Cothabháil Gheimhridh

Local Authorities in general, and Mayo County Council in particular, have a major role to play in road safety. In addition to safer roads being provided through road improvement and restoration schemes, the Council has completed a number of accident reduction schemes and traffic calming schemes in recent years.

One of the vital services provided by the Roads Section of the Council in the area of road safety is winter maintenance. Principally this involves precautionary salting of roads when frost is expected and clearing the roads of snow in times of significant snowfall. This is a task carried out by a dedicated workforce in, by definition, severe conditions and usually in unsociable hours.

The management of winter maintenance is now helped by modern technology. For example, the duty Engineer consults, at intervals through the night, thermal maps being produced by MET Éireann and, in conjunction with assessing other parameters, can direct field operatives to the vulnerable road sites.