Compact tractors are being deployed to clear snow from restricted areas and footpaths across North Yorkshire this winter.
Footways and hard-to-reach urban areas will see improved snow clearance this winter thanks to a new fleet of mini tractors.
The red compact machines will be stationed in Scarborough, as well as Harrogate and Richmond, ready to target the worst affected locations when severe winter weather hits.
Special attachments will transform the tractors for cost-effective snow clearing during the colder months. For the rest of the year, parks and countryside teams use the vehicles for everyday tasks, including trimming hedges, maintaining flowerbeds, and carrying fencing supplies.
Winter maintenance teams will use the new additions to bolster an already extensive fleet. Operations currently rely on seventy gritters, several snowploughs and snowblowers, and the support of more than one hundred farming contractors.
North Yorkshire Council’s executive member for highways and transport, Councillor Malcolm Taylor, said:
"Keeping the county moving throughout the year is a key priority, and we are always looking at ways to strengthen our advanced winter maintenance fleet."
"By investing in these new, versatile mini tractors, we are maximising their use throughout the year and enhancing our response to severe weather."
"The vehicles will be used in town centre and other urban locations which are difficult to access by larger vehicles, alongside our existing fleet of gritters and equipment."
"As the winter gets into full swing, we are reminding road users to take extra care when travelling and check weather conditions before setting off."
Winter gritting operations cover more than two thousand seven hundred miles of the local road network annually. Council officials note this vast expanse is roughly equivalent to the distance from Northallerton to Tokyo.
A stockpile of around fifty thousand tonnes of salt will support road treatments, alongside about five thousand salt bins and heaps positioned throughout the area.
Advanced weather forecasting and continuous road temperature monitoring guide informed decisions on where and when to deploy resources. To ensure roads remain safe, gritting crews are kept on call twenty-four hours a day throughout the entire season.
Active gritters and priority gritting routes can be monitored by residents using an online map available at www.northyorks.gov.uk/winter-maintenance-policy.
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