During bad weather our gritters cover 600km of Liverpool’s roads in a single run, sometimes doing two runs usually late at night and very early in the morning when the network is clearer. Here are some more facts about gritting and how we do our very best to keep Liverpool moving during the winter months:
Myth one – Gritting salt on the road means the ice will melt.
False. Spreading salt is the start of the de-icing process. Movement of salt by traffic is essential to complete that. Overnight, with low traffic levels, roads can remain icy for some time and people should take care.
Myth two – Salting a road stops the formation of ice.
False. Salt lowers the freezing temperature preventing ice forming when road surface falls to 0°C. But salt usually loses its effectiveness at -5°C and stops working at -10°C. By the way, the reason for pre-salting the road is to form a separating layer so if snow falls it doesn’t freeze onto the road surface and can be ploughed off or churned off by traffic.
Myth three – Spreading salt on fresh snow will melt it more quickly.
False. Salt only effectively melts snow when as much of it as possible is removed and traffic can move the salt around. To protect the road from ploughs we remove snow to around a depth of 20mm before spreading.
Myth four – No matter what the temperature, salt will melt the ice.
False. In the concentrations we use on our roads, salt does not melt ice below -8°C and is less effective at temperatures below -5°C.
Myth five – Don’t clear your own drive or pathway or someone who falls could sue you.
False. Anyone can clear snow and ice from the pavement outside their home or public spaces to prevent slips and falls. To clear snow and ice safely, follow this advice from the Met Office.
Myth six – A gritter passed me but no salt was being spread.
Fact. Salt no longer sprays in all directions, covering the windscreens of cars and the legs of pedestrians. Computer-controlled mechanics now dispense the required amount of salt directly down onto the road. Also, the vehicle may not have reached the start of its treatment route, or maybe returning to the depot.
Gritting trucks can also “throw” salt to one side or the other to ensure the whole carriageway is covered even if the vehicle is driving down one side only.
Our crews also grit the pedestrian parts of the city centre and hand grit key footpaths. Liverpool has 191 community grit bins for footpaths, especially in high footfall areas.
To find community grit bins and to see which roads are covered by our gritters please see the council’s website.
