Gladness control: this is what we do against snow and ice on the road

We do this by removing snow and spreading salt against slipperiness. Almost all main roads, major roads to neighborhoods, industrial areas, bicycle paths and bus routes are part of our "primary gritting routes. This means that we grit these roads day and night when it gets slippery. On other roads, if necessary, we only grit during office hours. 

We grit before it gets slippery

The primary gritting routes are gritted preventively. This means that we start gritting these roads immediately if the weather forecast predicts that it could get slippery within a few hours. In this way we ensure that it cannot become slippery.
So it may be that we grit while it is not yet slippery. This means that slippery weather is predicted. 

We continue to grit when it is slippery

We also grit when we notice that the roads are getting slippery. Sometimes the roads have already been gritted, but we have to grit again. This happens when we notice that the preventive gritting does not help enough. If there is a lot of snow, we first remove the snow from the road before gritting. We do this with snow ploughs that are placed in front of the gritting vehicle. 

What else we do to keep roads clear

Some places our neighborhood teams clear by hand. We do this at bridges, bus stops, stairs and public buildings, for example. In places where it often gets slippery, we put bins of road salt. You can use this to grit the road in that spot. 

You can help us with smoothness control

Unfortunately, the city cannot keep all roads and sidewalks in the city free of snow and ice. We hope you understand this. That is why we also need your help. You can help us by removing the snow yourself on the sidewalk in front of your own home. And then spreading salt. And when the weather is slippery, think about the elderly people in your neighborhood who cannot do this themselves. They will appreciate your help in keeping their sidewalks clear!

If you have any questions, please call us

Do you have any questions about smoothing? Then you can call our gladheidscoördinator of
district management call. You can do this via the general telephone number of the municipality: 14 045.