TD Network management
Questionnaire 1
(winter maintenance standards, procedures and methods)
Efficient operation of road networks during winter is an important role for European Road
Administrations, including snow removal and anti-skid measures. Legal obligations and operational standards that define the works to be performed differ throughout Europe.
Main goal of Task group N3 is to help countries, CEDR members, to be able to compare their levels of services and identify common problems in winter service. After identification of common problems, interested NRAs can invest together in research projects that will provide solutions to their most urgent issues.
First phase of activities in Task group N3 is focused on compiling available information about winter maintenance standards and procedures from countries that are active in this group and from other CEDR member states. This information includes i.e. data about applied legal standards and procedures, systematic organization of winter service, operational methods, equipment and materials used, etc. As a result of the questionnaire, a summary report of collected information is expected to be designed, that will give a thorough overview of different approaches toward winter maintenance and winter service.
Please return the completed questionnaire to mrs. Ljiljana Herga (leader of the Task N3) at
Ljiljana.herga@gov.si
until 27 th November 2013 . Do not send paper copies.

Your contact data:
Name of organization:
Your name and position in this organization:
Telephone number:
Email address:
Data about country:
Country:
Number of inhabitants:
Area in km 2 :
Number of regions:
Number of municipalities:
Total length of individual roads, by category of road (in km):
- motorways
- semi motorways
- main roads for motor vehicles
- main roads
- regional roads
- local roads
- urban roads and streets
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SYSTEM REGULATION
Clarification of »winter service«:
Winter service is a set of activities, necessary for ensuring drivability of roads and traffic safety in winter conditions, when as a consequence of winter specific phenomenon (snow, ice, wind and fog) normal traffic flow is threatened.
1.0 How is winter service organized in your country?
Organization
Road category
State level
Regional level
Local level Other - describe motorways semi motorways main roads for motor vehicles main roads regional roads local roads urban roads and streets
1.1 Who is providing winter service in your country?
State-owned
Provider
Road category or private company motorways
By contract
Public-private partnership
(PPP) semi motorways main roads for motor vehicles main roads regional roads local roads urban roads and streets
Other - describe
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Clarification of »winter service equipment for road users«:
Quality providing of winter service is very dependent on the behavior of road users and equipment of their vehicles for winter driving conditions. Due to inadequate tires and other winter equipment, drivers on roads cause traffic jams and impede the work of winter service providers. How is winter equipment of vehicles regulated in your legislation?
2.0 What type of tires and equipment is obligatory for given vehicles in winter time?
Mark with »x« between the brackets [ X ]
Type of tires tiers with summer tread pattern tires with winter tread pattern tiers with summer tread pattern and snow chains
Personal vehicles
[ ] yes [ ] no
[ ] yes [ ] no
[ ] yes [ ] no
Heavy goods vehicles
[ ] yes [ ] no
[ ] yes [ ] no
[ ]yes [ ] no
2.1 Are snow chains used on highways in your country?
Mark with »x« between the brackets [ X ]
[ ] yes [ ] no
In which cases?
2.2 What is the minimum allowed tread depth on tires in winter time in mm?
On tires with summer tread …….mm
On tires with winter tread
….mm
2.3 Depending on the location of the region, do you have in winter time mandatory different types of tires for different regions? (summer or winter tread, tires with nails) From when to when, lasts the winter period in regard to road traffic?
Mark with »x« between the brackets [ X ]
[ ] yes [ ] no
[ ] we have mandatory the same type of tires for the whole country
[ ] we have mandatory different types of tires for different winter periods
[ ] we have mandatory different types of tires for different areas winter period on roads is from
…….until……
If different winter equipment is mandatory in different regions, please describe the criteria (lowlands, mountainous area, mixed area, altitude, weather conditions, regions with no snowfall, etc.?)
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Clarification of »heavy goods vehicles elimination from traffic at snowfall or forecasted snowfall«:
Heavy goods vehicles can cause traffic jams on slopes at snowfall and impede the work of winter service providers, so they must be eliminated from traffic, especially at heavy snowfall.
3.0 Who eliminates heavy goods vehicles > 7,5t on roads, when there is risk that normal traffic flow will be interrupted?
Mark with »x« between the brackets [ X ]
[ ] they eliminate themselves on the basis of legal restriction
[ ] they eliminate themselves on the basis of radio announcement
[ ] they eliminate themselves on the basis of warning road signs
[ ] they are eliminated by the police
[ ] they are eliminated by winter service providers
[ ] they are eliminated by the police, with the aid of winter service providers
[ ] no one eliminates them
[ ] they are not eliminated at all (no legal restriction)
[ ] other - describe:
3.1 If they are, where are heavy goods vehicles on highways eliminated to?
Mark with »x« between the brackets [ X ]
[ ] to highway resting places only
[ ] to resting places and to side lanes
[ ] to side lanes
[ ] other - describe:
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Clarification of »approach to using standards, criteria and rules in providing drivability of roads and traffic safety on roads«:
Standards for maintaining roads in winter conditions or levels of maintenance differ for different categories of roads. They are set by criteria that depend on various permanent and variable factors that appear at different weather conditions. Approaches to using standards differ among countries and are a combination of expert judgment and best practice approach. The purpose of this survey is not unifying standards but finding out common problems, reasons for which should lead to research with which all parties would be able to improve conditions for road users and optimize winter service.
Due to different reasons, ensuring drivability of roads can be more or less problematic. Implemented standards for the level of drivability of roads and ensuring the safety of road users can, mostly due to lack of financial resources, impede the work of winter service providers .
4.0 By a general evaluation from 1 to 5 evaluate the difficulty of ensuring drivability of roads in winter period?
Difficulty
Road category motorways
Evaluation of difficulty
(1 – least difficult,
5
– most difficult)
Description of difficulty semi motorways main roads for motor vehicles main roads regional roads local roads urban roads and streets cycle lanes
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4.1 Describe main problems in providing winter service for each road category?
Road category Main problems motorways semi motorways main roads for motor vehicles main roads regional roads local roads urban roads and streets cycle lanes
4.2 Do you have in your country or in regions roads separated into different areas in regard to the level of difficulty in providing drivability in winter period? Example: regarding the mountainous area or lowlands, regarding the altitude, AADT (vehicles/day), weather conditions in winter period, etc.? (describe, if possible)
Mark with »x« between the brackets [
X ]
[ ] yes [ ] no
If you have different criteria, please describe them.
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4.3 Do standards and regulations for ensuring drivability and traffic safety on roads meet the requirements of road users? Mark with »x« between the brackets [ X ]
Road category Yes No If they don't meet the requirements, why not? motorways semi motorways main roads for motor vehicles main roads regional roads local roads urban roads
[ ] yes [ ] no
[ ] yes [ ] no
[ ] yes [ ] no
[ ] yes [ ] no
[ ] yes [ ] no
[ ] yes [ ] no
[ ] yes [ ] no
[ ] yes [ ] no cycle lanes
4.4 To how many priorities or levels of service are roads in your country divided to, and which are they?
Description of priorities or levels of service, according to the criteria you use:
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4.5
Please put the data for your country in the table below. If you have different system of standards and criteria as shown, please make your own table or describe them. (If you have other priorities or categories of roads, please insert the rows that you need to in the table).
ROAD
MAINTENANCE
PRIORITY
CATEGORY
(Required level of service)
FORMAL ROAD
CATEGORY
(Road rank)
AADT
(vehicles/day)
(< or >, from
AADT to AADT) heavy vehicles/day*
PROVIDING DRIVABILITY OF ROADS DURING SNOWFALL
Permissible snow height
ENSURING ROAD
DRIVABILTY
Timeframe during the day
(from hour am - to hour pm)
POSSIBLE
DELAYS
(Hours) normal snowfall (cm) heavy snowfall (cm)
Motorways semi motorways main roads for motor vehicles main roads regional roads local roads urban roads and streets cycle lanes XXXXXXXX
* Please write a number of vehicles per day and a number of heavy goods vehicles
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Clarification of »different standards, criteria and regulations for ensuring drivability and traffic safety on roads«
In different countries different standards and criteria are used for ensuring drivability and traffic safety, such as width of the carriageway, number of traffic lanes, friction properties of the carriageway, weather conditions together with standards for environmental protection, etc. So it is necessary that all countries involved in this research become acquainted at least with the most important standards of other countries.
5.0 Please describe standards and criteria for road maintenance in winter period and alternative standards that are used in your country or regions, and problems with their implementation. For example: friction properties of the road surface, Maintenance Decision Support System (MDSS), weather conditions classification in relation to geographic or other road surface properties, width of the carriageway, etc. Describe which topic or issue would be of interest to you for research.
Description of standards and criteria:
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5.1 What are service circle times of your plowing units in heavy snowfall?
How many times a week, month or more months inspection of the performed works in winter period takes place?
ROAD
MAINTENANCE
PRIORITY
CATEGORY
FORMAL ROAD
CATEGORY
(Road rank)
SERVICE CIRCLE TIME
OF TREATMENT (hours)
ROAD INSPECTION
FREQUENCY
Number of inspection/days, week, month, months
(eg. 1/week or 1/15 days, after each action, etc.,) motorways semi motorways main roads for motor vehicles main roads regional roads local roads urban roads and streets cycle lanes
5.2 If you maybe have alternative standards for a longer period, when the temperature falls below 6° C, or other periods (December - February), please describe them.
Description of standards for temperatures < 6 0 C:
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5.3 If you maybe have areas with strong winds that affect safe driving and create snowdrifts, please shortly introduce standards for that topic.
Description of standards for areas with strong winds:
5.4 Describe standards and criteria for maintaining cycle lanes and pavements in winter period, in and outside of urban areas?
Description of standards for urban areas:
Description of standards and criteria for non-urban areas:
5.5 Do you maybe have standards for maintaining surfaces for pedestrians, especially around hospitals, health centers, schools, bus stops and standards for clearing the surfaces for disabled persons? Please introduce them.
Description of standards for pedestrian surfaces:
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5.6
Do you use so called »winter index« for evaluating the severity of winter period?
Mark with »x« between the brackets [ X ]
[ ] yes [ ] no [ ] partially
5.7 If you are using standards for usage of material for road sprinkling, please introduce them according to the type of sprinkling material (sand,
CaCl
2
, NaCl, CMA and other chemical means), If possible at different temperatures, preventive sprinkling, sprinkling at snowfall, sprinkling after snow removal from the road surface and at ice on roads?
Description of standards:
5.8 Do your winter maintenance service providers use weather information
(road we ather stations, weather forecasts…)?
Please describe your road weather information system (RWIS or MDSS):
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5.9 European committee for standardization (CEN) has, in the chapter of winter maintenance equipment, issued standards for road-weather information systems (winter maintenance equipment - Road weather information systems)
Mark with »x« between the brackets [ X ]
Which of below written standards you use entirely, partly, are currently implementing or don't use at all? If you do use it, please describe for which categories of roads or are they valid for all roads in your country or maybe just for roads in certain designated area?
- Part 1 (EN 155518-1): Global definitions and components
- Part 2 (EN 155518-2): Road weather
– Recommended observation and forecast
- Part 3 (EN 155518-3): Requirements on measured values of stationary equipment
[ ] we don't know these standards
[ ] we know the standards but don't use them
[ ] we are using this standards entirely
[ ] we are using this standards partly
[ ] we are using other standards
Please describe the usage of above shown European standards:
5.10 If you are using other standards at obtaining weather information, please describe shortly its contents.
Description of standards:
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5.11 Which standards for the protection of environment do you use in providing winter service? Please introduce them shortly. How do you implement them and how hard/easy is it to meet the set criteria?
Description of standards and their implementation:
Clarification of »organization of operational activities of winter road maintenance«
Due to changing weather conditions, various conditions can develop also on the road that road managers and winter service providers must follow with their organization. Providing quality winter service depends very much on weather analysis, weather forecast, conditions on roads and amount of traffic. Road manager and winter service provider are always caught in between of road users' expectations and realistic circumstances in winter service organization that on the other hand depends on many other factors.
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6.0 Shortly describe in what way and from which sources do you obtain weather information and information about road and traffic conditions?
Mark the correct answer with »x« in each column.
Source of information yes no partially comment
National meteorological office
Weather forecast
Road-weather stations with floor sensors
Weather stations
Road weather VMS
Video cameras
Information system for conditions monitoring in individual area
Calls of road users
Information from the police
Information of road service providers on the field
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6.1 What measures do you use for operational intervention on roads in winter period?
Mark with »x« at each measure you use at different road category. In necessary timeframes in the last 3 rows, please insert daytime (from – until certain hour) and in the last row, please indicate correct hour.
Measures for operational intervention
Comment
Required level of road drivability
Snow height at which an intervention is necessary
Required friction characteristics of road surface
Intervention according to the already prepared scenarios of road conditions in regard to weather conditions
Intervention on the basis of
MDSS and Road Weather
Information System (RWIS)
Required time for drivability of road in throughout the whole day hour-to-hour
Timeframe, when winter service providers are not present on roads
In approximately what time (after the weather forecast by the weather service) and before the actual winter conditions take place (snowfall, ice, sleet), do you preventively sprinkle salt on roads? (in hours)
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6.2 How do you keep records of winter maintenance activities, especially records of used quantity of sprinkling material in different road sections?
Short description of keeping the records for different road categories (highways, main roads for motor vehicles, main roads, etc.):
6.3 How do you compare the costs of winter maintenance with the benefits for road users and what kind of rationalization do you use and for what areas (drivability, traffic safety, effects on the environment, delays, etc.)?
Short description of a principle of cost comparison:
6.4 How do you reduce the quantity of sprinkling material in relation to requirements for ensuring traffic safety on roads? Are you, due to ensuring traffic safety, maybe not able to reduce it at all?
Description of ensuring traffic safety on roads and usage of sprinkling material:
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6.5 Which one of the listed advanced technologies you use?
Mark with »x« in each cell at each suitable answer and if possible, add a short comment. comment Advanced technology
GPS directing and tracking of plowing and sprinkling
Improvements of ploughs and sprinkler devices
Laser detection of icing
Using thermo-graphics in designing of thermic maps
Pools for melting of removed snow and ice
Using a meter for measuring the salinity of road surface
Using a meter for measuring deceleration, connected to GPS in vehicles for determining friction skidding levels
Using a meter for measuring coefficient of friction in or out of the vehicles (towed meter)
Automatic melting of pedestrian corridors, parking areas, stairs and other public spaces
Automatic »anti-slipping sprinklers«, installed on exposed places, such as viaducts, bridges, etc.
Centralized information systems for monitoring activities and conditions on roads, measuring of quantity of sprinkling material in »real-time« yes no partially
6.6 Do you, before winter period, train and educate the drivers of plowing and sprinkling units for more quality performance in winter time? How do you do that?
Short description of training and educating of drivers before every winter period:
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6.7 How do you monitor the satisfaction of road users with winter road maintenance (surveys, monitoring feedback in the media, complaints of individual users or communities, etc.)? How satisfied are road users generally with winter service?
Description of monitoring road users' satisfaction:
6.8 On what principles and how are you reducing the costs of winter service and how are you optimizing performance?
Description of reduction of costs and optimizing winter service performance
6.9 What research has essentially influenced the efficacy and optimization of winter service and helped reducing negative influences on the environment?
Address and short description of important research or studies:
7.0 As a resume of the questionnaire, meant more as a reminder, please indicate main areas and topics for research, that are of a special interest to you and you would like to suggest them for a potential future research program.
Short description of areas, topics or working titles for future research in connection with winter service and maintenance:
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