Renfrewshire Council

It's a demanding time for our Road Operations team as they work hard to keep Renfrewshire's 530 miles of roads moving this winter. The 24/7 operation involves a fleet of six gritters, 4,500 tonnes of rock salt, a Multihog—yes, that's what it's called—plus some innovative technology to boot.

We caught up with Road Operations & Lighting lead officer Peter McMahon, to see how it all came together when the team were faced with the impact of Storm Éowyn and the freezing temperatures that followed.

Peter said, "Getting through winter is no small feat under normal circumstances. It's a round-the-clock operation for six months and we've got to be prepared for all eventualities. We check weather forecasts at least three times per day and always have team members on standby ready to respond—whether that's to grit our priority roads ahead of frost and snow or tackling severe storm conditions like we've seen recently."

"The recovery from Storm Éowyn was challenging. There was debris everywhere and it was all-hands-on-deck to get places back to normal and safe for travel. We cleared roads, unblocked a lot of drains and assisted with traffic management. Fallen trees meant last minute changes to our routes and thanks to our new routing software and vehicle satnav we could optimise our routes and avoid obstacles to reach priority areas like schools and hospitals more quickly. It also enabled us to cover longer distances in less time, saving on fuel and helping to reduce the Council's carbon footprint.

Multihog vehicle "We also had some great assistance from our new 'Multihog' vehicle.  A very slick swiss-army knife piece of kit that can reach the areas our large gritters struggle to access and it even repairs potholes too!" 

"We work well together as a team and I'm proud of their resilience in the face of extraordinary conditions. We know people count on us to ensure they can go about their daily lives and make important journeys in all weathers. It's this, together with a strong sense of camaraderie and determination, that really keeps us going during the most testing times."

We want to thank Peter for taking the time to talk to us.

Our Road Operations' team played a crucial role in the wider Council recovery effort after Storm Éowyn. It is thanks to the many dedicated colleagues across multiple teams who worked tirelessly to keep our schools and public buildings open, supporting tenants and local communities that we've been able to ensure essential services continued to be delivered.

For more information on how the council prepares for emergencies including severe weather, and for useful advice and guidance visit the RenReady page on our public website.

Published Tuesday 04 February 2025