Gritting roads, cycleways and paths

Gritting across the county will include primary gritting routes and secondary gritting routes as shown on the below map.

• Primary gritting routes are sections of our highway network which serve as major connecting routes for communities and allow the majority of users to commute and access essential services across the County.
• Secondary gritting routes will be gritted in addition to primary gritting routes when there is a forecast of a prolonged cold spell, where road surface temperatures fall below zero or when snowfall is forecast as and when resources allow.

Blue lines are primary gritting routes. Brown lines are secondary gritting routes. Zoom into the map to see roads in greater detail.

Frequently asked questions about winter gritting

Why do some roads get gritted but not others?

Our 38 vehicles grit 44 per cent of the road network. The County is spilt into three areas ; Fenland and East, Huntingdonshire and South, and Cambridge City. When and where we grit will be dependent on the forecasted temperatures in each of these three areas. Therefore there may be occasions when we grit some parts of the County but not others.

How do you decide when to send out the gritters?

At midday every day during the winter period, our team of decision makers receive a forecast, they then decide whether to send out the gritters in which areas and how much salt needs to be spread. We also a number of weather stations across the county that confirm site specific details such as road and air temperatures. We check the forecast at 5am, 11am, 5pm and 10pm to help us make the decision about when to go out or to alter any previous decision. Our gritters will usually go out after evening rush hour when the roads are quieter – but can go out throughout the night depending on the weather.

Why are some gritters on the road not always spreading salt?

Our gritters are much more sophisticated than they were years ago. Rather than spraying salt in all directions, the computer controlled mechanics now dispense the required amount of salt directly down on to the road and can do so at a certain angle. The drivers can control the direction of salt and the width of spread to ensure the whole carriageway is covered even if the vehicle is driving down one side only. This also happens on a roundabout.

Gritters won’t start gritting the moment they leave the depot – all our drivers have specific routes and the vehicle may not have reached the starting point of its treatment route, or may be returning to the depot at the end of its route or to refill.

Each gritting vehicle has a GPS system which tracks its route, speed, whether it is spreading salt, and if so, the amount being spread. The date and time a vehicle was on a certain road and what it was doing is always recorded. Drivers will alert the Duty Manager at each depot should there be a road closure and the vehicle needs to deviate from its usual route. 

Do pavements and cyclepaths get gritted?

We have two quad bikes that treat over 50km of cycleways in Cambridge City and a dedicated team of around 70 volunteers who go out and salt the pavements.

Does salting a road prevent the formation of ice?

Spreading salt on the roads lowers the freezing point of water, helping to stop ice from forming. However in exceptionally low temperatures (below -8C), salt may have little or no effect. Always check the advice of the emergency services before heading out - even when roads have been gritted, highway users must still travel with care as the roads may still be slippery.  

Will the council grit motorways and major A-roads in Cambridgeshire?

No - major trunk roads M11, A14, A1, A1 (M), A11, A47 and A428 are gritted by Highways England.

Did you know?

We can use salt dry or wet (mixed with brine) for windy conditions. The brine solution helps it sticks to the road.

Our gritters are limited to driving at 35mph when out gritting.

We always have enough salt –which come from a mine in Cheshire - to cope with 10 days of continuous snow.

Detailed gritting routes

The following are detailed gritting routes of footways which our volunteers across Cambridgeshire help treat when temperatures drop to freezing and below. Please note that as they are volunteers there may be occasions when these are not gritted: