Preventing Slippery Conditions
What is it?
The winter maintenance season runs from 1 November to the end of March. During this period, the municipality is obliged to combat slipperiness and therefore has a team on standby day and night. In this way, the municipality aims to keep roads as accessible as possible for emergency services, public transport, residents, and visitors.
How does it work?
The municipality begins salting when information from Meteogroup indicates that slippery conditions are expected. The municipality then salts along designated salting routes. The municipality is in contact with colleagues and also monitors external weather conditions, which help determine how and when salting is carried out. For instance, it is not effective to salt before a precipitation shower, as the salt would wash away before being activated by foot or vehicle traffic. In addition, road users must always remain cautious of slippery conditions. Even after salting, roads can still be slippery due to the refreezing of wet patches. In the event of snowfall, snowplows are deployed. The snow is then pushed to the sides of the roadway. Particularly on narrow bicycle paths, this does not always yield the desired result.
The municipality clears the designated routes (link to Map). If these routes are passable, the municipality will then clear (only during regular working hours) other areas, such as the vicinity of nursing homes and shopping centers, intersections, bus stops, and various bridges. The routes are organized so that every resident can reach a cleared route within a reasonable distance of their home.
What to do?
You can help keep public roads passable. Keeping the sidewalk in front of your home clean is also your responsibility. If you’re unable to do this yourself, ask your neighbours to help you.
You can help combat slipperiness around your home with the following tips:
- Health Make sure to stock up on salt for your own use in advance. Most gas stations and home improvement stores sell road salt.
- First, sweep away as much snow as possible and then scatter some salt over the path.
- A small amount of salt that is walked over is often sufficient. Therefore, you do not need to scatter the entire bag of salt at once.
- Run a broom over your garden path and the sidewalk in front of your home to clear away small puddles of water. This helps prevent freezing and potential slips and falls.
- If there is packed snow or ice on the path, it is better to provide traction using sand. Salt and sand are the ideal combination to both thaw the ice and create traction.
- Park your car as close to the curb as possible and not half on a bicycle path. This ensures that salt spreaders and snowplows can pass and treat the road properly. You can also help by avoiding parking on street corners and in curves, which makes it easier for salt spreaders to navigate the streets and prevents damage.