A state-of-the-art fully electric gritter will be trialled on Scotland’s Forth Bridges this winter.
The Electra 100% Electric Gritter – thought to be the first vehicle of its kind in the world – is the latest addition to Transport Scotland’s fleet and will be trialled on the Forth Bridges Unit, undertaking winter patrols on the two iconic crossings.
A record 213 gritters have been located at more than 40 depots across the country following significant snow in recent years.
Specialist route-specific snow plans have also been produced for the M8, M74, M77 and M80 in conjunction with Police Scotland and road operators, while salt barns have been filled with almost 550,000 tonnes of salt – more than was used during the whole of last winter.
Transport Scotland said its gritter tracker was up and running, letting people see live movement of gritters on the trunk road network and a trail with an age range for where gritters have previously passed along trunk routes.
“Our teams have worked hard throughout the year to ensure we are ready when difficult winter conditions set in,” said Michael Matheson, Cabinet Secretary for Transport, Infrastructure and Connectivity. “We can’t prevent the weather, but we can make sure we’re as well prepared as possible.”
The Traffic Scotland mobile site – my.trafficscotland.org – and the @trafficscotland twitter page has up to date road information.
