The Highways Agency has hit back at claims the pre-wet gritting technique it has adopted for the UK road network is more corrosive than other methods, telling Surveyor it is ‘confident’ it has made the right decision.
Martin Hobbs, head of winter service strategy at the Highways Agency, said a ‘significant effort’ had been made to reduce the amount of salt used when gritting, which would bring ‘substantial’ benefits to the environment.
‘The decision to use pre-wet is based on worldwide research and the simple fact that we would be able to reduce the amount of salt we use and spread it much more accurately on to the roads,’ he said. ‘Salt is corrosive. That is a fact. So this is the obvious solution.’
Hobbs was responding to research by car manufacturer, Volkswagen, which showed that liability cases against its cars in Austria, where pre-wetting is common, had risen by more than 60% in three years (Surveyor, 2 October 2008). As a result, there were concerns that car-users in the UK could be affected, as pre-wet is rolled out across the network.
‘I wouldn’t say we are not concerned about recent research relating to corrosion issues, and we will monitor them carefully, but right here, right now, we are confident that pre-wet is the right technique for us to be using on the UK network, and the most effective way of making the roads safer during bad weather,’ Hobbs added.
‘Through the research we have conducted, and the improvements our new gritters will bring, we can deliver a very effective and sustainable service.’ Hobbs said he wanted to study Volkswagen’s research in more detail, but said it was difficult to compare pre-wetting in countries such as Austria and Germany with the UK.
‘Our research shows that assessment of the significant benefits, demonstrated by countries which have been using the pre-wet system, provided good evidence of the advantages pre-wet application can bring through a decrease in the overall amount of salt used.’ The agency will continue to research alternative processes, additives and other variations, in order to keep pace with new ideas and technology, he added.
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