FOI request - Gritting of Lhanbryde to Elgin Cycleway
Request 101002039311
1. When was the priority of the cycle path set?
2. When do you envisage actually taking on the responsibility of the cycle path?
3. When do you expect to start treating and maintaining this cycle path?
4. What are the provisions you have adopted given the land reform 2003 act in order to fulfil this?
5. If the idea is to have cyclist and pedestrians using this path to keep them safe then why are you not treating the path to prevent accidents and injuries and forcing them back into the busy roads with the heavy traffic under dangerous weather conditions?
6. What is the sophisticated weather system you use and how is this followed up for maintaining the cycle paths?
7. Are the pavements etc in the surrounding areas and housing estates gritted and what priority are they?
8. Regarding the bollards near the footbridge do these have sensors on them?
9. Are you recording how many people use this pathway and if so does that affect your priority rating for the path?
10. What is the average footfall on this path?
11. I was told that there was cutbacks but given the article in the P&J on 3/6/17 nearly 19 months ago and the amount spent on the pathway surely there would have been money left in the budget for maintaining this over the winter months?
12. Given the smooth nature of this path and the tarmac used was there any consideration to the surface becoming so dangerous under colder temperatures as other footways and pavements (a different tarmac) do not seem to be affected as badly?
Response 15-02-2019
1. The cycleway has not yet been adopted therefore does not have a priority allocated, however, will be allocated P3 in line with other such cycleways, eg Elgin - Lossie & Forres - Kinloss
2. We are currently going through an adoption process which should be completed within the next 3 months.
3. Although not adopted, treatment may be considered following treatment of higher priority works
4. The Land Reform Act relates to the route being a core path. While the route exists as a core path the adoption process is about the route becoming an asset of the Roads Maintenance Team. As a core path the route should not be obstructed or closed and the Authority will have powers to pursue anybody that causes this. Whether the route is gritted or not is not a material consideration for the route being a core path as no obstruction or closure will have occurred.
5. It will be treated after treatment of higher priorities
6. Road temperature sensors with forecasting and monitoring integrated into a system run by Viasala
7. All adopted footpaths have an allocated priority - the priority is allocated on consideration of several factors
8. No.
9. Yes we have equipment recording pedestrian and cycling numbers.
The policy for treatment of footways and cycleways is:
1.3.1 Pre-treatment of footways/cycleways will not be carried out.
1.3.2 The priority with regard to the sanding, salting, or snow clearance of footways is that priority will be given to those footways in the Moray Council area which carry the greatest number of pedestrians, that is, the central areas of towns or villages where the shopping and commercial facilities are concentrated, and to footways whose gradients are so steep that they would be dangerous when covered with ice or hardpacked snow, and to footways in the vicinity of major public service, medical or community facilities providing an essential public service and where numbers of infirm, elderly, accompanied infants and young children are likely to congregate. The list of Priority footpaths are as listed in Appendix D of The Operational Plan and are reviewed annually.
1.3.3 The standard to be aimed at for footways on the Priority 1 list is that these footways should be kept in a safe condition for pedestrians during the whole of the business day i.e. 0900 to 1700hrs Monday to Saturday inclusive and on Sundays as required.
1.3.4 Snow or ice clearance should be started as soon as practicable when the need for such treatment becomes apparent. Equipment and resources should be provided and should be capable of being deployed sufficiently quickly to be able to salt, grit or clear a pathway through a moderate snowfall within 2 hours of the start of operations.
1.3.5 All other footways and cycleways in the Moray Council area will be considered to have a lower priority although again priority will be given to the more heavily trafficked routes. These routes will be treated when Roads Maintenance or other Council Departments are prevented by weather conditions from carrying out their normal duties or when conditions are severe enough to prevent the passage of pedestrians for a considerable period of time and where it is considered, in the light of prevailing weather forecasts, that the conditions might be expected to persist.
1.3.6 Rural footways will not be treated.
1.3.7 Privately maintained footways and cycleways will not be treated.
10. At the moment we have an average of 66 cyclist per day and 49 pedestrians per day at the measuring point which is west of Scotstonhill -Fernyfield Rd where it joins the A96.
11. Flood scheme paid by Capital funding, any maintenance would come from a revenue budget which is allocated annually to the different departmants
12. The design and specification would be industry standard for cycleways and footpaths.