Walsall Council has launched Operation Snowfall this week to prepare for a potentially cold winter ahead.
As part of the operation, gritting trucks hit the streets of the town to ensure that driving routes are clear for when the snow and ice begin to appear, while over 200 salt bins are being stocked up for residents to use on roads.
The gritting trucks in operation this winter in Walsall include:
- Grittney Gears
- Snow Trouble
- Selena Snowmez
- Gritzilla
- Grittendor
- Thaws Hammer
The names were chosen by local primary schools in 2018.
Councillor Adrian Andrew, Deputy Leader of Walsall Council said:
“As always, we’re well prepared for the winter and not just here at the highways depot. Decisions about whether we’ll be sending ‘Selena’ and her friends out are made on a daily basis by our winter service decision makers. The decision to treat the road network is based on the likely road surface temperature, localised weather forecasts we receive five times a day and date from our own weather stations in the roads, which can even advise on the level of existing salt content on the roads.
“In advance of the cold weather to come, I would like to place on the record my thanks to our highways officers and colleagues at Tarmac who turn out in rotten weather and often at unsociable hours to keep us all safe.”
Mark Harriman, Contracts Manager at Tarmac said:
“We’re fortunate to have a very experienced team, with some of them having gritted the roads of Walsall for over 40 years, but it’s always useful for the drivers to have this run-through to ensure we’re thoroughly prepared.”
The highways depot in Brownhills is stocked with around 3,000 tonnes of salt which is ready to be spread on around 218 miles of roads which make up the gritting routes. It can take approximately three to four hours to treat each route.
Councillor Kerry Murphy, Portfolio Holder for Clean and Green said:
“I attended Operation Snowfall and I can only say that every day is a school day! I think most of us have no idea how much science and technology goes into keeping our highway users safe.”
Information on which roads are treated can be found on the Walsall Council website.