Treatment of roads, pavements and cycleways
We operate a priority system for the treatment of
- roads
- pavements
- cycle paths
within the city boundary. Certain major roads, known as trunk roads, for example the
- A720 Edinburgh bypass
- M8
- M9
are the responsibility of Transport Scotland. Contact Transport Scotland to .
Outside of normal working hours, 7.30am to 4pm Monday to Friday, only priority 1 routes will be treated during freezing conditions.
During snow conditions, all available resources will be deployed to maintain priority 1 routes and then other routes in priority order as long as snow conditions and its remaining effects prevail.
Road gritting routes
Road priority 1 routes will be treated first and include important principal roads, all bus routes and roads to
- fire stations
- police stations
- ambulance depots
- hospitals
- clinics
- care homes
- schools.
Bus park and ride sites at
- Ingliston
- Hermiston
- Straiton
will also be treated as road priority 1 and during periods of extreme wintry weather, treatment will extend to their parking spaces.
Road priority 2 routes cover the remaining Council maintained roads.
Priority treatment of pavements
Pavement priority 1 routes cover busy pavements pedestrian routes to
- hospitals
- clinics
- care homes
- schools
as well as prioritised higher altitude areas and will be treated first whenever conditions dictate. They will be pre-treated, wherever possible, in forecast conditions of ice or snow. These routes typically cover the busiest city centre pavements and higher altitude areas to the south and south west of the city.
Local pavement priority routes will be subject to appropriate treatment during weather events on the basis of locally assessed conditions. Please be aware, that subject to prevailing conditions
- whole routes
- part routes
- localised sections of routes
may be assessed as requiring treatment.
All other parts of the Council's pavement network are considered with competing winter treatment demand.
Off-road cycleway gritting
Cycleway priority 1 routes will be the first to receive treatment whenever weather conditions dictate, and will be pre-treated where possible, when frost, snow or ice is forecast. Areas treated include
- Middle Meadow Walk
- Leamington Walk in Bruntsfield Links
- Innocent Railway Path, between St Leonards Lane and The Jewel at ASDA
- sections of the Caledonian Cycle Track, North Edinburgh Cycle Network.
All other parts of the Council's off road cycleway network are considered with competing winter treatment demand.