Snow affected road conditions

See the 'Bad Weather Affects Services' article on the right of this page

Two recent press releases are also given below:

Jim Stevens, Head of Transportation at Bucks County Council, wrote yesterday, 5th February

'All precautionary salting routes (main roads) have been salted daily for the past week.

Within the last 24 hours precautionary routes have been salted twice (at 6.00/700pm yesterday evening and at 4.00/5.00am this morning) at higher than normal spreading rates. Secondary routes have also been salted this week and hand salting of some town/shopping centres. Ploughing has commenced this morning on the A road network in the north of the county where condition are worse and where ploughing will be effective.

Transportation standby staff have been working overnight with Fitzpatrick to undertake salting operations and daytime staff have now taken over.

Salt stocks in Buckinghamshire, by comparison with other authorities across the country, are reasonable. After the cold snap in early January we replenished our salt stocks and we currently we have around 4000 tonnes in the depots. On a normal salting run we use around 120 tonnes countywide, but during the snow conditions we can use up to 400 tonnes per day. We placed order for more salt earlier on this week and are now dependant upon national suppliers from Cheshire, with who we are in direct contact.

The current weather forecast for Buckinghamshire is rain, sleet and snow turning to rain (currently persistent rain in Wycombe, Chiltern and South Bucks) and then freezing overnight with more snow.

Lastly and importantly, only travel is absolutely necessary and if you do please drive/walk/cycle to the prevailing conditions and never assume a road has been salted.'

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SALT RATIONING PLAN IMPLEMENTED ACROSS BUCKS

KEEPING MAJOR ROADS and key routes open will be a priority as the county
council takes action to implement a salt rationing plan. Due to continued
severe weather conditions the council will set in place a plan to ensure that
the county's salt reserves are used in the most effective way possible. From
tomorrow (7 February) standard gritting schedules will be replaced with a
rationing plan. This plan will see salting kept to A and B roads only - but
with the addition of some key routes into settlements that have been
identified as priority to keep open.

The county's salt stocks were replenished in early January this year,
following heavy usage and current stocks now stand at 2,500 tonnes. The
present severe weather conditions mean that up to 750 tonnes of salt a day
have been used in order to keep roads free and moving. The councils order for
salt, placed over a week ago, has not yet been fullfilled by our supplier
Salt Union based in Cheshire. However, we are in contact with Salt Union to
establish timescales for deliveries, which we do not expect for some time yet
given the national situation with the shortage of salt.

Chris Williams, Chief Executive of Buckinghamshire County Council, said: "It
may be some time before further salt deliveries are confirmed. So, like all
other local authorities we are implementing well thought out plans to keep
the county's major roads open and ensure best use of our salt stocks.

"Inevitably this will mean that drivers cannot expect the same level of
salting we have had in the past. It is essential that drivers DO NOT assume
roads have been salted and that road conditions in some areas may well
deteriorate if the severe weather continues.

"We are in close contact with the Met Office on weather conditions to enable
us to plan ahead with our salting operation."

Routes included in the salt rationing plan are:

North
A41 Oxon boundary to Tring
A418 Thame to Leighton Buzzard
A413 Wendover Dean/Gt Missenden to Northants Boundary
A421 Oxon to M Keynes
A422 Brackley to Thornton
A4010 Stoke Mandeville to Terrick
A4129 Towersey turn to Ilmer Turn
A4157 Aylesbury Ring Road
A4146 M Keynes to A505 and Northall to Dagnall
A4156 White Hill Aylesbury
B488 Tring to Ivinghoe and Ledburn to Ivinghoe
B489 A41 to Beds Boundary (Whipsnade)
B4033 Winslow to Gt Horwood
B4032 Winslow to A4146 Soulbury
B4443 Aylesbury to Stoke Mandeville
B4506 Dagnall to Ringshall
B4009 Wendover to Aston Clinton
B4011 Thame to Oxon Boundary Boarstall

C76 Cheddington to B489
C73 Station Road Cheddington
C46 Main Street Mursley
C8 High Street South Stewkley
C13 Main St Drayton Parslow/C9 Drayton Road N.Longville/C21 Whaddon Road to
A421 Bottledump
C1 Padbury from A413 to Steeple Claydon/C3 to Calvert C37 and C1 Charndon to
Marsh Gibbon/C31 to C3 Edgcott/C3 Edgcott via Grendon U. to A41
C4 Winslow to Oving via Granborough and N.Marston/U80 Oving To C57/C57 to
Blackgrove Xroads/The strand Quainton to Station Road/C30 Station Road to
Waddesdon A41
C3 Leap Hill Brill from B4011/C60 Oakley Road back to B4011 C70 Thame Road
haddenham A418 to C66 Standbridge Road then C66 Standbridge Rd/Churchway to
A418 Kings Cross
C56 Dadbrook A418 to Cuddington/C57 Aylesbury Road Cuddington to A418

South
A4155 Henley to Cookham
A4094 Bourne End to Loudwater
A40 Holtspur to Stokenchurch
A404 Handy X to Hazlemere
A4010 West Wycombe to Terrick
A4129 North from Longwick
A4128 Wycombe to Prestwood
A4 Maidenhead to Slough
B4440 Wooburn Green to Holtspur
B482 Stokenchurch to Marlow
B4009 Chinnor to Terrick
B4444 Longwick to Risborough
B474 Hazlemere to Penn
Skirmett Road,Hambleden
Skirmett Road, Skirmett
Fingest Lane, ( Fingest to Mudhole ) Fingest Frieth Road, (Mudhole to Frieth
X rds) Frieth
Church Road, (Frieth to Lane End) Moor Common
The Row, Lane End
Park Lane, (part-The Row to Archers Way), Lane End Archers Way, Lane End
Simmons Way, Lane End
Clay Lane, Booker
Cressex Road, Booker
Marlow Bottom Road, Marlow Bottom
Wycombe Road, (Marlow Bottom to Marlow) Marlow
Parkway, Marlow
Daws Hill Lane, High Wycombe
Heath End Road, Flackwell Heath
Straight Bit, Flackwell Heath
Whitepit Lane, Wooburn Green
Queen Alexandra Road, High Wycombe
Suffield Road, High Wycombe
Desborough Avenue, (part-Suffield Road to A40), High Wycombe Hatters Lane,
High Wycombe Totteridge Lane, High Wycombe Totteridge Road, High Wycombe
Holmer Green Lane, Hazlemere
Sawpit Hill, Hazlemere
Watchett Lane, Holmer Green
Spurlands End Road, Holmer Green
Fairfield Road, Burnham
Botley Road, Botley


For further information please go to www.buckscc.gov.uk or call Highways On
Call 0845 2302882

Published: 06 February 2009 (updated 11/02/2009)