Operating our Network
This section provides the following information:
- Outlines our comprehensive approach to ensuring the safety, reliability, and resilience of the Trunk Road Network
- Details proactive planning and preparation for both planned and unplanned events, as well as response and recovery strategies
- Emphasises the importance of effective communication with the public through Traffic Scotland’s various platforms
It is important that our network remains adapted and prepared for both current and future impacts of disruptive events. We manage our network so that it is safe for all our customers, reliable for everyday journeys, and resilient to unforeseen disruption through our planning, mitigation, and informing activities.
Planning and Preparation
We develop and implement robust well-developed plans to minimise disruption from planned major events such as the Commonwealth Games, or unplanned events such as severe weather. Our proactive planning activities that we undertake within our organisation and supply chain to keep traffic safe and moving are detailed below.
AMPS Note: AMPS helps with prioritising the operation and resilience of the trunk road network for a reliable and resilient network, including safety, incident, disruption, and climate considerations.
Disruption Risk Management
We carefully consider how we manage disruption across our network as well as the speed of recovery. Our Operating Companies prepare and maintain Disruption Risk Management Plans; this is a hierarchical document which sits above a suite of plans such as the Incident Response Plan and Winter Services Plan (See the document hierarchy section below). These cover the range of processes, tools, records, and operational plans that collectively describe the activities undertaken to enable timely and effective action to mitigate the effects of disruptions, as they affect the trunk road network.
Disruption Risk Management Document Hierarchy
Disruption Risk Planning
- Manual for the Management of the Risk of Unplanned Network Disruption
- Incident Records
- Disruption Risk Sites Register
- Risk Actions Register
- Risk Planning Records
Incident Response Plan
- Trunk Road Incident Support Service Plan
- Standard Incident Diversion Routes
- Severe Weather Services
- Incident Support Plan
- Wind Management Plan
- Flooding Management
- Landslide Management Plan
Winter Services
- Winter Services Plan
Disruption Risk Planning combines the details and requirements of all the other management plans and records which contribute to the management of disruption risk under the Network Management Contracts. This includes:
- Identification of risk sites, such as those at risk from landslides or flooding, and maintenance of the Disruption Risk Sites Register
- Assessment of risk levels using the Disruption Risk Assessment Tool
- Developing and bidding for mitigation funding
- Updating risk management plans to record risk mitigation measures developed and actions taken
The Manual for the Management of the Risk of Unplanned Network Disruption provides direction to Operating Companies on managing and mitigating the effects of disruptive events, such as those caused by severe weather events.
The manual defines how Operating Companies develop and implement disruption risk processes, which are informed by the formal recording of all previous events as they occur, in AMPS. This includes severe weather-related events such as high winds, flooding, snow, and ice. The ongoing recording of events and subsequent revisions to the plans provides a platform for early detection of changing conditions that may have an impact on the network.
The manual includes a Disruption Risk Assessment Tool which provides a robust and objective framework within which to analyse patterns of events, and their locations, to support decision-making and identify particularly vulnerable locations and assets, as shown by the incidents heatmap in Figure 7‑1.
AMPS Note: Our Operating companies utilise the Disruption Risk Assessment Tool through AMPS using the assured data.
This knowledge integrates with the rest of our risk management process and is used to drive investment, to reduce or prevent known disruptive events and prepare for those which might emerge or increase in frequency and severity in the future. (see ‘Risk Management’ for more details on our risk management process).
Incident Response Planning
Each Operating Company prepares an Incident Response Plan, which details how they will promptly and efficiently respond to incidents. The plan includes:
- Mobilisation procedures
- Management arrangements and resources available
- Out of Hours arrangements
- Emergency communications
- Mutual aid arrangements
- Details of specific procedures, such as Standard Incident Diversion Routes or Severe Weather Services
- Mitigation of the impacts of severe weather incidents, particularly at known susceptible sites, is the remit of the Vulnerable Locations Operational Group (VLOG) (‘Vulnerable Locations Operational Group’)
Winter Service
From October to May each year, a 24-hour dedicated winter maintenance service operates on all Scotland's trunk roads. During this period, Transport Scotland takes steps to prevent snow and ice endangering the safe passage of pedestrians and vehicles over public roads. Our proactive approach to winter service supports the ‘Safe Systems’ approach to road safety. To safeguard our customers during the winter months we adopt the following key principles:
- We plan ahead and purchase salt stocks in advance of winter season
- Gritting routes are selected to optimise network coverage, and the size of our winter fleet is determined by the number of vehicles need to cover all these routes
- We have strategically located salt storage facilities across the Trunk Road Network to support our winter fleet covering all required routes
- We provide real-time information about the location of our Winter Fleet through our “Live Gritter Tracker”, see Figure 7-2 below
- Winter Control rooms operate 24/7 to constantly review conditions and deploy resources when necessary
- We use different materials based on our knowledge of the network and impacts from different weather conditions
- We invest in and utilise new equipment and technologies such as snow blowers and on-board fleet technology
These activities form the foundations of our Winter Service and are detailed within our Network Management Contracts. Our Operating Companies are required to undertake these activities to ensure the trunk road network is safe, efficient and well managed. Each Operating Company produces their own Winter Service Plan, setting out how they intend to deliver winter service operations for the season ahead and then undertakes an exercise to test and challenge the robustness of that plan.
Our Winter Fleet (see Figure 7‑3 below) is designed to both prevent snow or ice forming and to clear it in more extreme conditions.
We prevent snow or ice forming on the Network through:
- Pre-Wetting: Our gritters spray the Network with brine (a mixture of salt and water) which acts as an anti-icing agent and stops snow and ice from binding to the road surface
- Salt Spreading: Our gritters spread salt across the network which help to melt snow and ice during severe winter weather
We clear snow or ice that has settled on the Network through:
- Snow Ploughs: We attach our gritters with ploughs when snow is forecast in quantities which exceed the effectiveness of salt
From 1st November each year, most trunk roads are covered by winter patrols. Winter patrols are in addition to precautionary treatments undertaken on all trunk roads. They are fitted with both dash-cams and mobile road temperature sensors that provide real-time data on road surface temperatures, which is essential for making timely decisions about when and where to apply preventative treatments, prior to or during snow events.
Response and Recovery
In addition to our robust planning processes, we also work with our OCs to coordinate and implement a range of physical and organisational measures to enable us to respond to, and recover from, disruptive events, both planned and unplanned. We monitor traffic conditions using a range of tools including detectors in the road, CCTV, and data from various other organisations along with reports from road users.
Incident Management
Our Operating Companies prepare for, and respond to, all incidents in a prompt and efficient manner, making best use of their incident response resources, including Incident Support Unit (ISU) and Trunk Road Incident Support Service (TRISS) vehicles. This is followed by the undertaking of any repair and recovery operations necessary to restore normal operation.
Multi-Agency Response
We work in partnership with other transport operators, for example Scotrail, and agencies such as the Met Office and Police Scotland as part of our Multi-Agency Response Team (MART) arrangements. These can be activated for any event which is deemed to:
- Have a high-risk of severe disruption to road or rail journeys with potential safety risks for the travelling public
- Have a significant potential impact for large parts of the strategic transport network
- Require a multi-agency response
MART enables a more effective response to large-scale trunk road issues and forms part of our wider ‘all modes response’ which also feeds into the Scottish Government’s resilience response arrangements. Our Multi-Agency Response also contributes to post-crash care, one of the five key components in the safe system approach.
Further information on how key agencies across Scotland work together to build resilience can be found on the Ready Scotland website: Multi-agency collaboration | Ready Scotland
Trunk Road Incident Support Service
The Trunk Road Incident Support Service (TRISS) patrols designate strategic routes to detect and respond to incidents. This supports the swiftest possible resolution of incidents by appropriately training staff and equipping them with suitable vehicles to:
- Establish temporary traffic management
- Remove debris
- Assist broken down vehicles
- Provide liaison with emergency services
- Assess the scene, provide communications and arrange the attendance of further specialist support where necessary
Further information on responding to incidents is available in our Network Management Contract.
The Trunk Road Network | Operating Companies | Transport Scotland
Warning and Informing
Communicating with our customers is an important part of how we build resilience into the network. We use a range of different methods of communicating planned events and maintenance activities that could cause disruption, keeping our customers informed and allow them to make better travel decisions.
We keep the public informed using the most appropriate communication methods and modern technologies. Providing live travel information in advance and throughout severe weather supports effective journey planning. Traffic Scotland provides up-to-date traffic and travel information for the trunk road network through a range of information services including the Traffic Scotland website, X (formerly Twitter), Facebook, live gritter tracker (see Figure 7-2), roadside fixed and electronic variable message signs (VMS), and radio updates.
Traffic Scotland operates 24/7 with the aim of reducing the disruption caused by trunk road closures, congestion, events, roadworks, adverse weather, accidents, and other incidents.
We also monitor traffic conditions using a range of tools including detectors in the road, CCTV and data from various other organisations along with reports from road users. Once this data is collated and analysed, it is distributed to road users through the Traffic Scotland website, radio service, social media, variable message signs, broadcast media, and other partner organisations such as Police Scotland.
