Winter Decision Making

Each Operating Company's Winter Service Manager has the delegated responsibility for all aspects of winter service provision.

The Winter Service Manager is responsible for the following activities:

Weather Station

• Ice prediction and weather forecasting service, including sensor calibration
• Collection and management of weather data
• Winter service decision making
• Plant and communications
• De-icing material stock levels and storage
• Staff and Operative training and rosters
• Inspection and maintenance of winter hardware
• Maintaining records
• Daily and annual reporting.

The Winter Service Manager is the owner of the Winter Service Plan for that Operating Company area. Each Operating Company produces their own winter service plan.  The latest editions are below:

• North East Unit Winter Service Plan 2011-12 (PDF, 7.2 Mb)  
• North West Unit Winter Service Plan 2011-12 (PDF, 3.1 Mb)
• South East Unit Winter Service Plan 2011-12 (PDF, 4.0 Mb)
• South West Unit Winter Service Plan 2011-12 (PDF, 2.4 Mb)  

Disclaimer - Please note that the Winter Service Plans are still being revised to reflect the additional resilience measures put in place for 2011/2012.  The plans shown here are in DRAFT form and the final versions will be added in due course. 

These plans set out how each Operating Company intends to deliver its Winter Service Operations between 1 October and 15 May each year.

Daily planning and monitoring 

Each Operating Company is required to obtain the services of an expert weather forecasting provider and operate a computerised road weather information system. This displays data from road sensors, weather cameras, forecasts and weather radar to assist the operating company to make decisions on the deployment of winter maintenance resources.

Expert meteorologists provide daily weather forecasts to the Winter Service Managers from 1 October to 15 May each year, which arrive around mid day. This allows operating companies to prepare daily winter action plans by 3.00 pm, outlining pre-treatment arrangements on roads for the next 24 hour period.

Operating Companies monitor forecasts using actual data from weather stations and sensor sites. Further information is also collected by liaising with the weather forecaster, gritter drivers, winter patrols, the police and third parties.

Weather stations throughout the trunk road network relay information to the Operating Companies, including temperature, wind speeds and rainfall. Many of the weather stations have cameras attached allowing decision makers to remotely monitor the locations.

Operating Companies monitor and update this database of information around the clock, with any changes required to action plans being implemented, as far as is reasonably practicable, in advance of adverse conditions.

Where it is not possible to predict adverse conditions, the Winter Service Manager has ultimate responsibility for ensuring that reactive requirements are implemented within the required timescales.

Investing in Technology

Remote location and temperature data

from patrol vehicles

• Six new weather stations
• 24 existing weather stations will have cameras added, meaning 64 of the 141 weather stations will have camera coverage
• 50 mobile road sensors procured and fitted to the winter patrol fleet, to monitor in real-time the temperature and location of each patrol gritter
• New web interface for decision makers to remotely view the location and temperature data from each of the patrol vehicles.

These new technologies will give the winter managers better information with which to make critical decisions.