Transport for Buckinghamshire gritters are ready for winter 2019

TfB gritters leaving a depot on the ‘2019 winter gritter parade’.

Monday 14th October marked the start of the 2019 winter services for Transport for Buckinghamshire (TfB).

On Saturday 5th October 2019, TfB carried out its annual ‘winter parade’ where the drivers from all four highways depots in Buckinghamshire take their winter gritting fleet out of Aylesbury, Gawcott, Amersham and High Wycombe depots on their usual gritting routes for a trial run.

The ‘winter parade’ serves as refresher training for all fifty gritter drivers along with their supervisors and staff who carry out the winter service. This is in addition to winter maintenance training, delivered to all drivers during the summer.

All the gritting vehicles have been thoroughly serviced and were inspected by the drivers to re-familiarise themselves with their machines.

The gritters were then taken out on their usual winter gritting routes so that any changes, such as route amendments, overhanging trees etc. could be noted and the team were able to ensure that all equipment on the vehicles is working correctly.

Once the parade was complete, the gritters were parked back in the depots in their winter service positions on call and ready to start service, should they be needed, from Monday 14th October 2019.

Deputy Leader and Cabinet Member for Transport at Buckinghamshire County Council, Mark Shaw, said: ‘I am sure that some people in Buckinghamshire will have been surprised to see the fleet of gritters out so early in the year when it was mild! However, I am filled with confidence that the TfB teams and winter gritting crews are ready to go when they are needed from now onwards.‘

Residents can view the @tfbalerts Twitter page to see if the gritters will be in action each day once the temperature is forecast to drop below +0.5°c and ice is expected to form. The daily gritting decisions will also appear on the Buckinghamshire County Council website atwww.buckscc.gov.uk/services/transport-and-roads/road-maintenance-and-repairs/winter-maintenance.

*Source of article : Press release from Buckinghamshire County Council.