This section will focus upon our ability to respond to severe weather events at a National, Regional and local level.
Because the UK experiences severe weather so infrequently, it does not have the same levels of heavy clearing equipment such as snow ploughs, or a higher number of gritters that places such as Canada, USA or Russia do. The investment in and maintenance of such equipment would be at a significant cost to the taxpayer, and is generally considered to be a poor use of public money due to the infrequency of the occasions when they would be required.
During the adverse weather period in 2009, it was the speed and amount of snowfall, the extreme cold and the shortage of salt, rather than the lack of equipment that councils identified as the primary cause of the problems experienced in February 2009 [1] (LGA, 2009). The LGA, in its Weathering the Storm report produced a number of conclusions and recommendations as to how the UK could cope better in its ability to respond to severe weather events. Specifically, these were
- Significant investment in heavy clearing equipment such as snow ploughs would be a poor use of public money due to the infrequency of the occasions when they would be required;
- The current situation, in which the UK was almost completely reliant on two main suppliers operating deliveries on a just-in-time basis was not sufficiently resilient in times of high demand;
- In addition to supply issues, the environmental and economic costs of salt use and lack of a viable alternative, mean that salt should be used and stored in the most efficient way;
- There are actions that could be taken by councils, salt suppliers, public transport operators and service providers to ensure that they are better equipped to deal with periods of severe weather;
- Individuals and businesses also had a role in limiting the disruptive impact by knowing what to do and altering their behaviour (e.g. driving patterns, arrangements to work from home) in the event of severe weather.
[1] Local Government Association, (2009).Weathering the Storm – Dealing with adverse weather conditions
In May 2011, the Government responded to the fifth report of the House of Commons Transport Committee inquiry of 2010-12: 'Keeping the UK Moving: The impact on transport of the Winter Weather in December 2010’. The sixth special report detailed the Department for Transport (DfT) response to the inquiry’s recommendations. Both reports can be downloaded via the following weblinks: Both reports can be downloaded via the following weblinks:
In February 2011, ICE submitted evidence to the Transport Committee Inquiry into how the transport networks coped during the severe weather experienced in December 2010. To collate this evidence, the ICE consulted with its Regional departments throughout England and Wales, to obtain a regional perspective on how the recent spell of adverse weather impacted upon transport networks in their area. The ICE evidence was accepted by the Transport Committee, and can be downloaded at Impact on transport of recent adverse weather conditions – ICE evidence submission, Feb 2011
International highway management during extreme weather events
Each country faces its own climate challenges and have implented their own systems and solutions to meet their local need.
Winter Service Management Systems (WSMS) are a developing technology currently implemented in some countries with marginal and cold winter climates. These systems assist highway authorities to improve the delivery of winter service, the quality of information available to road users and facilitate increasing the efficiency of those services. Advancements in technology and a greater understanding of weather at the road surface have also enabled improvements in winter service operations.
The World Roads Association (WRA) have produced a report that discusses winter service management systems and road user information for countries with marginal and cold winter climates. The report is free to download via the following weblink: A study of winter service management systems and road user information (2012)