Purpose

Provide members with the outcome of the 5 year
review of the Roads Winter Maintenance Policy and any accompanying
documentation and ask for comments from members.

Content

To provide the following
comments to Infrastructure Services Committee:

Suggested linking in
with the Braemar and Ballater Weather Page as a source of weather
data.
Highlighted
challenges around snow warden volunteering in small communities
with ageing demographics.
In relation to snow
gates, highlighted concerns about a lack of joined up
communications and requested that Councillors be provided with an
out of hours contact for reporting issues.
Would welcome
improvements in relation to F3 and F4 footways.
It would be helpful
if F3 and F4 footways were visible on public facing
maps.
The prioritisation
criteria did not account the importance of main hubs in smaller
communities such as Tarland Square.
Improvements were
needed in relation to gritting/snow clearing on school
routes.
The position on snow
clearing/gritting at primary schools should be
reviewed.
Could cross-service
working, including with schools, be enhanced; for example, to
include head teachers to enable informed decision making on school
late opening.
Suggested
communications to improve understanding and expectations in
relation to how gritting worked.
Enhanced publicly
accessible information would be welcomed.
Clarity was needed in
relation to hospitals and healthcare facilities - specifically
queried the road access to Glen O’Dee Hospital and the Banchory Medical
Practice which was within a Council car park.
The snow warden forms
may put people off volunteering.
Could businesses be
involved in the snow warden scheme?
In relation to the
road network hierarchy review, requested that the B9077 South
Deeside Road be given higher priority as it was a heavily used
major artery into Aberdeen.
Welcomed engagement
with local communities regarding footways and the place-based
approach but asked that officers also work with local
Councillors.
 Queried the timeline for the further engagement
piece referred to at paragraph 3.4.5 of
the report.
 There was a need to ensure that gritting continued
on the Aboyne Bridge while it was closed.
Asked that
communications on the Winter Readiness Plan be linked to Resilience
communications.
Questioned whether
the Equalities and Fairer Scotland Duty was being met in terms of
the public being able to safely use road networks.
Need to ensure that
public message was mindful of cost-of-living issues and was not
patronising.
Suggested that the
winter maintenance budget should be enhanced.
Requested clarity on
the position regarding unadopted roads in cases of new developments
where developers had gone into liquidation.
Queried scope for
increasing grit bin availability and whether signage could be put
on bins to explain appropriate usage/deter private use.