Written question asked by Nick Harvey (Liberal Democrat) on Thursday, 7 January 2010, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Monday, 11 January 2010. It was answered by Lord Khan of Tooting (Labour) on Tuesday, 19 January 2010 on behalf of the Department for Transport.

Roads: Snow and Ice

Question: (2) what guidance his Department provides to local authorities on the treatment of exposed roads, with particular reference to roads which have frozen over after having been gritted.

Answer: The UK Roads Liaison Group (UKRLG) has published a code of practice for highway maintenance "Well maintained highways". The code of practice includes guidance on winter service. The UKRLG recently published a revision to their winter service guidance. Both the code of practice and the revised guidance on winter service are available free on the UKRLG website:"http://www.ukroadsliaisongroup.org/"The guidance on winter service applies to roads affected by snow and ice and includes advice on materials that can be used for winter service. Recommended treatment rates for salt under different conditions are also provided.Through ongoing detailed research and analysis, the Highways Agency has developed a treatment matrix, which provides guidance for its service providers on appropriate treatment rates for their network. This matrix is under continuous review to assess identified treatment rates and as a result of recently completed research, the Highways Agency has been able to reduce its treatment rates helping to improve resilience through the current salt shortage.

Secondary information