In response to criticism fielded last year about the lack of clear information on winter driving conditions, the Dunedin City Council has updated its road conditions web page to keep citizens better informed.
The site will carry information from council roading contractors, who work through the night during winter months and apply grit when necessary, the New Zealand Transport Agency and police.
Reports will be available earlier than previously, and be updated.
The page will feature general road conditions, which roads have been officially closed and for what reason, information on the spraying of calcium magnesium acetate (CMA) and gritting, and links to road information from the sources on which the council relies.
Council roading maintenance engineer Peter Standring said about 30 frost events and two snow events occurred in Dunedin over the winter months.
For the past three years, CMA had been sprayed on selected high-use roads to prevent icing.
Grit was regularly applied on other selected roads and was removed when its job was done.
Public expectations were often high when it came to gritting roads and having them cleared promptly, he said, but the council had limited resources.
While not every road could be gritted or cleared, it would try to keep roads safe and enable citizens to make informed driving decisions.
The web page is accessible today and tomorrow by typing "road conditions" in the DCC site's search field, but a page link will appear on the home page from Monday.
DCC web page
www.dunedin.govt.nz/council-online/road-conditions
What is on the web page:
- Road conditions
- Road closures
- Ice and snow procedures
- A map showing which streets are regularly gritted or sprayed with CMA
