WITH THE weather predicted to turn colder in the next few days, BEAR Scotland has outlined its plans to keep the 1800km of trunk roads in the east of Scotland clear of snow and ice.

This year great efforts have been made for a “green” sustainable approach to the task with further investment in the depot infrastructure which will see all of the 32,000 tonnes of salt, which is used annually to treat the trunk roads throughout the east of Scotland, now being kept in covered salt stores.

The stores will help to maintain the quality of salt and reduce wastage.

As part of a more environmentally friendly maintenance programme, its fleet of 55 frontline spreaders, all of which can be fitted with snowploughs, are fitted with Euro 5 engines which considerably reduce emissions.

BEAR Scotland, which is contracted by Transport Scotland to manage and maintain the trunk roads in the north-east and south-east of Scotland, will be using pre-wetted salt for precautionary treatments again, making more effective use of the salt.

The maintenance programme operates out of 14 depots in the east of Scotland and is monitored from its winter control room 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

It relies on detailed weather forecasts from MeteoGroup UK as well as 63 roadside sensors on the trunk road network which monitor and record air and road conditions. Overnight patrols are also carried out on strategic routes that are more likely to experience difficult conditions.

BEAR Scotland managing director Bill Taylor said, “As well as providing a consistent, high quality winter maintenance service, it is also important to make the most of the resources by reducing waste and being more sustainable.

“The covered salt stores, in addition to Euro 5 engines we use in our fleet, help to make our winter service more environmentally friendly. While our main priority is too keep the roads free from snow and ice in accordance with our contractual requirements, we continue to seek out further methods to make our winter service more sustainable.

“We monitor road conditions around the clock to ensure that the trunk roads are kept in a safe condition for road users. Most treatments are precautionary in nature to stop ice forming; however, we can react to changes in conditions within an hour.

“We would also urge drivers to be responsible and think carefully about whether their journey is absolutely necessary in severe winter weather conditions. Journey planning is very important as conditions vary throughout the country.”

Drivers can get winter driving advice at www.transportscotland.gov.uk/winter while www.trafficscotland.org provides real time information on trunk road conditions. To consider public transport options for your journey visit www.travelinescotland.com