Winter driving on Marlborough’s Roads
With temperatures dropping it’s important to remember to drive to the conditions.
The Marlborough Roads winter maintenance team is checking temperatures daily via sensors positioned throughout the network. These sensors help proactively forecast conditions, along with the team’s on-site inspections.
The team uses either grit or calcium magnesium acetate (CMA) to give more traction to the surface when ice or snow is present. CMA is used on state highways with grit employed on local roads. CMA can be an effective pre-treatment to stop road ice from forming and snow from packing and can last for around three to four days. It cannot be used to melt snow or be applied in wet weather.
The speed at which ice and snow can occur means that there will be times when grit or CMA have not yet been spread. It is important in cold weather that drivers take extra caution, especially in shaded areas and on bridges which often stay slippery for longer than other road surfaces.
VMS boards are also utilised to assist with cautioning drivers, particularly in spots where ice has formed and speed needs to be reduced.
Some more things to consider when driving in winter:
- Frost is most severe at daybreak
- Reduce speed in wet or icy conditions
- Avoid sudden braking or turning movements that could cause you to skid. For vehicles without an anti-skid braking system, pump the brake pedal in short rapid bursts rather than pressing long and hard
- Drive at a safe travelling distance. Double the two second rule in winter to leave a safe distance between yourself and the next vehicle
- Avoid towing in icy conditions
- Consider what route you are taking and whether you need to travel if the weather is poor
- Follow all road signage