We treat roads with grit whenever ice, frost, snow, or freezing rain is forecast. This is a precaution.
A duty officer is available 24 hours a day from 1 November to 31 March to decide if roads need to be treated. Our resources are on standby during this time.
If we do not treat a road in these conditions, it is because we have recently treated it and there is already enough grit on the road.
necessary.
With more than 600 miles of road in Cardiff, we do not treat every road.
We have consulted with emergency services and transport providers to identify a priority network of roads.
This network is made up of:
- all A roads,
- most B roads,
- some C roads, and
- other non-classified roads.
View the treatment routes on the map.
We will treat our winter treatment network of cycle paths. We will also treat cycle routes that form part of a carriageway where the road is treated with grit.
We have a priority network of footpaths that will be treated.
The highest priority footpaths, based on footfall, are the main pedestrianised areas in the city centre:
- Bridge Street,
- Caroline Street,
- Churchill Way,
- Duke Street,
- Golate,
- Guildhall Place,
- Hayes Bridge Road,
- High Street,
- Hills Street,
- Mill Lane,
- North Edward Street,
- Queen Street,
- St John Street,
- St Mary Street,
- Station Terrace,
- The Hayes,
- Trinity Street,
- Wharton Street, and
- Working Street.
We have 12 vehicles to spread grit on the roads and 1 specifically for cycle routes. We use interchangeable ploughs to help clear snow from the roads if needed.
If your road is not part of a treated route, we may provide a communal grit bin. We will assess the location and decide if and where this would be practical. Criteria for this are based around road features like hills and bends, and distance from existing grit bins.
There are currently over 400 grit bins across Cardiff. They are for emergency service and public use on the highway. They are not for use on private property, such as driveways and garden paths.
We cannot provide a grit bin if the road does not meet the criteria.
We may remove grit bins if we receive repeated reports of damage or vandalism.
If there is an issue with a grit bin or it is empty, please let us know.
Report a broken or empty grit bin under 'street furniture'.
It is essential to keep Cardiff moving when snow, ice or frost is forecast. However, we recognise that grit can have an impact on the environment if not properly managed.
We aim to make sure grit is accurately spread, and only when necessary. Our vehicles are calibrated and programmed to achieve this.