Calderdale MBC Wards Affected All Cabinet 1st October 2018 7 2018/19 Winter Maintenance Joint Report of Director for Regeneration and Strategy and Director for Public Services 1. Purpose of Report 1.1 Changes in the Highway Maintenance Code of Good Practice suggest that Local Highway Authorities should consider a body of evidence in order to calculate “risk” and in light of that calculation, determine an appropriate level of treatment in mitigation. 1.2 Winter gritting is a vital service in Calderdale and there is a need to hone the service to meet resident and business needs. 2. Need for a decision 2.1 This report contains the current list of treatable roads and in broad terms proposes to continue to treat the extensive established list of 1,135 treatable roads in Calderdale (67% of the network). It indicates that a small number of roads (which have had some treatment in the past) cannot be treated due to impediments to safe gritter access and these are listed. 2.2 The report gives details of a proposed highway hierarchy within Calderdale and suggests appropriate levels of treatment in accordance with the above. 2.3 The report describes the intervention levels that will apply for precautionary gritting. 2.4 Council Officers are now seeking permission from Cabinet to implement the actions identified as above. 3. Recommendation It is recommended: 3.1 that Members are requested to agree the winter policy described in paragraphs 5.3 and 5.4 and appendices 1-4. 4. Background and/or details 4.1 The United Kingdom Roads Liaison Group published its Code of Practice 'Well-managed Highway Infrastructure' on 28 October 2016. 4.2 The Code of Practice is not statutory but provides highway authorities with guidance on highways management and the adoption of the recommendations within the Code is a matter for each highway authority, based on their own legal interpretation, risks, needs and priorities. 4.3 The new Code marks a change from specific guidance on levels of service to a risk- based approach determined by each highway authority. The Code advises that this approach should be adopted for all aspects of highway infrastructure maintenance and will include investment, the setting of levels of service, inspections, responses, resilience, priorities and programmes of repair and replacement. 4.4 The content and implication of the Code has previously been reported to Economy & Environment Scrutiny Panel on the 3rd November 2016, the Place Scrutiny Board on the 5th October 2017 and 6th September 2018 and also Cabinet on 2nd October 2017. 4.5 Last year a pilot programme based solely on the proposed road hierarchy was tested across the Borough but it soon became apparent that public expectation and established travel patterns required a more extensive level of service. Consequently, following an early pragmatic review, wherever it was safe to do so, the gritted network returned to the established gritting routes which had evolved incrementally over a number of years. 4.6 It is proposed that the future service sustains this approach and the list of treatable roads is set out at Appendix 2. The list runs to some 1035 roads, an extensive network which will provide road users in Calderdale with a high level of service appropriate to Calderdale’s topography and climate and one which allows us to grit 67% of the network (470.44 miles). This compares to the reported percentages for our near neighbours as follows: Leeds 43% Sheffield 70% Bradford 62% Hull 31% Doncaster 32.5% Kirklees 53% 4.7 There are a small number of roads which have had some level of gritting in the past where changing road layout or other issues makes it difficult to or impossible to grit safely. These are listed in Appendix 5. 5. Main issues 5.1 Proposed Winter Service Policy Statement and Precautionary Intervention Level. This is shown at Appendix 1. 5.2 Treatable Roads (Retained from previous years due to custom and practice). All roads which will be subject to the winter service are shown at Appendix 2. 5.3 Proposed Hierarchy of Treatments (Carriageways). The proposals for the Carriageway Network are as follows: a. Category 1 - The Resilient Network - This is based on the West Yorkshire Key Route Network with the addition of access to emergency services premises, hospitals with A&E facilities and access to delivery points for major supermarkets. This network will be subject to a gritting and snow clearing operation up to 24hrs a day when appropriate. This is the minimum treatment network and would only be used on the specific instruction of the Lead Winter Operations Manager in extreme conditions or during a severe salt crisis, to reduce the effects of adverse weather and provide travelling conditions as safe as reasonably practicable. b. Category 2 - The Primary Network - This includes all Category 1 roads, all A, B and C roads, roads with bus routes, access to transport interchanges, roads serving schools (the point of access will be the one most efficient for the Council to grit), link roads serving large business areas, shopping areas, urban or rural centres and roads on the Calderdale resilient highway network. This network will be treated with a gritting and snow clearing operation up to 24hrs a day when appropriate to maintain this network. All Category 2 roads will be assigned a priority rating indicated by colours; green, amber and red (green being the highest priority). These will be used during extreme ice and / or snow conditions when it is not possible to cover the entire Category 2 network and all stakeholders will be advised of any reduction in services. c. Category 3 - The Secondary Network – Roads where doctors surgeries/medical centres and promoted council facilities have their access, link roads serving medium business areas, shopping areas, urban or rural centres. Where reasonably practicable to do so this network will be treated alongside the Primary Network. In snow or severe ice events this network will be treated after Category 1 and Category 2 roads are clear of snow and ice. d. Category 4 - The Tertiary Network - Link roads serving small business areas, shopping areas, urban or rural centers. These roads will have strategically placed salt bins in urban areas and salt piles in rural areas and will comply with the salt bin and pile criteria. This network will be treated after continuous icy or snowy weather lasting more than three days and a forecast of a further three days, after Category 1, 2 and 3 roads are completed and only in the hours of daylight. e. Category 5 - Salt Bins/Salt Piles - These roads will have met the criteria for salt bins in urban areas and salt piles in rural areas. Bins and piles will be replenished at the beginning of the winter season and only refilled on the decision of the Lead Winter Operations Manager. If any of these roads are impassable due to the volume of snow they will be cleared where reasonably practicable but only after Category 1 to Category 4 roads are completed and clear, and a further three days of sub-zero temperatures are forecast. This operation will only be carried out in the hours of daylight. f. Category 6 - Non Treatment Roads - Roads which do not qualify for a salt bin or pile. If any of these roads are impassable due to the volume of snow they will be cleared where reasonably practicable but only after Category 1 to Category 5 roads are completed and clear and a further three days of sub-zero temperatures are forecast. This operation will only be carried out in the hours of daylight. g. Category 7 - Unadopted Roads – These roads will not receive a winter service. Note:- Roads in categories 1 - 4 with less than 3.5 metre clear width, including those areas where cars are parked, or cul-de-sac with no adequate HGV turning, will be given a Category 5 status (salt bin / pile). If assistance is requested by the emergency services to a live 999 incident, assistance will be provided where reasonably practicable. Some roads may appear on routes of a higher category due to the need to route vehicles efficiently. In some areas of the borough houses have access both from the front and the back, where this is the case the back street will fall automatically into category 6 and only the front road will pass through the criteria sieve. 5.4 Hierarchy of Treatments Footways. Proposals for the Footway Network are as follows: a. Category 1 Footways – Town centres, Hospital. b. Category 2 Footways – Village centres, schools, health centres. c. Category 3 Footways – No treatment. We will carry out reactive treatment when there is laying snow or ice on the Category 1 footways and the forecast indicates that the hazard will remain for more than 24hrs. This work will usually be carried out during standard working hours. Once this is completed and the hazard is expected to continue for a further 24hrs we will move onto Category 2 footways. 5.5 Risk Assessment for potential future additions to the list of treatable roads. This is shown at Appendix 3. 5.6 Grit Bin Locations. The criteria for the location of grit bins is shown at Appendix 4. 6. Consultation 6.1 As part of the overall process of understanding “risk” and assigning a winter maintenance network hierarchy, the following statutory bodies have been consulted: West Yorkshire Police, Calderdale. West Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service, Calderdale. West Yorkshire Ambulance Service, Calderdale. Calderdale MBC, Highways service. Bradford MBC, Highways service. Kirklees MBC, Highways service. Oldham MBC, Highways service.