The local council of Perth and Kinross has purchased two pieces of ATV snow clearing equipment in efforts to keep pathways safe for pedestrians this winter. Both of the vehicles are ATV snow ploughs and also come fitted with equipment for gritting paths.
This is the first time that the council in the region will have made use of ATV snow clearing equipment. The ATVs have been specially designed to deal with difficult, snow-hit terrain. The quad bikes will cover the regions of Auchterarder, Dunning and Blackford among others.
A spokesman said that this would be the very first winter that ATV snow ploughs would be put to use in the region and there is confidence that they will make a huge difference to local communities if the weather happens to be severe this winter. The spokesman went on to say that the council will continue to look into innovative ways to improve maintenance programmes over winter and that the ATV snow clearing equipment was just one approach that they had decided to take.
It is hoped that the vehicles will help to ensure roads are able to remain open 24 hours during the winter. The council will also be introducing a nightshift so that staff can work through the night to ensure that the roads and paths are free from snow and ice, which should help to reduce the amount of road treatments needed early in the morning.