather can cause.
In 2010-11, many parts of the country were caught completely off guard by heavy snowfall and plummeting temperatures – which led to a chronic salt shortage. The Met Office would later confirm that it had been the coldest December since records began.
Ever since then local authorities, including Solihull, have ensured they are ready for the worst.
Councillor Richards said: “We are confident we have enough [salt] to see us through the next few months.
“During recent winters our staff have done a superb job gritting our roads and keeping our salt supply plentiful – I have no doubts that they will yet again rise to the challenge this time around.”

Inside the Salt Barn:

The first thing that springs to mind when you stare up at the salt piles is that you definitely wouldn’t want this stuff sprinkled on your chips.
It’s coarse and brown, more like sick bucket sand than the fine white flakes that you’d have on your dinner.
But of course, the salt stored at Solihull’s depot (pictured right) isn’t intended for emergency seasoning, rather it’s the secret to keeping local roads clear in the event of ice and snow.
During my time in local newspapers I paid several visits to Moat Lane, where the borough council co-ordinates its response to wintry weather.
The salt is important, but just as vital is knowing when to use it. For this councils rely on up-to-the-minute forecasts to predict if they'll need to head out to treat the roads.
The problem is that gritting is one of those services where councillors can’t please everyone. 4,500 tonnes might be the equivalent in weight to 900 African elephants, but there are over 1,000km of road in Solihull - with the natural priority being main arterial routes.
This inevitably poses a problem in somewhere like North Solihull, with so many winding side streets.
The key for the council - who are perhaps aware they'll always come in for some criticism during a spell of wintry weather - is to make sure that once you're onto the main roads the conditions are as safe as possible,