Gritting snow?

[Nickyboy]

I've always been told that gritting snow is pointless because the snow keeps the road surface cold enough to prevent the salt working. Is this true?

Is this the reason the roads are at a standstill?



salting instead of plowing?

[Chris944_S2]

It will melt the snow, but it will also make it very slushy. Wet slushy snow is the worst to drive on, he should really be plowing first to get rid of most of it and then grit.

Edit: I was having a chat with a Swede about snow in the UK a week or so ago. The temperatures in the UK being milder in winter means that the snow is very wet and heavy. If it's colder, the snow stays hard and gets compacted on the roads making it much easier to drive on. So UK snow conditions, although less extreme, can often be worse to drive on which contributes to the country grinding to a halt.

Edited by Chris944_S2 on Saturday 23 March 12:39

[v8will]

Needs ploughed, a heavy spread of grit and plenty of traffic. I drove gritters during the really bad winters of 09 and 10 and it was great fun.