As part of the vital preparations for the new highways winter service guidance, the National Winter Service Research Group (NWSRG) has developed a workshop to prepare practitioners for the changes.
The workshop is aimed at local authority practitioners and their service providers and is CPD accredited by the Institute of Highway Engineers. It takes place on Friday 14 September however the cut-off date for registration is 6 September.
Hosted by the Met Office at their headquarters in Exeter, the workshop will be interactive and run by experienced practitioners and those responsible for developing the guidance.
Topics from the new guidance, designed to help professionals deliver a more cost-effective winter service, are set to include:
- Treatment methods – particularly changing to treated or pre-wet salt
- Salt storage – how some authorities have improved their storage methods
- Calibration of gritters – why, when and how
- Spread rates – what is needed and allowing for losses
- Applying a risk-based approach to planning and route selection (if demand)
- Forecasting and road weather information systems (if demand)
The new guidance comes in under the new national code of practice Well-managed Highway Infrastructure, which supersedes the previous code Well-maintained Highways and its winter service section Appendix H.
