Highways Adverse Weather & Winter Service Plan
In this section
- Service response
- Training
- Winter service treatment routes
- Snow Events
- Footways / Cycleways
- Car Parks
- Grit bins
- Railway level crossings
- Winter Service Resources
Winter service treatment routes
In common with the County Council’s approach to other adverse weather events, the response to winter weather is managed proportionally in response to the severity of the expected weather conditions, or the actual weather being realised, and the risks presented.
Our approach to the selection of treatment routes accords with the National Code of Practice and is founded on a risk-based approach as set out in Part 4.1 and 4.2 of this Manual. This approach utilises the adopted Highway Network Hierarchy to guide all aspects of highway management and maintenance and ensure that finite resources are directed towards areas where they are most needed to minimise the risk to the travelling public.
Carmarthenshire County Council has adopted the following treatment networks:
| Primary Network | A network of strategically important routes. These routes will normally be treated in advance of forecast freezing temperatures and will be the key focus during adverse weather. |
| Secondary Network | A supplementary network of secondary routes which support the Primary Network. These routes will only be treated during prolonged or severe winter weather, if resources permit, after the Primary Network is treated. |
| Resilience Network | A reduced ‘core’ strategic network. Winter Service operations will be reduced to focus on a Resilience Network for treatment if resources or weather conditions are such that the continued treatment of the Primary Network is unsustainable. |
Note: The above routes are treated in addition to Trunk Roads and Motorways.
Primary Network
Carmarthenshire’s Primary Network for winter service is derived from the road network hierarchy, prioritising the busiest and most critical routes. This consists of CHSR, CH1 and CH2 routes and where necessary are extended to include critical facilities as shown below:
| Road hierarchy | Descriptor | Type of road | Description (approximate daily traffic volume) |
|---|---|---|---|
| CHSR | Strategic route | Trunk and some Principal 'A' class roads between Primary Destinations | Route enabling travel between locations of regional significance (Strategic routes are identified based on their importance regionally rather than their traffic volume). |
| CH1 | Main distributor | Major Urban Network and Inter-Primary Links. Short - medium distance traffic | Travel between locations (traffic volume 10,000 - 20,000) |
| CH2 | Secondary distributor | B and C class roads and some unclassified urban routes carrying bus, HGV and local traffic with frontage access and frequent junctions | Travel between locations (5,000 - 10,000) |
| Critical facilities | • Hospitals and Ambulance Stations • Fire Stations • Main Police Stations • Key Public Transport Routes • Main Schools & Colleges • Train Stations and Bus Interchanges • Ferry Ports (Trunk) |
Secondary Network
The County Council’s Highways Team will have a main focus during adverse weather on the County’s Primary Network. Following satisfactory treatment of the Primary Network, if weather conditions dictate and resources allow, treatment may be carried out on a Secondary Network which will include selected bus routes, routes to smaller villages, settlements and steep gradients.
In addition to the highway network, we may treat other key locations including main car parks. Treatment will be carried out as resources permit and in response to local priorities and emerging conditions. First priority will always be given to keeping trunk roads and Primary Network clear. Secondary routes largely consist of hierarchy level CH3 and many CH4 routes. Other roads may be treated as resources allow.
Resilience Network
The resilience network is defined as a reduced strategic network which will be treated if resources or weather conditions do not allow the continued treatment of the entire Primary Network. Restricted resources may include fuel, salt/grit, vehicles or personnel. Priority will be given to maintaining treatment of the Trunk Road network on behalf of Welsh Government and the South Wales Trunk Road Agency.
On the directions of the Director of Place and Infrastructure, in extreme circumstances it may be necessary to reduce service provision and withdraw certain aspects of the service. This may potentially apply during prolonged periods of severe weather where salt stocks are reaching a critical point and the forecast predicts further spells of cold weather, or other factors that disrupt service provision.
