Appendix B: Consultation proforma issued by Transport Scotland

Resilience and preparedness

1. How many salt storage depots or facilities for salt storage do you have and what type are they e.g. barn, dome, open sheeted ?
2. What is the salt storage capacity in tonnes at each of the above locations?
3. Are there additional salt storage facilities available that you could make use of if required?
4. Who was your main salt supplier during 2009/10?
5. Who also supplied you with salt during 2009/10?
6. Do your contracts have any penalties in terms of non-delivery?
7. Was sand or grit or another additive mixed with salt to conserve supplies? If so please describe which was used and in what proportions.
8. Did any issues result from the use of these additives e.g. accidents, drainage problems?
9. Were any other alternative de-icing materials used?
10. If alternative de-icing materials were used, how much was used and at what cost?
11. Were any other measures taken to conserve stocks? If so, what, how much and at what cost?
12. What were your dry salt stock levels in tonnes at the start of your designated winter service period in 2009?
13. Does your organisation use pre-wetted or dry salt?
14. Which salt particle size do you use – 6mm/10mm/other – please state?
15. Are your spreading vehicles calibrated prior to each winter period and at any time during the winter period? If so, at what frequency and how?
16. Do you have a route treatment hierarchy based on route treatment priorities? If so how are the hierarchy/priorities determined?
17. In severe conditions, how many times at current resource levels can you treat your full network at 20g/m_ within a 24-hour period? How many tonnes of salt would be required for this?
18. What were your dry salt stock levels at 24 December 2009 ?
19. The Scottish Salt Group relies on accurate returns of existing salt stocks. How do you monitor and manage your salt stocks?
20. What triggers salt re-stocking e.g. is there a minimum level which triggers re-ordering? If so, what is it?
21. How are salt stock levels assessed e.g. visual assessment/ survey/ computerised management system/other?
22. What criteria or guidance or code of practice is currently used to determine precautionary treatment levels?
23. What is your policy for reducing salt use and what is the process for escalation?
24. Do you normally use additives such as "Safecote" as part of normal treatments?
25. During which month(s) prior to winter do you normally replenish salt stocks?
26. If any, what target salt stock tonnages do you aim for and at what times pre-season and during the winter period?
27. If any, which recommendations did you implement from the UK Roads Liaison Group Report dated July 2009 titled ‘Lessons from the Severe Weather February 2009’?

Future winter service resilience standards

1. In terms of resilience how do you currently measure how many days your salt stocks will last?

2. A proposed minimum salt stock sufficient to provide 6-days continuous heavy salting, where heavy salting is defined as 6 salting runs at 20g/m_ in 24 hours, is being considered. For your authority, what do you consider should be the minimum salt stock tonnage held in terms of treatment-days and on what is this based?

3. The winter service period for trunk roads is from 1 October to 15 May. What is your organisation’s defined winter service period?

Scottish Salt Group current and future arrangements.

1. The Scottish Salt Group was supplied with salt stock tonnages from your organisation and others throughout Scotland during the winter period and liaised with suppliers to prioritise deliveries according to the areas of greatest need. In your view, did this system work well and if not are there any suggestions for improvement e.g. auditing, communications, efficiency measures, prioritisation of deliveries?

Coordination and collaboration arrangements with other winter providers and stakeholders.

1. When reviewing winter service plans does consultation take place with other roads authorities, key public services and other stakeholders?

2. Do you share salt stocks and depots with other Councils, Trunk Road Operating Companies or DBFOs? If so, what is the basis for doing so and what, if any, formal arrangements exist?

3. How could collaboration with other winter service providers improve service for the public?

Supplier and Transport Scotland owned salt stock considerations

1. It has been suggested that Transport Scotland should provide a reserve salt storage facility(s) at a strategic location(s) in Scotland. These reserves would be called upon in an emergency. Is this option worthy of further consideration?

2. Are there arrangements in place for supplier held salt stocks at strategic locations? If so what are the details?

Sharing of depots and salt stocks.

1. What are your current salt stock procurement arrangements?

2. What formal or informal arrangements are in place, if any, for sharing salt stocks and depot facilities with other winter service organisations?

3. How could we improve upon the arrangements in Q2 above?

4. Would collaborative arrangements such as shared services and collaborative procurement provide an effective and value for money approach to increasing winter service resilience?

Contingency planning policies.

1. When deciding upon the minimum winter treatment network does consultation take place with other stakeholders such as other roads authorities and key public services such as hospitals and public transport providers?

2. On what basis was a reduced network service to provide resilience of salt stocks determined?

3. Are there any lessons to be learned from any salt conservation measures taken last winter?

Joint winter exercises review

1. Are joint winter event training exercises carried out with other relevant partners?

2. If not would these be considered of benefit?

Training

1. Is training of winter operatives carried out?

2. Is this training to a relevant winter SVQ?

3. Is training of officers such as Duty Managers and Duty Officers who will be involved in determining treatment levels and monitoring of ice sensors and computerised weather forecasting systems carried out? If so, by whom and to what standard?

Review of Mutual aid arrangements

1. What arrangements are in place for mutual aid?

2. Which mutual aid partners do you liaise with?

3. Where mutual aid arrangements exist between organisations do you have any suggestions as to how the current arrangements could be changed to ensure mutual aid is improved?

Communication review

1. How is information on winter conditions communicated to the public?

2. What difficulties were encountered?

3. How is your winter service policy communicated to the public?

Review of legal liabilities

1. Should members of the public be requested by Councils to assist with footpath clearance when Council resources are unable to cope?

2. Are there any legal liability issues with regard to this proposal?

3. If members of the public are requested to assist with footpath clearance when Council resources are unable to cope would additional salt bins have to be provided?

4. What advice would winter service operators welcome with regard to legal liability when salt usage is reduced to conserve stocks?

5. If treatment levels are reduced should this be communicated to the public via a central source e.g. the Scottish government or is it for each Council to do so?

6. To what extent does Driver Hours legislation affect your ability to carry out treatments?

Weather forecasting and communications

1. How accurate have you found the available short, medium and long term weather forecasting in predicting extreme winter weather, and how have you acted on the forecasts?

2. How could the system be improved?

The consequences and economic impacts of severe winter weather

1. How does severe winter weather impact on critical aspects of people’s daily travel needs, and on the mobility of goods and services? What lessons have been learned in business, public service and other organisations about forecasting and mitigating the transport effects of severe winter weather? How effective have winter resilience measures been, and what other measures should be taken?

2. What major areas of economic cost and benefit arise from the transport and travel aspects of:

(a) being prepared for, and dealing with, severe winter weather?
(b) failure to deal adequately with such weather?

3. During the recent winter weather large parts of the country experienced icy footpaths and icy conditions on minor roads for longer periods than usual. What were the consequences of this, in terms of traffic accidents, higher-than-expected injuries due to slips and trips? Should the public and local communities be able to take a more pro-active role (e.g. in clearing public and private paths and minor roads) and what issues are raised by this?

4. What can we learn from the experience of and approach taken by other nations who have similar weather to the UK, in terms of planning and managing winter resilience?

Long term weather trends

1. Recognising the uncertainties and probabilistic nature of weather forecasting, what further information or assessment is available about the likely trends in UK winters – their nature, duration and severity - over the next 10-15 years. And how might these most effectively be communicated to those who may need to act on them?

Future winter working arrangements

1. How can we work better in Scotland to improve standards of winter service?

2. Should an all-Scotland joint winter service provider meeting be arranged prior to the start of each winter?

Other issues

1. Did the severe weather this winter cause more damage to the road network than normal?

2. If so what action did you take?

3. Would you be available to participate in further discussions and meetings on winter resilience issues?

Further suggestions

1. If you have any further comments or suggestions to make on how winter resilience could be improved please add them to this questionnaire.