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Highway Maintenance Operational Plan October 2008

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C O N T E N T S

Page No.

INTRODUCTION 1

THE HIGHWAY NETWORK 2

Road Classification 2

Prioritisation of Maintenance 2

Network Referencing 5

STANDARDS AND POLICIES 7

TAMP 7

Maintenance Instructions and Highway Advice Notes 7

Suffolk Guide to the Signing of Roadworks 7

The Suffolk Manual 7

Traffic Management On Suffolk's Roads 8

The Suffolk Design Guide 9

The Environmental Management System (EMS)Guidance Manual 9

Winter Service Plan 9

FINANCE

Funding Sources 10

STRUCTURAL MAINTENANCE 12

Condition Assessment 12

United Kingdom Pavement Management System (UKPMS) 15

ENVIRONMENT AND SAFETY MAINTENANCE 16

Grass Cutting 16


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Weed Control 17

Skirting 20

Trees and Hedges 21

Drainage Systems 22

Sweeping 23

Traffic Signs and Bollards 24

Road Markings and Road Studs 25

Fences and Barriers 28

RISK MANAGEMENT 29

Safety Inspections 29

PERFORMANCE MONITORING 35

Performance Indicators 35

Benchmarking 36

WORKS BY STATUTORY UNDERTAKERS 37

WINTER SERVICE 39

ROAD LIGHTING 40

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INTRODUCTION

Suffolk County Council is the Highway Authority for all non-trunk roads maintainableat public expense within Suffolk. As the Highway Authority, the County Council has

to fulfil a number a number of statutory duties, many of which are contained in theHighways Act, 1980. A number of other Acts impact upon the powers and duties ofthe County Council with regard to highway maintenance and reference is made tosome of these Acts within this document.

National recommendations for the provision of the highways maintenance service arecontained within the Code of Practice for Highway Maintenance Management, asdeveloped by bodies representing Central Government and local authorities. Whilstthis document is not statutory, it comprises a framework of guidance and standardsabout the service. The Code emphasises the linkages between the highwaymaintenance service and the asset management philosophy. As a national

document, the Code reflects the need for local discretion and diversity in serviceprovision. Such flexibility is key in recognising that local service users’ priorities willdiffer, as will the levels of funding available to different authorities.

The Highway Maintenance Operational Plan sets out Suffolk County Council’sapproach to providing the highways maintenance service in accordance withstatutory duties, whilst implementing the philosophy of the Code of Practice. ThisPlan has been developed alongside Suffolk’s Transport Asset Management Plan(TAMP) and will evolve as the TAMP is implemented.

The production of this Plan has been overseen by a County Councillor WorkingGroup, chaired by the Deputy Portfolio Holder for Roads and Transport. The Plan

has been approved by the Director of Environment and Transport under delegatedpowers.

The maintenance of structures within the highway (bridges, culverts and retainingwalls) is not included in this document.

Highway Maintenance Operational Plan 1 October 2008

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THE HIGHWAY NETWORK

ROAD CLASSIFICATION

Roads may be classified as: classified numbered ('A' and 'B' roads), classified un-numbered ('C' roads) or unclassified ('U' roads). The classification of roads as 'A', 'B'or 'C' roads must be approved by Government Office for the Eastern Region (GO-EAST) at Bedford.

The road numbers for 'A' and 'B' roads are allocated by GO-EAST but the numbersfor 'C' and 'U' roads are allocated by the HQ Highway Records Team. The onlyexception to this is unclassified roads in Ipswich Borough, which are numbered bythe Borough Council. Applications for the re-classification of roads must be made toGO-EAST and such applications are handled by the HQ Highway Records Team.

PRIORITISATION OF MAINTENANCE

The system of classification as used by Central Government does not necessarilyreflect the needs, priorities and actual use of each road in the network. There maybe aspects of roads of relevance to their maintenance that are determined by anumber of factors. Such factors will include: importance (e.g. a road leading to amajor hospital), environment (e.g. rural, urban, busy shopping street, residentialstreet etc.) and usage (e.g. traffic flows, bus routes and the like). It is important thatthe maintenance strategy reflects these factors and prioritises roads accordingly.

This type of approach is implemented in Suffolk by assigning roads within a definedhierarchy. This hierarchy of roads is used in the prioritisation of maintenance and,

although not the single arbiter, is a key link between maintenance policy andimplementation.

The Code of Practice for Highway Maintenance Management contains guidance onthe development of a carriageway hierarchy (see sections 8.7 and 8.8 of the Code),although it is accepted in the document that there will be significant variations fromthe guidance to suit local circumstances.

The guidance given in the Code is as follows:-

CategoryHierarchy

DescriptionType of Road General

DescriptionDetailed Description

1 Motorway Limited access motorwayregulations apply.

Routes for fast moving long distance traffic.Fully grade separated and restrictions onuse. There are no motorways in Suffolk.

2 Strategic Route Trunk and some Principal'A' roads between PrimaryDestinations.

Routes for fast moving long distance trafficwith little frontage access or pedestriantraffic. Speed limits are usually in excessof 40 mph and there are few junctions.Pedestrian crossings are either segregatedor controlled and parked vehicles are

generally prohibited.


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CategoryHierarchy

DescriptionType of Road General

DescriptionDetailed Description

3a Main Distributor Major Urban Network andInter-Primary Links. Short

- medium distance traffic.

Routes between Strategic Routes andlinking urban centres to the strategic

network with limited frontage access. Inurban areas speed limits are usually 40mph or less, parking is restricted at peaktimes and there are positive measures forpedestrian safety.

3b SecondaryDistributor

Classified Road (B and Cclass) and unclassifiedurban bus routes carryinglocal traffic with frontageaccess and frequent junctions.

In rural areas these roads link the largervillages and HGV generators to theStrategic and Main Distributor Network. Inbuilt up areas these roads have 30 mphspeed limits and very high levels ofpedestrian activity with some crossingfacilities including zebra crossings. Onstreet parking is generally unrestrictedexcept for safety reasons.

4a Link Road Roads linking betweenthe Main and SecondaryDistributor Network withfrontage access andfrequent junctions.

In rural areas these roads link the smallervillages to the distributor roads. They areof varying width and not always capable ofcarrying two way traffic. In urban areasthey are residential or industrial inter-connecting roads with 30 mph speed limits,random pedestrian movements and

uncontrolled parking.

4b Local AccessRoad

Roads serving limitednumbers of propertiescarrying only accesstraffic.

In rural areas these roads serve smallsettlements and provide access toindividual properties and land. They areoften only single lane width and unsuitablefor HGV. In urban areas they are oftenresidential loop roads or culs de sac.

The hierarchy as implemented in Suffolk is based upon this guidance. In consideringthe relationship between bus routes and hierarchy, account has been taken of busservices that are hourly or more frequent.


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Whilst the carriageway hierarchy within Suffolk is based upon the guidance in theCode, experience of individual roads and their maintenance requirements, togetherwith the principles of risk assessment, have been used in formulating the mostmeaningful hierarchy for Suffolk.

The carriageway hierarchy will be monitored to ensure that changes in usage, trafficflows, environment and any other relevant circumstances are reflected in the

provision of the maintenance service. Any changes to the road network (e.g. theopening of a new bypass) will be reflected in the hierarchy immediately.Footway maintenance standards, in common with carriageway maintenancestandards, may not necessarily be reflected by road classification. Pedestrian usageis more important than the categorisation of the road. Local factors such as theproximity of schools and shops are also important in this context. Therefore aseparate footway hierarchy has been developed to assist with the prioritisation of themaintenance of footways. The footway hierarchy within Suffolk has been developedin accordance with the guidelines as presented in the Code of Practice for Highway

Maintenance Management (see section 8.9 of the Code).

The guidance given in the Code is as below:

Category No. Category Name Brief Descript ion

1(a) Prestige Walking Zones Very busy towns and cities with high public spaceand street scene contribution.

1 Primary Walking Routes Busy urban shopping and business areas, andmain pedestrian routes.

2 Secondary Walking Routes Medium usage routes through local areas feedinginto primary routes, local shopping centres etc.

3 Link Footways Linking local access footways through urban areasand busy rural footways.

4 Local Access Footways Footways associated with low usage, short estateroads to the main routes and cul- de-sacs.


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The Code recognises that the assignment of a footway to a particular category is amatter for local discretion and such discretion has been applied in the developmentof the footway hierarchy for Suffolk.

The footway hierarchy will be monitored to ensure that changes in usage, pedestrianlevels, environment and any other relevant circumstances are reflected in theprovision of the maintenance service.

Controlled pedestrian crossings within the carriageway will attract the maintenancestandards associated with the relevant footways.

The Code recommends that the maintenance of cycleways should be prioritised andsuch prioritisation within Suffolk is based upon the principles outlined in the Code(see section 8.10 of the Code). The guidance given in the Code is as below:

Category Description

A Cycle lane forming part of the carriageway, commonly 1.5 metre strip adjacentto the nearside kerb.Cycle gaps at road closure point (no entries allowing cycle access).

B Cycle track, a route for cyclists not contiguous with the public footway orcarriageway.Shared cycle/pedestrian paths, either segregated by a white line or otherphysical segregation, or un-segregated.

C Cycle trails, leisure routes through open spaces. These are not necessarilythe responsibility of the highway authority, but may be maintained by anauthority under other powers or duties.

NETWORK REFERENCING

Effective management of the network is facilitated by ready access to informationabout the network. A network referencing system has been implemented to enabledata associated with the highway network to be accurately located within thenetwork. Such data may relate to the condition of the network, the nature of the

network, treatments of the network that have been carried out and any other datarelevant to the management of the highways maintenance service.

The carriageway network has been divided into sections of road. These sectionsvary in length from 25 metres to 2 km, with section breaks occurring whenever arelevant detail of the road changes. Such details include: speed limit, road name,carriageway hierarchy and number of lanes. Data is kept about the details of eachsection, including section length.


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Such division of the road network into discrete sections enables other data to bereferenced against these sections and hence facilitates the process of relatingdiffering data sets relevant to the same sections of road.

The management of the network referencing system is carried out at Headquarters inIpswich and the details of the referencing system are held on a computeriseddatabase.

Work is currently underway to associate the maintenance network sections with amap based data set, the National Street Gazetteer (NSG). Upon completion of thisexercise, any data held against the network referencing sections will be able to bedisplayed on a map base. Thus it will be possible to display inventory information(e.g. the location of gullies and lamp columns) alongside road condition data, thelocations of utility works etc.


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STANDARDS AND POLICIES

A number of working documents are used within the county to ensure that highway

maintenance standards are applied consistently. The Code of Practice is notexhaustive in its guidance and these documents provide further advice andinstructions.

TRANSPORT ASSET MANAGEMENT PLAN (TAMP)

Suffolk’s draft TAMP was approved by Cabinet in May, 2006. The document containslifecycle plans for each of the transport assets, defines service levels for furtherconsideration and sets out a number of potential improvement actions for thetransport service. It will be further developed in the light of budgetary constraints andupdated later in 2006. The levels of service derived from the TAMP process are likely

to require revision to some of the standards set out in this Plan.

MAINTENANCE INSTRUCTIONS and HIGHWAY ADVICE NOTES

These documents provide guidance on the methods and standards to be employedwith regard to a number of maintenance operations. Guidance is given on structuralmaintenance, routine maintenance, aids to movement, private works and emergencyworks. These documents are drafted by officers.

SUFFOLK GUIDE TO THE SIGNING OF ROADWORKS

This document provides guidance for those involved in specifying, designing andsupervising temporary traffic management arrangements for roadworks sites inSuffolk.

THE SUFFOLK MANUAL

This document contains the following sections:

THE CONSERVATION MANUAL

The Manual suggests ways in which local authorities can work together in order toco-ordinate the design, financing and implementation of schemes in conservationareas. It is also a good practice guide for all those working in the public spaces ofconservation areas.

THE COUNTRYSIDE MANUAL

A good practice guide for works in the highway and public spaces in sensitive

countryside areas.


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THE MATERIALS MANUAL

A good practice guide for the laying and use of traditional materials.

THE ACCESS GUIDE

A good practice guide for allowing access for all within the highway and publicspaces.

THE SURFACE DRESSING GUIDE

A good practice guide for surface dressing in enhancement work.

TRAFFIC MANAGEMENT ON SUFFOLK’S ROADS

This document provides guidance on the correct use of signs, with reference tolegislation and national guidance. Guidance is also provided on traffic orders, speedmanagement, road markings, cycling facilities, bus facilities, pedestrian facilities andlorry related issues.

THE SUFFOLK DESIGN GUIDE

This design guide sets out the principles which should be adopted by all thoseinvolved in the development of housing areas, whether it be developers, housebuilders, local planning authorities or utilities. The key aims of the document are:

To reflect the essential character of Suffolk in new housing estate developmentwithin the county.

Improve the visual appearance of housing estates.

Reduce the impact of new housing on the landscape and to ensure that newdevelopment relates to its surroundings.

Improve the quality of life for residents.

Ensure the provision of a road, cycle and footway network which is safe andconvenient to use and which does not detract from the attractiveness of theestate.

THE ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT SYSTEM (EMS) GUIDANCEMANUAL

This manual sets out the policies and procedures to be followed in relation to theEMS. There is a specific section related to the work of the Integrated Transport

Operations Division and its activities. The manual provides guidance on the


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procedures to be carried out with regard to the environmental effects of highwaymaintenance operations.

WINTER SERVICE PLAN

This Plan details the authority’s policies and procedures for dealing with frost, ice andsnow on the highway network.


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Partnership Working

The Directorate encourages, where appropriate, partnership approaches to optimisefunding for projects and to achieve the most widely accepted outcomes possible.

Sources of scheme contributions can include other Local Authorities, localcommunities such as Parish Councils, charitable organisations such as EnglishHeritage and, on minor projects, individual contributions via Locality Budget fundsfrom County Councillors.

"Single Capital Pot"

A proportion of the capital funds held by the County Council is set to one side andplaced in the so-called "Single Capital Pot". The various departments within theauthority may then bid for the use of these funds. This approach enables such fundsto be used in areas that reflect the priorities of the Authority.

Bids are made for some of this money to be used for the highways maintenanceservice. Successful bids against this "pot" have included the construction of saltdomes for the storage of de-icing salt for winter maintenance.

External Funding Sources

A number of external sources of funding are available to the Council. The Authorityseeks to maximise the contribution it receives from such external sources andmanagers from the highways maintenance service regularly liaise with externalfunding groups.

Such sources of external funding include the national lottery and various streams ofEuropean Community funding.

Prudential Borrowing

The Prudential Code enables Suffolk County Council to supplement its capitalallocation via the use of prudential borrowing. This permits the authority to borrowcapital from Central Government, but such funding incurs future revenue fundingcharges. Therefore the impact upon the authority’s revenue budgets needs to beconsidered when deciding whether to apply for funds via the Prudential Code.

Suffolk County Council has utilised prudential borrowing to help improve thecondition of the county’s unclassified roads, by borrowing £2.5M per year for a fiveyear period. This represents an “invest to save” approach and is more fully explainedin the TAMP. The same approach has been used to replace the life expired streetlighting stock.


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STRUCTURAL MAINTENANCE

A broad range of treatments is available for maintaining the structural integrity of the

highway network. These treatments range from surface treatments, such as surfacedressing, to complete reconstruction of the road or pavement. The selection of theappropriate treatment and, more importantly, the timing of its application, are pivotalto economically and effectively maintaining the county’s network of roads andpavements.

CONDITION ASSESSMENT

The selection and timing of structural maintenance treatments will always involveengineering judgement. It is important that engineers have quality data regarding the

condition of the network to help inform decisions regarding the selection andprioritisation of treatments. The County Council commissions a variety of conditionassessment surveys to that end:

Skidding Resistance

As roads are trafficked they tend to become more polished. Polishing may diminishthe ability of the road to prevent vehicles skidding in wet conditions. Such lack ofskidding resistance may be treated in a variety of ways, including surfacingtreatments and re-texturing of the road surface. To target such treatments, skidresistance surveys are carried out on the more highly trafficked roads in the county.

The machine used to measure skid resistance is known as a SCRIM. This stands forSideways force Coefficient Routine Investigation Machine.

The objective when assessing skid resistance is to provide skid resistance levelsappropriate to the risk of skidding accidents at each site. Certain sites, such asapproaches to roundabouts and pedestrian crossings, will require higher levels ofskidding resistance than, for instance, straight roads with no junctions. To reflect theappropriate levels of skidding resistance, investigatory levels are set for the roadsthroughout the county. These investigatory levels take into account such factors asthe position of the road within the maintenance hierarchy, the geometry of the road

and the vicinity of junctions and crossings.

The Code of Practice for Highway Maintenance (COP) refers to the Highway Agency’s skidding resistance standard HD28/04. However, this advice is for trunkroads. The investigatory levels used in Suffolk are based on this guidance, withsome local variations. Suffolk has a lower investigatory level for non-event, Category2 sections and has perpetuated an investigatory level of 0.35 for non-event (Category3) and low risk (Category 4) roads. HD 28/04 contains no investigatory levels forCategory 3 and 4 roads. Due to the differences in geometry between county roadsand trunk roads, Suffolk County Council will continue to assign investigatory levels


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for bends of < 250m and < 100m radii. This is a less onerous definition of slight bendbut a higher investigatory level for sharp bends. These local variations have beenused for some years in the county and experience suggests that they areappropriate. Most skidding accidents do not occur on these categories of road andthe principles of risk management have been applied in deciding to implement thesevariations.

All roads of maintenance hierarchy 3B and higher are tested with a SCRIM machineeach year and the investigatory levels assigned to these sections of road arechecked prior to these annual surveys.

The results of SCRIM surveys are compared with accident statistics and those sitesbelow investigatory level that have a poor wet skidding accident history are prioritisedfor treatment. The results of this analysis also assist with the formulation ofmaintenance programmes, such as surface dressing.

Suffolk County Council only erects “slippery road” signs where SCRIM readings are

below the relevant investigatory level and the site has a poor wet skidding accidentrecord. The signs remain in place until remedial treatment is undertaken.

Suffolk County Council’s policy for dealing with early life skid resistance is detailed inHighway Advice Note 1.14. This strategy is based upon the Highway Agency’sInterim Advice Note 49/03.

Residual Life

The action of traffic on roads tends to have a weakening effect over time. Thecumulative effect of heavy traffic reduces the ability of roads to carry traffic withoutdeformation. A road is expected to last for a certain period of time before it willrequire strengthening or reconstruction. It is useful to be able to assess how muchlife a road has left before its structural behaviour will become unpredictable andstructural failure may occur. Highways engineers are able to use such informationwhen assessing how and when to structurally strengthen a road.

To assess the residual life of the major roads within the county, a machine called adeflectograph is used. This machine measures how much a road flexes under aknown load. From these measurements it is possible to determine residual life andan indication of the amount of material that would have to be added to the road toextend its life by a given period.

Data derived from these surveys is used extensively in the prioritisation ofmaintenance for the county’s principal roads and in the design of maintenancetreatments.


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Visual Condition

The visual condition of roads and footways is extensively used in the prioritisationand design of maintenance treatments.

Safety Inspections are carried out to identify defects requiring early remedial workfor risk management purposes from the Area and Agent offices. The frequencies ofthese inspections, together with which defects are recorded is covered in the RiskManagement Section of this Plan.

Safety inspections and further visual inspections are used by the local offices to aidthe formulation of works programmes, such as carriageway or footway repairs or therenewal of road markings.

The authority commissions a programme of Coarse Visual Inspections (CVI) thatare carried out on the unclassified roads in the county. These surveys are conductedfrom a vehicle and enable the recording of such defects as cracking, crazing and

rutting. CVI surveys are performed to national standards. The data from CVIsurveys facilitates the comparison of the condition of roads in Suffolk with those inother areas of the country, via the production of Best Value Performance Indicators.The objective data derived from these surveys is also used to facilitate theapportionment of budgets within the county on a needs basis.

Detailed Visual Inspections (DVI) enable the collection of much more detailrelevant to defects on roads and pavements. Such defects as cracking, subsidence,chip loss and the like are all recorded, together with their associated dimensions.The primary use of such surveys is to assess the condition of the busier pavementswithin the county. DVI surveys are used to compare the condition of busierpavements in Suffolk with those in other areas of the country and to assist with the

apportionment of budgets for pavement maintenance.

SCANNER Surveys

A machine known as a SCANNER also assesses the condition of roads. SCANNERstands for Surface Condition Assessment for the National Network of Roads. Thesemachines travel at traffic speeds and record a number of characteristics of the road,including: rutting, cracking, texture and ride quality.SCANNER machines survey the ‘A’, ‘B’ and ‘C’ roads in Suffolk.

The Best Value Performance Indicators (BVPIs) associated with the condition of

principal and classified, non-principal roads are derived from SCANNER data. Theseindicators are the key measures of the condition of these roads and are used tocompare Suffolk’s performance with that of other authorities.


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UNITED KINGDOM PAVEMENT MANAGEMENT SYSTEM (UKPMS)

UKPMS is a system that relates the objective assessment of the condition ofhighways to the maintenance treatments to be applied. The system also enables the

treatments to be applied at the optimum time. UKPMS is a national standard.

Suffolk County Council runs a UKPMS system, which is fully compliant with thenational standards and has achieved full UKPMS accreditation. The system used inSuffolk is the Insight system.

Many of the pavement condition surveys described earlier produce data that is inputinto the UKPMS system. CVI, SCANNER and DVI survey data for roads andfootways constitute important inputs into UKPMS; deflectograph and SCRIM data arealso input into the system.

The use of UKPMS enables treatment of roads and footways to be prioritised on a

“worst first” basis, whereby those areas that are in poorest condition are treatedpreferentially. However, the real power of UKPMS is that it enables the projection ofhighway condition forward in time. This projection enables maintenance treatmentsto be applied at the most economically advantageous time. In some cases the bestsolution for a road may be to permit further deterioration while this does not lead to amore onerous (and hence more expensive) treatment, or increased risk of accidents.

Some of the Best Value Performance Indicators for the condition of roads andfootways are produced via UKPMS. Using such inputs as CVI, SCANNER and DVIdata, indicators can be produced that enable the comparison of the condition of thehighway network in Suffolk with that in other counties.

The use of all the facilities available within the UKPMS system will be one of the keytools in ensuring that the maintenance of the highway network in the county is carriedout in a sustainable manner. Condition projection and the timely application oftreatments will ensure that funds are targeted where they are most likely to precludethe need for deeper treatments in the future. It is these deeper treatments thatproduce the most material for disposal and require the greatest inputs in terms ofnew materials and energy. Such treatment prioritisation will minimise the adverseenvironmental effects of highway maintenance, whilst optimising the contribution tothe condition of the network from the funds available.

Condition projection and deterioration modelling will be important tools in theimplementation of Suffolk’s Transport Asset Management Plan (TAMP). Thesetechniques will help engineers formulate programmes of work based upon their likelyeffects on the lifecycles of transport assets and their ramifications in terms ofperformance indicators.


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ENVIRONMENT AND SAFETY CONDITION ANDMAINTENANCE STANDARDS

GRASS CUTTING

Safety

Grass is cut for safety purposes to maintain visibility for highway users and to ensurethat road and footway widths are not reduced by overgrowing vegetation. In areaswhere no footway exists there may be a need to provide a safe refuge on thehighway verge for pedestrians, particularly on busy roads.

Serviceability – Amenity Cutting in Urban Areas

Grass cutting in urban areas, and on housing estates, is carried out by

District/Borough Councils for amenity purposes to a higher frequency than thatrequired for highway safety. In order to avoid duplication, the County Councilcontributes towards the cost of cutting undertaken by the District/Borough Councilsunder the terms of a Service Level Agreement (SLA). The area cut byDistrict/Borough Councils is scheduled and is subject to annual review as new roadsare adopted.

Sustainability

There is the potential for conflict of interests between grass cutting and conservation

issues, with wild plants being mown before they have flowered and seeded. Although some low growing species thrive in the cut areas, elsewhere they would besmothered by more dominant varieties.

The County Council works with Suffolk Wildlife Trust (SWT) to manage about 100Roadside Nature Reserves. Each site is promoted for its special ecological content.The sites are marked by posts to ensure cutting does not take place at inappropriatetimes. However, at least one cut is essential to keep the more dominant species atbay and this is usually in September to October, with a possible springtime cut.Within Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB) or Sites of Special ScientificInterest (SSSI) the Council is now entering into Assent Management schemes withEnglish Nature.

Standards

Single swathe widths (1.2 metres) are cut along most rural verges, increasing inwidth to incorporate visibility splays at junctions, bends and in front of signs. Oftenverges are wider than 1.2 metres and the vegetation beyond this point will remainlargely untouched at these locations, so allowing nature to run its course.

The following table details numbers of cuts per year assuming average growth rates.Limited additional cutting may be required at times of exceptional growth when roadsafety may otherwise be jeopardised.

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Location Standard of grass cutting

Urban areas Full highway verge width – A minimum of 3cuts per year

Rural verges ‘A’ and ‘B’ roads: 2 cuts per year of first1.2 metre swathe and visibility splays at junction, bends and signs.

Minor roads (‘C’ and ‘U’): 1 cut per year offirst 1.2 metre swathe and visibility splaysat junction, bends and signs.

Additional localised cutting may beundertaken where required for safetyreasons – see notes below.

Roadside Nature reserves Single cut generally in the autumn inaccordance with the requirements ofSuffolk Wildlife Trust, but a Spring cut maybe necessary as advised, for certainspecies.

Area Managers and Agents may use local discretion for further cutting where:

(i) Grass overhanging a footway causes people to walk in the road.

(ii) It would encourage journeys to school by walking or cycling.

(iii) Access to village centres by means other than car would be difficult ordangerous.

(iv) There are potential safety hazards caused by long grass at, e.g. junctions.

(v) Cuttings/embankments require safety or amenity trimming.

Visibility of signs should be maintained as far as possible by additional grass cuttingor very localised hedge cutting, note; hedge cutting should be undertaken after endof July in order to avoid disturbance to nesting birds in all but urgent safety problems.

WEED CONTROL

Safety

Weed growth can impair safety for highway users by reducing available road andfootway widths. The Weeds Act 1959 lists a number of weeds which can be injuriousto human or animal health. It places a duty on controllers of land to eliminate thefollowing scheduled weeds from their land to prevent seeds contaminating theirneighbours' land :-

Spear thistle Cirsium vulgareCreeping or field thistle Cirsium arvense


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Curled dock Rumex crispusBroad leaf dock Rumex obtusifoliusCommon ragwort Senecio jacobaea

The Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 specifies control of certain plants such asgiant hogweed or Japanese knotweed. Giant hogweed can cause problems in theform of blistering to the skin.

Serviceability

Weeds can cause structural damage to the highway, disrupt drainage, obstructpedestrians and appear unsightly. Damage can be particularly prevalent onfootways, which tend to be of thinner construction. Such weeds as Mares Tail andBell-bind can be particularly destructive.

Sustainability

The following legislation controls the use of herbicides:

Food and Environment Protection Act 1985Control of Pesticide Regulations 1986Health and Safety at Work Act 1974Control of Substances Hazardous to Health Regulations1988

The use of certain residual (soil acting) herbicides was prohibited by MAFF someyears ago and, in response to growing concerns about the build up of residualherbicides in watercourses, the Environment and Transport Directorate took the

decision to use only systemic (foliar acting) herbicides for its programmes of routinecontrol of weed growth. However this move to a wholly systemic treatmentprogramme does mean that two or three applications of herbicide are required eachyear to control weed growth.

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Standards

Location Frequency

Footways and immediately adjacentkerbed channels

Generally 2 times per year; carried out inthe Spring and Late Summer using asystemic weed killer but with an additionalmid season treatment when growthconditions require.

Noxious Weeds Where a problem is identified then a oneoff treatment, or series of treatments, willbe arranged (see notes below).

Treatment of Noxious weeds:

Ragwort

Ragwort can be fatal to livestock, causing liver failure if eaten, even when the plant isdead. The potential risk to livestock, especially horses, has prompted theGovernment to introduce legislation with the specific purpose of controlling thespread of Common Ragwort. This legislation places duties upon theowners/occupiers of land in this respect. As the Highway Authority, Suffolk CountyCouncil is responsible for the control of ragwort beside all public roads in the county,with the exception of Trunk Roads.

DEFRA published the Code of Practice on How to Prevent the Spread of Ragwort inJuly, 2004. The Ragwort Control Act, 2003 gives this Code evidential status in anyproceedings taken under the Weeds Act, 1959. Failure to follow the Code is not anoffence, but non-compliance may be used as evidence in any legal action. Similarly,if a controller of land can demonstrate that they have complied with the Code, theyshould be able to establish a defence in any action.

The authority will:

1. Record highway land upon which ragwort has been reported. Where ragwort hasbeen identified:

2. Assess the risk of spread to land used for grazing or forage production, where thecategories of risk are:

High Risk – Ragwort is present and flowering/seeding within 50m of landused for grazing by horses and other animals or land used for forageproduction.

Medium Risk - Ragwort is present within 50m to 100m of land used forgrazing by horses and other animals or land used for forage production.

Low Risk – Ragwort or the land upon which it is present is more than 100mfrom land used for grazing by horses and other animals or land used for

forage production.


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The distances given here are for guidance only; local circumstances shouldbe considered, for instance the degree of infestation.

3. Where high risk sites are identified, take immediate action to control the spread ofragwort using appropriate control methods.

4. Monitor medium risk sites.

5. No immediate action is required at low risk sites.

The Code promotes an approach whereby occupiers of land balance the risk posedby ragwort against the cost of taking action. There is recognition that regularinspections of all land holdings may be impractical. Based upon an assessment ofthe risk versus the associated cost, the authority does not carry out annualinspections specifically to identify sites of infestation. However, technical staff at thearea and agents’ offices are trained to recognise the weed and will record any sitesof infestation detected during safety inspections and other inspections of highway

land. These sites will be categorised as high, medium or low risk.

Other sites of infestation will come to the authority’s attention via public complaintsand these sites will be investigated and categorised according to the risk that theypresent.

Any high risk sites identified will be cleared, subject to the necessary co-operation ofany adjacent land owners. If adjacent land owners fail to carry out similar action ontheir land, then recolonisation of the highway land is likely to take place, thusrendering the action taken by the authority ineffective.

The usual method of clearance is hand pulling, followed by bagging and disposal at

licensed landfill sites.

Medium risk sites will be monitored to ensure that a change from medium to high riskcan be anticipated.

Giant Hogweed

Giant Hogweed is present in isolated locations in the County. The plant looks similarto a very large cow parsley growing to 12 feet high. Barbs under the leaves and onthe stem contain a poisonous sap which can photo sensitise the skin causingblistering requiring hospitalisation. Plants can be chemically weed killed early in theseason but later must be cut bagged and disposed of at a licensed landfill site.Removal is a job for a specialist weed control contractor.

SKIRTING

Safety

Edge maintenance or skirting of carriageways, footways and cycleways isoccasionally necessary to prevent encroachment of grass reducing available width.

Standards


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Skirting of carriageways will normally only be undertaken in preparation for surfacedressing or other maintenance treatment.

Footway skirting is undertaken where essential for pedestrian safety e.g. wherepedestrians may be forced to walk in the carriageway and in preparation formaintenance treatments such as slurry sealing and surface dressing, wherenecessary.

TREES AND HEDGES

Safety

Trees and hedges growing on or alongside the highway can become a serioushazard to highway users if they become unstable or decay or if they encroach ontofootways, carriageways or visibility splays. They can also produce hazardous rootdamage to footways and adjoining property.

Serviceability

Trees and hedges are an important amenity. Significant pruning or felling, even forsafety reasons, can be the subject of strong local concern. In urban areas if leftunchecked trees may outgrow their location giving rise to structural damage to roads,footways or drainage systems or to adjacent property and hedges may restrict widthsof footways or carriageways. Requirements for maintenance can be greatly reducedby careful selection of trees when planning planting or replacement programmes

Sustainability

Routine maintenance under expert guidance provides a valuable amenity for thepublic and wildlife. With the exception of urgent safety work, work to trees andhedges should be undertaken outside the bird nesting season.

Standards

Almost all hedges are owned by the adjacent property owner. Where a problem isidentified the property owner will be contacted and asked to cut back branches whichare overgrowing the highway. If the owner fails to undertake this work within areasonable period (usually 21 days) then the Council may, by serving notice inaccordance with the provisions of Section 154 of the Highways Act, require theowner to undertake the work. If this work is not completed within 14 days then theCouncil may undertake the work themselves and seek to recover any costs from theproperty owner concerned. In rural areas work to highway trees will be mainlyreactive, in response to safety concerns. In urban areas proactive management isencouraged.

Maintenance will be required from time to time to mitigate the adverse effects of treesor to maintain the condition of a tree. A qualified arboriculturalist may be used toinspect trees of specific concern. Work is only undertaken after informing/consultingwith local councils and adjacent property owners, unless it is very urgent. Work totrees in Conservation Areas and trees subject to Tree Preservation Orders willrequire the authorisation of the relevant District or Borough Council.


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Where a tree owned by an adjacent property is considered to present a risk to thesafety of the highway user or encroaches onto the highway, the relevant manager willcontact the owner of the land and require him to undertake work at his expense tomitigate the effect.

DRAINAGE SYSTEMS

Safety

Accumulations of water on carriageways, footways and cycleways can increase risksto the safety of highway users, or frontagers, particularly on high speed roads andwhen standing water exists in freezing conditions.

Displaced covers and frames can be a hazard to pedestrians and a potential hazardto drivers and cyclists.

Damaged covers may collapse leaving a void in the highway.

Serviceability

Accumulations of water can lead to weakening of road pavement foundations anddamage to adjacent properties due to spray thrown up by passing vehicles. Inextreme cases ineffective or non-existent drainage systems can lead to flooding ofadjacent properties.

Sustainability

Inadequate drainage will reduce the effective life of road pavements and may causenuisance to adjoining land owners.

Pollution of roadside watercourses can occur due to contaminated run off fromcarriageways.

Gully arisings may contain pollutants and should be disposed of at licensed landfillsites.

Standards

Cleansing is undertaken to remove the build up of detritus that occurs in gully sumpsand other drainage channels.


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(b) lead to blockage of drainage paths and drainage systems increasing the risksof localised flooding.

(c) be unsightly

Serviceability

Under the terms of the Environmental Protection Act 1990 street cleansing, includingsweeping, is the responsibility of the District/Borough Councils. The Act requiresDistrict/Borough Councils to meet specified response times for the removal of litterfrom the highway. Detritus falls within the description of litter. The District/BoroughCouncils meet their obligations under the Act by carrying out routine sweeping of thehighway at intervals determined by the nature of the road or footway. Most ruralroads are not routinely swept and here District/Borough Councils adopt a regimewhich responds to individual requests for cleansing.

Standards

Where a build-up of material presents a danger to users of the highway and itsremoval cannot wait until the District/Borough Council reacts or carries out their nextroutine cleanse, then emergency clearance may be warranted and the Highway Authority will be responsible for arranging this. The response time will be dependentupon the nature of the detritus, and the risk it presents to highway users.

Collection of detritus that can be reasonably dealt with by a sweeping or cleansingregime should be left to the respective cleansing authority to deal with.

TRAFFIC SIGNS AND BOLLARDS

Safety

Regulatory and warning signs contribute to road safety by assisting highway users toidentify safety risks, and separating potential traffic conflicts.

Clear direction signing can contribute to safety by reducing driver confusion andkeeping traffic to appropriate routes.

Serviceability

Direction signs contribute to the ease of use of the road network

Sustainability

Signing can contribute to the local economy (tourist signing, signing for events) andavoid users getting lost and travelling unnecessary distances.

Signing can support sustainable transport modes (cycle and bus routes).

Routeing of heavy traffic can reduce the need for repairs on minor roads.


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However signing can be intrusive, especially signs in poor repair situated inenvironmentally sensitive areas, and confusing if too much signing is present.

Standards

The primary objective is to keep signs visible and legible at distances which will allowthem to be read by highway users, as they pass at speeds appropriate to the type ofroad.

Traffic Signs Feature Maintenance Standard

Signs

Signs are inspected as part of safetyinspections and in response to reportsfrom the public.

For sign cleaning, priority will be given toillegible signs, on the basis of roadhierarchy.

Repairs will be undertaken to keep signslegible, and to repair signs that have beendamaged and have become unsafe.Priority will be given to mandatory andimportant warning signs on highercategory, higher speed roads.

ROAD MARKINGS AND ROAD STUDS

Safety

Road markings and studs assist in delineation especially in darkness and poorvisibility.

Loose road studs can present a hazard to road users.

Enforcement of safe, designated parking/loading areas.

Serviceability

Ease of use of the highway in darkness and poor visibility.

Sustainability

Support to sustainable transport - delineation of bus and cycle lanes, traffic calmingschemes.

Edge markings can reduce damage to carriageway edges.


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Standards

Road markings

Road markings will be maintained in accordance with the table below on a rolling

programme on a zonal basis. Mandatory lines or other road markings associatedwith safety schemes that are identified during routine safety inspections as requiringmaintenance between zone renewals will be added to the programme as anadditional instruction.

Road s tuds

Priority will be given to studs which give effect to regulations, double white systemsand systems of road studs on principal roads.


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Standards – Road Markings and Studs

Feature Maintenance Standard

Road markings on principal roads All road markings will be maintained . *Road markings on non principal roads

Road markings in conservation areas.

The following road markings will bemaintained:

Stop and give way markings.Markings associated with traffic orders.

Double line systems.Warning Markings.Slow Markings.Markings associated with speedmanagement or accident prevention

schemes.

Other markings will only be renewed, if stillrequired, following obliteration by surfacingor surface dressing work, or otheridentified need.

Lines are to be narrow and primrosewhere required.

Road studs on principal roads All road studs to be maintained.

An annual conspicuity inspection will be

carried out each spring, for summerreplacement.

Road studs on non principal roads Road studs associated with double linesystems and other mandatory markings(e.g. hatching edged by solid lines) will bemaintained.

Any loose road studs will be made safe.

Other road studs will only be maintainedfollowing carriageway surface treatment

and in response to specific hazards.

* Further guidance on the maintenance of road markings is contained inHighway Advice Note 3.3.


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FENCES AND BARRIERS

Safety

Safety fences and barriers provide separation for traffic and vulnerable road usersfrom each other and other hazards, e.g. watercourses.

Unstable fences walls and barriers adjacent to the highway can present risks to thesafety of highway users.

Serviceability

Breaches in boundary fences may lead to risk stock of escaping onto the highway.

Sustainability

Fences and barriers in poor repair may be detrimental to the appearance ofenvironmentally sensitive areas. Appropriate designs of barriers should be used insuch areas.

Standards

Feature Maintenance Standard

Safety fences

Damaged safety fences will be made safewithin 24 hours and permanently repairedwithin 4 weeks.

A programme undertaking the fullinspection of safety fences every 3 years,following which a programme of repairsshould be adopted.

Pedestrian Barriers Damaged barriers will be made safe within24 hours and permanently repaired within4 weeks.

Other fences In most cases this fencing will be ownedby the adjacent property owner. We willcontact the owner of the fencing if possibleand ask them to make safe. If the ownercannot be contacted, or will not make thefencing safe, we will make safe within 24hours.

Other fences that are the responsibility ofthe Highway Authority will be made safewithin 24 hours if they present a danger tothe highway user. Permanent repairs will

be carried out at the discretion of the AreaHighways Manager.


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RISK MANAGEMENT

SAFETY INSPECTIONS

Introduction

Highway authorities are under a duty to maintain public highways by virtue of Section41, of The Highways Act, 1980, to enable safe passage of highway users. There isan acknowledgement that not all highways can be in perfect condition all of the time,and in this circumstance a defence under Section 58, that reasonable care has beentaken to ensure that the highway is not dangerous, is relied on in the event of ThirdParty Claims.

More recently the “duty to grit” introduced under The Railways and Transport Safety Act, 2003, has placed more emphasis on the need to treat highways before theformation of ice. This has implications for the Winter Service.

Standards

All carriageways, footways and cycle ways are inspected at regular intervals rangingbetween monthly to 12 monthly periods depending on the category. These safetyinspections are undertaken to detect defects likely to present a danger or nuisance tothe travelling public, and to rectify them with an appropriate degree of urgency.Most carriageway inspections are undertaken from a slow moving vehicle, whilstfootway inspections are undertaken by a mix of driven and walked inspections.

Unsurfaced roads (Green Lanes) are not routinely inspected but to reflect their localuse by limited vehicular traffic, equestrians and pedestrians we undertake inspection

and limited maintenance following reports from the public.Budgets for the maintenance of such low use routes are limited and a system ofprioritising available budgets to the most used Green lanes will be employed.

Carriageway Safety Inspection Frequency

Road Category Inspection FrequencyTolerance for completion

in relation to due date

2 Strategic Routes 1 month 5 working days

3a Main Distributors 1 month 5 working days

3b Secondary Distributors 3 months 10 working days4a Local Roads 6 months 10 working days

4b Local Access Roads 6 months 10 working days

5 Unsurfaced UnclassifiedRoads

Inspection on complaintonly

To reflect staff commitments, on leave and during exceptional weather events, atolerance is built into the timing of inspection relative to the "due" date.


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DefectType

InterventionCriteria

Cat. 2road

Cat. 3aroad

Cat. 3broad

Cat. 4aroad

Cat. 4broad

Debris,spillage,etc.

A significant build-up or deposition ofmaterial likely topresent a hazard toroad users.

24 hrs 24 hrs 24 hrs - -

Debris,spillage,etc.

A significant build-up or deposition ofmaterial likely topresent a hazard toroad users.

2 weeks 2 weeks

Abrupt leveldifference

Change in surfacelevel in excess of :-

a) 50mmb) 100mm

24 hrs 24 hrs 24 hrs -

24 hrs

-

24 hrs

Abrupt leveldifference(1 metre ormore inlength)

Change in surfacelevel in excess of50mm 2 weeks 2 weeks

Potholes Sharp edged holeor gap exceeding:

300x300x50mm

600x600x100mm

24 hrs 24 hrs 24 hrs

24 hrs 24 hrs

Potholes Sharp edged holeor gap exceeding:

600mm x 600mm x50mm in depth

2 weeks 2 weeks

Ironwork Any cover missing,

broken orcollapsed. 24 hrs 24 hrs 24 hrs 24 hrs 24 hrs

Drainage Potentiallydangerous flooding

24 hrs 24 hrs 24 hrs

Drainage Blocked drainageor flooding on thehighway

2 weeks 2 weeks 2 weeks 4 weeks 4 weeks


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DefectType


Cat. 2road

Cat. 3aroad

Cat. 3broad

Cat. 4aroad

Cat. 4broad

Streetfurniture Damaged ordefective streetfurniture likely topresent a hazardincluding exposedwiring andoverheadcables/wires

24 hrs 24 hrs 24 hrs 24 hrs 24 hrs

Roadsigning

Missing, dangerousor misleadingmandatory sign,bollard or trafficsignal.

24 hrs 24 hrs 24 hrs 24 hrs 24 hrs

Fencingandbarriers

Damage to :-

1) Safety Fence2) Parapet fences

or guardrailsLiable to renderthem ineffective.

Install a

warning/protectionsystem.

Undertakepermanent repairswithin.

24 hrs

4 weeks

24 hrs

4 weeks

24 hrs

4 weeks

24 hrs

4 weeks

24 hrs

4 weeks

Kerbing Broken ordisplaced kerbprotruding 25mmor more, likely topresent a danger toroad users.

24 hrs 24 hrs 24 hrs 2 weeks 2 weeks

Regardless of the intervention criteria listed above, the application of higherstandards may be considered appropriate in sensitive locations such as schools,shopping centres, hospitals and elderly accommodation.


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Footway Intervention Criteria

DefectType


Cat. 1footway

Cat. 2footway

Cat. 3footway

Cat. 4footway

Potholes,cracks orgaps

Hole, crack or gap,20mm or more indepth, and of min’mdimensions

150mm x 100mm 24 hrs 24 hrs - -

" 4 weeks 4 week

Trips Any trip in excess of20mm

24 hrs 24 hrs

" 4 weeks 4 weeks

Ironwork Any cover missing,

broken or collapsed 24 hrs 24 hrs 24 hrs 24 hrs

Regardless of the intervention criteria listed above, the application of higherstandards may be considered appropriate in sensitive locations such as schools,shopping centres, hospitals and elderly accommodation.

There is also a need to apply Footway Intervention Criteria to areas of carriagewayincluded within controlled pedestrian crossings.

Where it is not possible to make defects safe within 24 hours, signing or guardingshould be considered.

Cycleways

The inspection criteria to be applied to cycleways will depend upon the status andposition within the highway.

For mandatory cycleways within the carriageway i.e. where defined by a continuousroad marking, the relevant carriageway inspection frequency will apply, as willcategory 4 footway intervention criteria.

For advisory cycleways within the carriageway i.e. where defined by an intermittentroad marking, the adjacent carriageway inspection frequency will apply, as will the

carriageway intervention criteria.

Shared cycleways and footways will attract the maintenance standards associatedwith the footway. This is appropriate since footways tend to attract highermaintenance standards than cycleways.


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Urban Rights of Way

Some footpaths within urban areas are recorded on the definitive map as publicrights of way. Within urban areas these may provide a functional route to shops,

schools etc. Some of these footpaths are metalled. Where footpaths are metalledthen they will be assigned an appropriate category within the footway hierarchy andwill be inspected and maintained accordingly.

Most unmetalled footpaths in urban areas remain part of the rights of way networkand are inspected and maintained in accordance with procedures set down in SuffolkCounty Council’s Rights of Way Code of Practice.


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PERFORMANCE MONITORING

Performance management is an essential component of the provision of aneconomical, efficient and effective highways maintenance service. It is important to

gauge and monitor trends in performance.

PERFORMANCE INDICATORS

To monitor the County Council’s performance, a number of performance indicatorsare collected. Some of these indicators are national indicators, as defined by CentralGovernment. In 2008 Central Government introduced a set of streamlined indicators. A single set of 198 national indicators was introduced to replace all other existingsets of indicators including Best Value Performance Indicators and Performance Assessment Framework indicators These indicators are reported upon at the end ofeach financial year.

Some of the road and pavement condition indicators are Core Indicators within theLTP. The authority is required to publish targets and trajectories within our LTP forthese indicators. The targets are linked to both local and national objectives,including the Government’s Ten Year Plan for Transport.

Some of the National Indicators (NIs) associated with the highways maintenanceservice directly contribute to the authority’s Comprehensive Performance Assessment (CPA) rating. This is a key measure of the overall performance of localauthorities.

The Code of Good Practice encourages local authorities to develop sets of local

performance indicators in addition to those prescribed nationally. Such localperformance indicators facilitate the reflection of local priorities and provide keymanagement information. Suffolk County Council is developing a set of localindicators, based upon guidance in the Code and consultation with other localauthorities in the Eastern Region.

Suffolk’s TAMP sets out a number of improvement actions and aspirations for thetransport service. The TAMP contains performance measures to help gauge theauthority’s progress towards achieving these improvements. For further explanationof these performance measures, please see Appendix G of the TAMP.

The authority has engaged a construction partner to work alongside internal service

providers in delivering the highways maintenance and improvement service. Thecontract with Suffolk’s construction partner contains a number of key performanceindicators that are used to help drive improvements in service delivery, networkcondition and value for money.

For each of the indicators collected annual trends are monitored and interventionsmade as appropriate. For some performance indicators it is possible to monitorperformance throughout the year and project the likely year-end value. Suchprojection is carried out where appropriate and enables early action to be taken asnecessary.


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BENCHMARKING

Liaison with other authorities in the region is an important component of performancemonitoring. The County Council participates in the Eastern Region Best Practice

Group. This group enables our performance to be compared with nearby authoritiesand may prompt proactive action if such comparison indicates that Suffolk’sperformance can be improved in any specific areas. As well as comparingperformance indicator information, such groups enable comparison of financialperformance and facilitate the adoption of regionally consistent policies, whereappropriate.


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WORKS BY STATUTORY UNDERTAKERS

Statutory Undertakers have a legal right to excavate in the highway to install,maintain and remove their apparatus. The conduct of this is regulated by the New

Roads and Street Works Act 1991 (NRSWA) and associated Regulations and Codesof Practice.

Section 50 of the Act also permits private builders to install, maintain or removeprivate apparatus such as sewers and drains in the highway under licence. Thebuilder or person granted a Street Works licence becomes an Undertaker for thepurposes of the NRSWA and therefore attracts the relevant duties andresponsibilities imposed by the Act and associated secondary legislation and Codesof Practice.

Reinstatement of the highway is the responsibility of the Statutory Undertaker. Therole of the County Council is to monitor their performance, but not to supervise the

whole works.

The legal duty for the provision of a safe highway still resides with the Highway Authority, notwithstanding any other duties imposed upon statutory undertakers.

The Traffic Management Act 2004 (TMA), that is expected to be implemented during2007 at the time of writing, will impact upon how the County co-ordinates works. As aresult, the County Council has appointed a Traffic Manager whose role is to overseethe co-ordination of all works within the highway to minimise inconvenience to roadusers. To facilitate co-ordination and inspection, works are and will be notified inadvance to the County Council under a formal notice system. The amount of noticerequired will vary dependent on type of work and location. The County Council haspowers to designate certain streets to restrict working hours or to require specialprocedures or materials to be used, for instance in conservation areas.

A system is administered from Area and Agent offices, each have dedicatedinspectors, supported by administrative staff and the Insight computer system.Sample inspection, for which a fee is recoverable from the relevant undertaker,ensures work complies with national standards. Target levels of inspections are setas internal targets to help ensure that inspections are representative and fee incomeis maximised.

The performance of each undertaker and their contractors is monitored and

recorded. Section 74 of NRSWA imposes financial penalties on undertakers who failto comply with the requirements of the NRSWA.

Signing and guarding of works should comply with the “Safety at Roadwork’s” Codeof Practice. Utilities are required to implement the Code of Practice of theReinstatement of Openings. There are other codes of practice covering co-ordinationand inspections.


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WINTER SERVICE

Winter service covers three basic categories: pre treatment, post treatment and snow

clearance. The winter service operational plan contains the detailed arrangementsfor this service and links to the County Council’s Emergency Plan.

Roads are treated on a priority basis referenced P1, P2 and P3, with busier roadstreated first.

Footways will not generally receive any pre treatment but post treatment will becarried out in severe conditions as resource allows, on a similar hierarchical basis.

A strategic network of cycle routes has been devised for the main urban areas of theCounty and these will receive pre treatment under the same regime as P2s

In severe weather conditions (snow or ice) P1s and then P2s will take priority fortreatments and only when this part of the network is reasonably clear will resource bediverted to deal with other problems. A network of farmers and other contractorsacross the County can be called on in the case of heavy snow falls to help deal withspecific areas.

In the severest of conditions it is likely that a central control would be set up tocontinuously monitor the situation and the need for additional resource.

Public information about the service and the status of salting arrangements isavailable on the County Council’s web site.


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ROAD LIGHTING

Detailed coverage of the road lighting service is beyond the scope of this Plan.

The lighting service provided in the county is based upon the philosophy andstandards as contained in the Road Lighting Maintenance Code of Good Practice.This document was jointly developed by the CSS and the Institution of LightingEngineers. The lighting Code of Good Practice covers such areas as fault reporting,cyclic maintenance, lamp replacement, structural and electrical inspections andtesting, inventory and purchasing.

In Suffolk, a performance based contract is used to implement the Code, with somelocal variations.

The County Council has a duty to keep highway lighting safe. Some lights withinSuffolk are owned by Parish Councils. Some Parish Councils elect for their lights to

be maintained by Suffolk County Council, for a fee. Similar arrangements operatewith some District Councils.

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Documents

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