BEAR / AMEY Gritters

[Craigie]

OK, I know a couple of years ago we had really bad weather and country ground to a halt. And politicians lost their position as a result. And huge amounts of planning meetings have gone into making sure it doesnt happen again.

So, when I pass through the A8 at Eurocentral at 9.15am this morning, my car temp was saying 4.5 degrees and there was a gritter (with plough attached) sitting on the overbridge. Visible presence, reassure motorists and keep politicians in their job? Orange beacon was flashing, so guessing engine running and driver looked fast asleep behind the wheel.

Can just imagine the conversation - right you, go and park your gritter there for four hours, let all the rush hour motorists see you and then come back to base. Really boss, can I get my newspapers and coffee first??

Coming home tonight, along the M74 Glasgow stretch, raining and temp of 7.5 degrees, and I pass a gritter spreading on the road.

Have they just decided to use up all their surplus stock now that winter is just about by?

Rant over!!

[S2red]

Had similar in Glasgow city centre several degrees above zero and the are gritting ice & snow no sign of them

[GoneAnon]

I don't know what the weather forecast was/is, but the idea is to get the grit down before the temperature drops to freezing. Also, the traffic helps to grind it down and spread it across the road surface.

This explains it better than I can:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/magazine/8420755.stm

[Craigie]

In the rain??

[Humper]

They travel up and down the M77 lights going no grit coming out regularly too( when it IS icy)

[MarshalRay]

I noticed a gritter on a sliproad of the m80 last Sunday morning on our way to Knockhill(around 6:30). I commented at the time that perhaps it was ready for rapid deployment - Driver might have needed to wake up first though. (mabe he was just resting his eyes). Good work if you can get it.

[alangla]

Humper said:

They travel up and down the M77 lights going no grit coming out regularly too( when it IS icy)

Thought the spreader was now GPS controlled so you didn't get every gritter going to/from the depot dumping on the same section of road?

In terms of gritting at odd air temps, AIUI, it's done off detailed short-range forecasts for what's likely to happen in each area over the next few hrs, plus the road temperature can be very different to the air - if you want to see this, go to trafficscotland.org, select weather station & scan around a few of them. Road temp will probably be higher than air during the day, but lower at night & significantly lower if there's either snow nearby or there's been a run of cold days.

[MarkRSi]

Are they still gritting around Aberdeenshire? Haven't noticed the past couple of days...