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Spring 2022
Looking back to the last newsletter in October, I’m relieved that winter has been relatively kind to the highway network. A good indicator is the amount of grit that has been spread across the season which is down by approximately 50% on last year.
This relatively mild winter helps the Highways Service in many ways. The winter service operations can be very disruptive to planned works – drivers often cannot work the next day if they have been driving over night, or have to finish a shift early to ensure they have adequate rest before gritting operations start. And of course, the less freeze/thaw action the less damage to all of our assets, particularly carriageways and footways.
With regard to the condition of the network, I’m very pleased to inform you that this financial year will see the lowest number of reported defects across the county since our current Term Maintenance Contract with Milestone commenced in 2017. The mild winter has no doubt helped but there have been a number of other influences including the county-wide roll out of the Dragon Patchers, and the fact that we encourage inspectors to order works before they meet our policy rather than waiting for potholes to get bigger. Inspectors are also able to order larger repairs rather than just making the defect safe.
The team are currently focusing on the quality of workmanship with all operatives recently re-briefed on levels of expectation and there has been an increase in the number of audits that are carried out. Having said that, we recognise there are often times when gangs are carrying out repairs to keep our roads safe when the weather conditions (too wet and/or too cold) are totally unsuitable and the life expectancy of repairs is very limited.
We have, of course, seen a sting in the tail of winter with a challenging weekend of storms. The team managed over 1,000 contacts on the Friday of Storm Eunice. While the initial focus was on clearing trees to keep the network operational our thoughts quickly moved to protecting those most vulnerable in our communities. There’s more detail in the newsletter.
I hope you and your communities remained safe.
Robert Richards - Highways and Traffic Management Group Manager
Parish & Town Council Conferences
We were pleased that we were able to hold our conferences in November, albeit in a slightly different format to that of previous years.
We would like to thank everybody who was able to attend our virtual events. We really appreciate the positive feedback we received.
The videos and presentations are available to view on the Parish & Town Council website.
The Queen's Green Canopy and requests to plant on highway verges
As we move into Spring, and also as a result of the Queen's Green Canopy, we have seen an increase in the number of enquiries regarding planting on highway verges. We are improving our webpages, and will provide an online application form, to make the process easier. Further details will be available soon.
If you are interested in this type of project, please be advised that all volunteers involved will need to complete the Highway Safety Awareness course. The course is still free and you can register volunteers by contacting the Highway Services Team.
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Surface dressing programme
Our surface dressing programme takes place between April and September.
We have over 230 sites on our programme this year. Further information, including the proposed sites (please see the area links at the bottom of the page), is available on our surface dressing webpage.
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Highway Community Enhancement Fund (HMCEF)
Thank you to everyone who submitted an HMCEF application this year. We were able to approve more than 50 bids which supported works to the value of £115,000 to be carried out in local communities.
We also supported 15 requests for temporary pothole repair material which helped 10 councils repair potholes.
The HMCEF application process will reopen on the 1 April. Please visit our communities webpages for more information on the HMCEF and the application process.
If you would like to arrange a community project but are unsure as to the type of work that can be supported, take a look at our communities case study webpage.
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Signing, Lighting & Guarding Training (chapter 8)
There may be volunteers within your communities whose signing, lighting and guarding qualification is due to expire, or has already expired (the qualification is valid for 5 years)
We are still able to to provide funding for renewal training where there is evidence of community work having taken place. We are also able to provide funding for training for new volunteers. If you would like any further information please speak with your Neighbourhood Highway Officer or the Highway Services Team.
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The Queen's Platinum Jubilee
We've already received several applications for community events for the Queens Jubilee and, as a result of feedback, have taken steps to make the process clearer.
Further information is available on our street party webpages.
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Contact us
Emails were sent, in November, providing details of your Neighbourhood Highway Officer (NHO) There have been a few changes recently so updates, where necessary, will be provided in the next few weeks.
Your NHO is your main contact for highways related issues.
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Report a problem
The best channel for reporting issues is on our report a problem webpage. Using this method means that your issue is more likely to get to the right person, or team, straight away.
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Parish and Town Council webpages
To view previous copies of Roadmap and for other useful information and links please visit our Parish & Town Council webpages.
If you have any feedback please advise the Highway Services Team.
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