Plea for motorists to take care as road dressing programme starts

Motorists in Moray are being urged to take care as roads in the area undergo surface dressing as part of the council’s £3m annual road maintenance programme, starting on Monday.

The 43 miles of roads being dressed this year will be marked with signs and drivers are urged to keep their speed down to 20mph within these areas for their own and workforce safety, and also to minimise damage to newly laid surfaces.

Senior engineer, Paul Barron, said: “The operation involves the distribution of bitumen followed by an application of chippings, which are then rolled into the road surface with the minimum of waste.

“However, some surplus chippings do occur and there’s a short period of time before these can be swept away. Loose chippings can fly up, move around and create a slippery road so we urge caution when driving on these road surfaces.

“We’ll endeavour to keep disruption to a minimum as surface dressing has to be done during the summer months due to the process requiring warmer road surface temperatures and relatively dry weather. We’re grateful to the motoring public for their co-operation and patience while we carry out these necessary operations.”

Tips for drivers to avoid being affected by loose chippings:

• Keep speed well down when passing over a newly dressed surface.
• Keep a good distance from the vehicle in front.
• Do not attempt to overtake.
• Avoid sudden braking or acceleration.

In urban areas pedestrians should avoid any unnecessary walking on the newly laid dressing and should also check their footwear before entering homes or vehicles.

Further information is available at www.moray.gov.uk/sdress or contact the roads maintenance section on 0300 1234 565.

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