Bear Scotland Winter Teams Ready to Keep Scotland Moving20 Dec 2019

 

BEAR SCOTLAND WINTER TEAMS READY TO KEEP SCOTLAND MOVING

·         120 winter vehicles available across north of Scotland

·         195-strong team of winter drivers & 24/7 winter control room bolster winter efforts

·         Local primary schools involved in naming new fleet with winners announced in January

 

 

BEAR Scotland teams are gearing up for a busy festive season with 120 winter vehicles and 195 drivers on stand-by to help keep Scotland’s northern trunk roads moving this winter.

Teams are ready to tackle whatever winter conditions affect the 2,036km of trunk road BEAR is responsible for across the North East and North West of Scotland, which also includes a section of the M80 between Junction 2 Stepps and Junction 7 Haggs and a short section of the M73 between Junction 3 Mollinsburn and its junction with the M80.

BEAR Scotland also had a dedicated 24/7 winter control room which helps coordinate all of BEAR’s winter response programme, analysing detailed weather forecasts and road temperatures to ensure treatments are carried out as necessary.

Local primary schools including St Bride’s Primary School in Ballachulish, Anderson’s Primary School in Forres, Cairney Primary School near Huntly and Ruthvenfield Primary in Perth have also received special visits by BEAR’s gritters in December with school pupils invited to come up with a new name for the vehicles.  Winning names will be revealed in January with pupils able to spot the gritters on the Transport Scotland online ‘trunk road gritter tracker’, which provides live tracking of gritters across the network. 

Once named, the gritters will join the rest of BEAR Scotland’s fleet of quirky named winter vehicles which include, ‘For Your Ice Only’, ‘Sir Andy Flurry’ and ‘Gritty Gritty Bang Bang’, to name but a few.

With a fleet of 120 winter vehicles in total, including 39 large 32-tonne eight-wheeler spreaders which are amongst some of the largest in the UK, the gritters will be focused on carrying out precautionary winter treatments which aim to stop ice forming and involve spreading pre-wetted salt on routes forecast to experience low temperatures. BEAR’s winter patrol service also has the ability to spot-treat any icy patches and clear snow.

Iain Murray, BEAR Scotland’s Managing Director, said: “Our dedicated and experienced team  remain as committed as ever to doing as much as possible to keep Scotland’s key routes open and safe for motorists over the festive period and indeed the rest of the winter.

“Already teams have been busy so far this year with colder spells experienced earlier this month across our networks, and we’re ready to respond to whatever weather comes our way over the remaining winter season.

“As ever, we want everyone to have a safe Christmas and New Year, and we remind members of the public to ensure their vehicles are well maintained and that they pay close attention to local and national media and online information to help plan journeys and be prepared should conditions deteriorate.”

BEAR is also on hand to deal with any issues on the trunk roads brought on by storms that bring high winds and heavy rain. Gully tankers, sandbags and water pumps are available to deal with any flooding issues and chainsaw operatives are also on standby to attend any fallen trees or branches.

Real time journey information is available from Traffic Scotland on www.trafficscotland.org, twitter at @trafficscotland or the new mobile site my.trafficscotland.org. 

TIPS FOR DRIVING IN WINTER:

·         Only travel when absolutely necessary

·         Allow more time for your journey

·         Listen to local and national radio for travel and weather information

·         Slow down and leave increased distance between you and the vehicle in front.

·         Be prepared when travelling. Keep the following in your vehicle:-

o   Ice scraper

o   De-icer

o   Torch

o   Warm clothes including gloves and hats

o   Blanket

o   Shovel

o   Food & drink

o   High visibility jacket

o   First aid kit

·         Check:

o   Your tyres are at the correct pressures and have good tread.

o   Your vehicle lights are clean and working.

o   Your wiper blades are effective.

o   Your battery is in good condition and fully charged.

o   Your vehicle anti-freeze is the right concentration (Your garage can do this for you).

o   Your windows and mirrors are clear of ice or condensation.

• Drivers can get winter driving advice at: http://trafficscotland.org/media/badweatherleaflet.pdf
• Traffic Scotland provides real time information on trunk road conditions.  You can visit their mobile site here: https://my.trafficscotland.org, or access information at www.trafficscotland.org or via twitter @TrafficScotland.
• The Transport Scotland trunk road gritter tracker details where spreaders have been in the past 24 hours.  This can be viewed at Traffic Scotland here: http://trafficscotland.org/wintergritterinfo/
• Consider public transport options for your journey by visiting www.travelinescotland.com

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BEAR Scotland and Scotland's Bravest Manufacturing Company Mark One Year of Partnership 19 Dec 2019

• Over 1,340 road signs have been produced since January by Armed Forces veterans for trunk road network in north of Scotland

• Scotland’s Bravest Manufacturing Company (SMBC) employs veterans from the Armed Forces and others with disabilities in Scotland who may need support adjusting to life after service

• Trunk road operator BEAR Scotland was one of the first commercial companies to purchase the road signs one year ago

 

A team from BEAR Scotland visited a veterans’ manufacturing company in Erskine on Friday to mark a year of trading between the two organisations and to meet the ex-forces team members manufacturing the road signs installed by BEAR across the north of Scotland.

Based in Erskine, Scotland’s Bravest Manufacturing Company (SMBC) employs veterans from the Armed Forces and others with disabilities in Scotland who may need support adjusting to life after service. SMBC manufactures commercial signage and printing services, including high-quality road signs.

BEAR Scotland was one of the first commercial companies to purchase road signs from Scotland’s Bravest Manufacturing Company, now just over a year old. Since January, SMBC has produced over 1,340 signs for BEAR Scotland – more than a quarter of all the signs the initiative has produced in the past year - which have since been erected across the trunk road network throughout the north of Scotland. 

These signs have included directional signage on the A9, M90 & A82 as well as warning signs, tourist signs and larger bespoke signage for road safety projects.  

On Friday’s visit, BEAR Scotland saw first-hand the dedication, quality and precision behind the work SMBC does in producing road signs for the trunk road network.  

Iain Murray, Managing Director for BEAR Scotland, said: “We’re delighted to visit the dedicated team at Scotland’s Bravest Manufacturing Company and meet those involved in producing such a high-quality product for us since January this year.

“BEAR Scotland has long supported employment opportunities for ex-forces members and it is so inspiring to come to the depot and meet those producing the signs we use across our network in the north of Scotland and hear their stories.  

“We’re so pleased with the quality, skill and dedication behind this initiative and we’re delighted that working with Scotland’s Bravest Manufacturing Company not only supplies us with a high-quality product but also provides essential employment opportunities for our brave veterans.  We look forward to developing further opportunities and ways to work together to support this great initiative in 2020.”  

Michelle Ferguson, Director of Scotland’s Bravest Manufacturing Company, said: “Scotland’s Bravest Manufacturing Company was established for one simple reason: to offer greater opportunities to those veterans and others with disabilities. 

“The vast majority of veterans have an easy transition and are able to move into the civilian workforce relatively smoothly. However, for too many, they face great challenges – and that’s who we’re here for. 

“The business that BEAR has placed with us in the last year has helped our organisation grow immensely, allowing us to employ more military spouses, veterans and others with disabilities giving them valuable transferable skills. Gary Jamieson, one of our veteran’s, sums it up perfectly – ‘when BEAR places an order with us they aren’t just buying a sign, they are changing the lives of veterans’. 

“We are incredibly thankful to BEAR Scotland for the trust they have put in our team and for their continued backing. We are looking forward to further collaboration in the coming years and to seeing the signs we make across the Scottish road network.”

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Landslip mitigation measures successfully prevent 300-tonne landslip reaching roadside at Glen Kinglas12 Dec 2019

 

Innovative landslip mitigation measures installed next to the A83 near Glen Kinglas have been successful in preventing a 300-tonne landslide from reaching the roadside.

The landslip was blocked from reaching the carriageway thanks to specially designed rock-bunds, which were the result of an innovative, sustainable engineering solution using excavated rock during the construction of further landslip mitigation measures at the Rest and Be Thankful catch-pit project just three miles away on the A83.  

The landslip occurred around 230m above the carriageway following a period of heavy rainfall near midnight on Saturday night at Glen Kinglas, where teams from BEAR Scotland had been on high-alert during the Met Office yellow weather warning. 

Engineers estimate that the rock bunds helped prevent the A83 from being closed by up to two days as a result of the landslip, successfully avoiding disruption to road users.

Geotechnical engineers have assessed the landslip along with teams from BEAR Scotland for safety with plans now underway to remove the debris from behind the bund.  Short-term lane closures will be in place while teams mobilise plant and heavy machinery to remove the material from the bund.

The rock-bunds form a barrier on the hillside parallel to the A83, and mean that material from a potential landslip is held behind the rock barrier. The 28,000 tonnes of rock used to create them was sustainably re-used during excavations of the nearby £2.24M catch-pit project at the Rest and be Thankful, where three large ‘pits’ were created to help provide further resilience against potential landslips in the area.  The excavated rock was transported three miles to Glen Kinglas and used to construct the bunds, providing a considerable reduction in carbon emissions with teams saving an estimated 50,000 lorry miles – roughly the same distance as travelling around the world twice – due to the huge reduction in haulage distance for the excavated rock.

Heavy rain throughout the week has meant BEAR Scotland teams have been on high-alert and responding to various incidences of fallen trees and localised flooding on the north west trunk road network since the weekend.

Eddie Ross, BEAR Scotland’s North West Representative said:  “The bunds at Glen Kinglas have performed as designed and have been successful in preventing around 300-tonnes of landslip material from over 200m above the road reaching the carriageway and causing the road to be closed to road users.

“We’re pleased that this innovative and sustainable method of landslip resilience has been effective, demonstrating that this engineering design and extensive studies of the geotechnical landscape in the area have been a success.  

“Our teams have been working hard to respond to various incidences of fallen trees and reports of localised flooding on some sections of the network throughout the past few days, and we’re now turning towards the debris removal operation at Glen Kinglas.  This will involve some short periods of traffic management while machinery is mobilised to remove the debris from behind the bunds, and we thank all road users for their patience while this is completed.”

Real-time journey information is available from Traffic Scotland on www.trafficscotland.org, twitter at @trafficscotland or the new mobile site my.trafficscotland.org.

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Consultation launched ahead of plans to carry out £150,000 overnight surfacing improvements in Oban04 Oct 2019

• Project provisionally planned for two weeks from Sunday 3 November, 8pm-6am

 

A public consultation has been launched ahead of a project to upgrade a stretch of George Street in Oban which is provisionally planned to get underway in November.

The £150,000 project will see the 340m stretch of carriageway resurfaced to create a smoother and safer journey for road users, along with various iron-covers replaced to reduce any noise from passing vehicles.   

The project is provisionally programmed for construction overnight between Sunday 3 November to Friday 15 November, between 8pm and 6am each night.  Teams also intend to carry out improvements from 9.30pm on Tuesday 5 November to minimise disruption for attendees during Bonfire Night festivities.  No works will be carried out overnight on Friday 8 November or Saturday 9 November to avoid impacting on road users during the busy weekend period.

Due to the busy nature of this section of the road and the network restrictions through Oban, the project has to take place overnight.  While the traffic management details have yet to be finalised, the A85 is expected to remain open throughout the project with a convoy system in place to protect roadworkers as well as motorists during the improvements.  During the project there will be various access restrictions to side streets that adjoin George Street. There will also be parking restrictions in place throughout the work along George Street and Corran Esplanade. Exact details of these restrictions will be published nearer the time once the programme has been finalised.

Efforts will be made to ensure any noise is kept to a minimum throughout the project, with the nosiest operations (such as removing the worn-out road surface) taking place before 11pm each night.  

BEAR Scotland has reached out to local businesses, residents and other key stakeholders to inform them of the project and to invite their feedback on the proposals.  All feedback will be considered along with Transport Scotland before any final decision is made.  

Eddie Ross, BEAR Scotland’s North West Representative said: “We’ve launched a consultation ahead of plans to upgrade the road surface on the A85 at George Street and we’re inviting stakeholders to give us their thoughts before we commit to any final programme.

“The road surfacing project is essential to upgrade the carriageway, however we want to assure residents and business owners that we will be doing everything possible to ensure disruption is kept to a minimum during this project.  

“Our proposals have been planned to take place out with the busier summer months and before the cold winter weather sets in, however we’re also avoiding the busier Friday and Saturday nights and will start improvements later in the evening on Bonfire Night to avoid impacting road users.

“Once a final programme has been confirmed we’ll reach out to stakeholders again to inform them of the final details.”

Feedback on the proposed £150,000 improvement project for the A85 George Street in Oban can be shared via email to NWConsultation@bearscotland.co.uk by 5pm on Friday 11 October.  

Real-time journey planning information can be obtained by visiting www.trafficscotland.org, twitter at @trafficscotland or the new mobile site my.trafficscotland.org.  

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A82 Inverness Walking & Cycling Improvements05 Jul 2019

A82 Inverness Walking and Cycling Improvements

Transport Scotland and BEAR Scotland are developing plans to improve road safety for pedestrians, cyclists and other non-motorised users on the A82 between the Longman Road Roundabout and the Tomnahurich Roundabout.

The A82 passes through central Inverness and is a busy urban environment with the result that many pedestrians and cyclists are required to cross this often busy road. The primary intention of these proposals is to improve road safety and reduce the risk of collisions involving vulnerable road users. It is also anticipated that by improving facilities for pedestrians and cyclists this will help to encourage greater active travel which is a key priority for Transport Scotland.   

As a trunk road, the A82 forms a strategic link through Inverness, conveying over 30,000 vehicles per day. Trunk roads allow the efficient and effective movement of people and freight throughout Scotland, therefore supporting local and national economic growth. Transport Scotland aims to deliver improvements which improve facilities for non-motorised users such as walkers and cyclists, whilst still retaining the movement function of the trunk road. The successful delivery of future improvements will ultimately depend upon collaborative working with all key stakeholders.

As part of the ongoing process of involving the local community in these proposals, a public exhibition event was held in Inverness at the Cameron Youth Centre in August last year. This event allowed the local community to consider the outline proposals and input into the design process.  Over 100 people attended throughout the day, with many more responses submitted after the event. Those who attended included local members of the public, elected representatives, staff from local employers and members of cycling and walking groups.

The valuable input from local stakeholders has been fully reviewed, analysed and considered. This has been very useful in the further development of the project and, where possible, the designs have evolved to take account of the comments and suggestions received. The project contains elements which can be implemented in the short term, whilst others require more comprehensive planning and design to ensure that the optimum solution is constructed. Transport Scotland will also prioritise any improvements which target locations with a history of pedestrian and cyclist collisions.

An outline programme of improvements that align with Transport Scotland’s Strategic Road Safety Plan have been developed to improve road safety along this route and encourage safer active travel. To assist with keeping members of the public and interested stakeholders up to date with the proposals as they develop, BEAR Scotland will produce a newsletter every two months showing the latest progress on scheme development. To view the latest copy of the newsletter click the link below.

To stay up to date with the latest news from the North West Unit follow us on twitter: @NWTrunkRoads

 

BEAR Scotland_A82 Tomnahurich Road Safety Improvements_Issue 4 Newsletter (January).pdf

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North West Connections June 2019 Newsletter28 Jun 2019

The latest issue of the North West Connections newsletter is out! In this issue you'll read all about the latest news from the North West Trunk Road Unit, including information about our latest projects service and an overview of some of the community involvement so far this year.

To read a copy click here or download a copy via the link below.

To stay up to date with the latest news from the North West Unit follow us on twitter: @NWTrunkRoads

North West Connections_BEAR Scotland Stakeholder Newsletter_June 2019.pdf

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