Decision Maker: Formartine Area Committee

Outcome: Approve

Is Key Decision?: No

Is Callable In?: No

Date of Decision: September 3, 2024

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: The Committee agreed the recommendations with the report and provided the following comments to Infrastructure Services Committee: a)    As Meldrum and Portlethen Schools are PPI Schools and carry out their own maintenance, it would be helpful to note this with the reports so it’s clear that gritting and snow clearing was their responsibility, b)    We need to have realistic expectations in terms of our volunteer snow wardens, c)    Access to health and wellbeing services was crucial over the winter months, d)    We need to ensure that we are considering PLACE within these policies, and listening to our communities where it is appropriate and where there is room for minor changes / improvements, without any major impact on expenditure, e)    We need to take cognisance of greater volumes of water and wind in the winter months, it’s not just snow and ice, f)      Grit bin piles being used by private property owners – do we need to use signage to advise that it’s for the use on public roads, g)    Cognisance was taken of the large number of private contractors who assisted during the winter months, many of these being our local farmers, h)    It was interesting to note that only a third of the drivers were rural, and so the survey was perhaps biased to town driving, and i)      Persons should be encouraged to be resilient, for example by carrying grit and a shovel in their cars.