During winter we monitor the weather forecasts daily to decide if the road network needs to be treated with salt.

Weather and road conditions can vary significantly across North Lanarkshire so we may need to treat roads in one area but not another.

We cannot treat all roads at the same time so, with our partner, we prioritise:

• all 'A' and 'B' roads, main distributor roads and main roads around schools
• major bus routes
• town centres
• access road to hospitals, ambulance depots, and key police and fire stations

For more information, visit our frequently asked questions page.

When severe weather is forecast, these priority routes are usually treated with salt from 5am, before the morning peak and again in the evening, if freezing weather continues and road conditions require. If we have snow, these routes will be our priority to keep clear.

These routes cover 922 kilometres, 57% of our public road network and allow the majority of road users to travel across the council area and link with trunk roads and motorways.

Trunk roads

The A725 and A8 are trunk roads and along with the M73, M8, M80 and M74 motorways are the direct responsibility of the Scottish Government. Transport Scotland is responsible for maintaining the trunk road network and motorways, including winter gritting and clearing. 

Footpaths

We have a similar system for treating footpaths. We prioritise:

• urban shopping areas and precincts
• main pedestrian routes linking homes, schools, shopping and industrial areas

Trunk roads and motorways (the M8, M73, M74) are the responsibility of the Scottish Government. You can find live information on the motorway network at Traffic Scotland.