Quad bike gritters to be deployed to keep London's cycle routes ice free
Transport for London will use quad bikes equipped with ice-melting equipment to treat cycle lanes inaccessible to lorry gritters
Transport for London will keep cycle routes in London ice-free this winter by using quad bikes equipped with gritters.
The responsibility for clearing ice from cycle routes in the British capital is split between TfL and individual London Boroughs - including Cycle Superhighways.
"When a Cycle Superhighway sits on a borough road the council maintains and grits it," a TfL spokesperson told Cycling Weekly. "When it’s on one of our roads, we grit it. Most of the Cycle Superhighways are on our roads."
While the majority of the road network can be treated using conventional lorry gritters, the narrower lanes used for cycles are inaccessible to large vehicles. At 1.2 metres wide, the motorised quad bikes can fit into a bike lane and the majority of footways with ease.
Rather than using salt and grit, a substance called Pathway KA is used, which contains potassium acetate to melt ice. The quad bikes can carry up to 500kg of ice-melting chemicals.
"Although there hasn't been significant snow falls for three winters now, TfL and London Councils develop coordinated plans every year, alongside the emergency services, to keep the rail and road networks open and running in case of any severe weather," said TfL in a statement.
Get The Leadout Newsletter
The latest race content, interviews, features, reviews and expert buying guides, direct to your inbox!
"This includes key arterial roads, cycle routes and footways around bus and railway stations, hospitals and police, fire and ambulance stations across London."
>>> Winter road bike tyres: a buyer’s guide
"TfL and London's boroughs will also ensure that the Cycle Superhighways and other cycling routes remain safe to use during the winter months."
Quad bike gritters were first introduced by TfL in 2005, when it trialled the use of three vehicles for clearing pavements.
Thank you for reading 20 articles this month* Join now for unlimited access
Enjoy your first month for just £1 / $1 / €1
*Read 5 free articles per month without a subscription
Join now for unlimited access
Try first month for just £1 / $1 / €1
Nigel Wynn worked as associate editor on CyclingWeekly.com, he worked almost single-handedly on the Cycling Weekly website in its early days. His passion for cycling, his writing and his creativity, as well as his hard work and dedication, were the original driving force behind the website’s success. Without him, CyclingWeekly.com would certainly not exist on the size and scale that it enjoys today. Nigel sadly passed away, following a brave battle with a cancer-related illness, in 2018. He was a highly valued colleague, and more importantly, an exceptional person to work with - his presence is sorely missed.
-
'I don’t know where I’d be without my leg' – Paracyclist Meg Fisher to tackle Ecuador’s Highest Peak, 20,549ft Chimborazo, to help provide life-changing prosthetics for amputees
'I will never forget how people told me to keep my expectations of my abilities low...I’m doing this to see if I can do it and to show others that they can do it too,' says Fisher.
By Anne-Marije Rook Published
-
Tweets of the week: Tadej Pogačar's special nutrition isn't as pro as you think
The Giro d'Italia winner has his own Italian dish
By Tom Davidson Published
-
How the Cycle to Work Scheme works: The tax free way to get a new bike
The Cycle to Work scheme has now been going for over 20 years but it still gives a chance to save cash
By Tim Bonville-Ginn Published
-
Number of people cycling in England has decreased over the past year, finds survey
Sport England 'Active Lives' survey shows a drop in the number of people cycling
By Nigel Wynn Published
-
Watch: Comedian's film about cycling in London is an internet hit
Comedian and singer Jay Foreman turns the attention of his 'Unfinished London' video series to look at why more people don't cycling in Britain's capital
By Nigel Wynn Published
-
Increase in Scotland's bike use is 'start of a cycling revolution'
Transport Scotland statistics released this week show that the use of cycles increased in 2016, with Cycling UK saying that the figures are encouraging
By Nigel Wynn Published
-
Safety fears are main reason Scottish children don't cycle to school, finds survey
Results of survey conducted by Sustrans Scotland and the Scottish Parent Teacher Council finds that over 42 per cent of parents unsafe cycling routes prevent children from riding to school
By Nigel Wynn Published
-
What is the evidence that wearing hi-vis clothing makes you a safer cyclist?
Roads minister suggests making bright kit mandatory for cyclists in Britain - but what's the evidence to back up the claim that this could help increase safety?
By Vern Pitt Published
-
Are Britain’s roads getting more dangerous for cyclists? What can be done about it?
With still much to be achieved in improving the safety of Britain's road for cyclists, we asked Cycling Weekly readers what they thought could be done
By Nigel Wynn Published
-
Could this be Britain's most 'useless' cycle park?
Large cycle park in basement of new building in Cambridge can only be accessed by steep stairs, making it hard for people to get their bikes into it
By Nigel Wynn Published