Slipperiness and gritting
What does the municipality do when it can get slippery outside? On this page we tell you more about this. Did you know that the municipality has its own vehicles to fight slipperiness? Employees of Waste Collection, City Management and external contractors are trained to grit. They do this in shifts and in addition to regular work such as garbage collection.
3 situations
During winter weather, 3 situations can arise that make the municipality decide to grit on main roads and bicycle paths.
Imminent slipperiness
When slipperiness is imminent, 2 large gritting lorries grit the main roads and one small gritter grits the "cold spots" and bicycle paths. "Cold spots' are places that are known to freeze quickly. This route also includes the roads to the hospital and cemeteries.
Freezing and slippery conditions
When it is freezing or icy and can become slippery, we also grit the through roads and bicycle paths. During this route, five large and two small gritting trucks drive on the through roads and six small trucks on the bicycle paths. In some places, because of the type of road surface, ordinary salt is not used. One gritter here uses urea, which can smell like ammonia. This is not harmful to health. Such a gritting operation takes about two and a half hours and takes place as far as possible outside rush hours. This allows for proper gritting and causes the least inconvenience to road users.
Snow and sleet
During snow and sleet, gritting is done on main roads, "coldspots," roads and bicycle paths. Snow is also pushed aside when necessary. If the snow and/or sleet remain longer and the gritting routes are under control, then the gritters will also go into the neighborhoods to ensure that there is as little inconvenience as possible.
Gritting routes
There are several gritting routes. Which route we will grit depends on the situation at hand (see above). Through the link below you can view the map with gritting routes. Zoom in on the map to see the different routes.
What can you do yourself?
When it snows, it is best to clear the sidewalk of snow. Remove the snow with a shovel and throw a small layer of road salt on the sidewalk or street. Together with your neighbors, this will keep your street safe and accessible. You can buy road salt and a snow shovel, for example, at one of our city's hardware stores.
Report unsafe situation
Has an unsafe situation arisen due to slipperiness? Please report it to us via the BuitenBeter app.
Helpful tips
- Leave home on time. This will prevent time constraints and dangerous situations.
- Keep in mind that some places may be extra slippery. For example, bridges, overpasses and places where the pavement changes.
- Scrape all your car windows thoroughly with an ice scraper. Also check that your headlights are free of snow and ice.
- Remove snow from the roof of your car. This way, it will not fall off while driving.
- Park your car in gear and don't use your handbrake. This way it can not freeze stuck.
- Beware of fast steering, fast acceleration and heavy braking.
- Slow down for turns and don't take them too fast.
- Wear shoes with treads.
- Remember that it can be slippery even though it has been gritted.