Winter service

The winter service operations management team at the Public Works depot can be reached around the clock or is on the road 24 hours a day to order a winter service operation if necessary. In addition to the weather situation, the snow and ice situation on the roads is also checked on site several times in order to coordinate the differentiated winter services deployment. "Differentiated" means that the deployment of vehicles, personnel and gritting materials, is flexibly adapted to the different weather and road situations and the safeguarding priorities.

Municipal winter road maintenance is responsible for rolling traffic and pedestrian areas when adjacent property owners are not obligated. This applies in principle to roads with high traffic significance and a high potential for danger, public pedestrian areas and places outside the pavements such as

• important main roads with supra-local significance, gradients, slopes and intersections with high traffic importance
• streets with public transport (ÖPNV)
• so-called danger spots such as intersections, crosswalks, paths through pedestrian zones, bus stops
• cycle paths

The following streets and roads have only secondary importance:

• Secondary roads are cleared by the municipal winter service only in extreme weather conditions. In the event of prolonged icy conditions, the public works department also carries out gritting operations, provided that the main roads are secured and capacities are available.
• Paths in parks and shortcuts
• Roads and paths with traffic importance outside of enclosed development.

No municipal winter maintenance activities:

• Private streets/grounds: securing is the responsibility of property owners and abutters.
• Sidewalks: Securing is the responsibility of the property owners and residents. In the case of public authorities, schools and kindergartens, etc., the property owners are also responsible.
• Traffic areas outside the built-up area

Depending on the weather, winter service operations begin as early as 01:00 at night with the aim of securing roads with important traffic for the first rush hour. A gritting operation takes about four hours. A clearing operation takes at least six hours, or more depending on the amount of snow. If weather conditions dictate, several missions are made during the day. In extreme weather conditions, only defined danger spots and traffic junctions are attended to in order to ensure the flow of traffic here.

The volume of traffic in the city hardly permits effective clearing and gritting measures during rush hours. Once the weather has calmed down, safe roadways are restored as quickly as possible. The legally required documentation of a winter service operation is handled by modern technology. GPS is used to record where and when the main roads were cleared and gritted.

Use of gritting materials with a sense of proportion - ecological responsibility

The aim of winter road clearance services is to achieve a high level of traffic safety with the lowest possible environmental impact, because every gritting material applied has some kind of impact on our environment.

On roads and cycle paths, we use quantities of pre-wetted salt, a mixture of 70% salt and 30% salt solution, adapted to the weather conditions. The quantity of grit is dosed in such a way that the greatest possible effect is achieved with the least possible impact on the environment. With the aid of state-of-the-art technology, the gritting materials can be precisely dosed and spread. As a rule, gritting does not exceed 15 grams per square meter. Salt has a lasting and effective effect on the road surface even when traffic is rolling. Grit is used as a gritting agent at danger points for pedestrians. De-icing salt is not used here, in accordance with the ban on salt on sidewalks. Salt is only added to the grit to prevent or eliminate direct ice formation.

No fees are charged for winter road maintenance. The municipal task of securing the roadways in winter is financed from tax revenues as a general official duty. The street cleaning fee of the residents therefore does not cover the winter service, but exclusively the sweeping of the streets by the cleaning agency of the city of Rosenheim outside the winter service.

Operational vehicles The municipal winter road clearance service has 25 vehicles at its disposal, ranging from trucks to narrow-track vehicles and tractors to wheel loaders.

Material / season approx. 900 tons of salt approx. 150 cubic meters of gritting material

Personnel 77 employees

Secured roadways 270 clearing and gritting kilometers on roads 55 clearing and gritting kilometers on bike paths 855 danger spots such as at bus stops, crosswalks, intersections

Sidewalks or walkways are to be secured by the directly adjoining property owners or usufructuaries (front riparians). Those whose property is indirectly accessed via another property (rear residents) are also obligated to secure the sidewalks or walkways. Front and rear residents jointly bear the duty of cleaning. The duties can be transferred to third parties, but the responsibility remains with the residents.

The residents (front and rear residents) must protect the sidewalk or walkway adjacent to their property from slippery snow and ice in winter. If there is no paved sidewalk, it is necessary to clear or grit an approx. 1.50 m wide strip at the edge of the road. In the case of combined cycle paths and footpaths and also in the pedestrian zone, an approx. 1.50 m wide strip along the property boundary must be secured for pedestrian traffic. On weekdays, the roads must be cleared or gritted by 7:00 a.m., on Sundays and public holidays by 8:00 a.m. in the morning. The measures must be repeated as often as necessary for safety until 20:00 in the evening. Absence does not release from the clearing and gritting obligation.

In winter weather conditions, the sidewalk must be cleared of snow and gritted in the event of icy conditions caused by snow, frost or ice. Existing ice must be removed. Gritting shall be done with gritting materials such as sand or chippings. The use of road salt is generally not permitted for environmental reasons. The cleared snow is to be stored next to the pavement in such a way that traffic is not endangered or impeded. The snow is not to be deposited on the roadway, also because the next snow plow can only push the snow back to the edge of the road and thus back onto the sidewalk if necessary. Drainage channels, sewer inlet manholes, gullies, hydrants and crosswalks must be kept clear when clearing.

At a glance:

• Not all roadways can and must be cleared of snow and gritted at the same time. Despite all clearing and gritting measures, it may be slippery.
• Give the winter road clearance service vehicles the right of way and do not drive too close to clearing and gritting vehicles. Especially cyclists without lights are not to be recognized.
• Adapt your driving style to the weather conditions and show consideration for all road users.
• If cars are parked, the municipal winter road clearance service cannot clear them. If possible, do not park on the street.
• Make sure your vehicle is equipped appropriately for the weather. You should pay special attention to the tires. Your driving behavior must always be adapted to the actual weather and road conditions. This also applies to two-wheelers.

Residents (front and rear residents) must protect the sidewalk or walkway adjacent to their property from slippery snow and ice in winter. If there is no paved sidewalk, it is necessary to clear or grit an approx. 1.50 m wide strip at the edge of the street. In pedestrian zones and public squares, the 1.50 m wide strip along the property line is also considered a walkway.

On weekdays, clearing or gritting must be completed by 07:00 hrs, on Sundays and public holidays by 08:00 hrs in the morning. The measures must be repeated until 20:00 in the evening as often as is necessary for safety. Absence does not release from the obligation to clear and grit.

For gritting, gritting agents such as sand or chippings are to be used. The use of road salt is generally not permitted for environmental reasons.

Gritting materials such as sand or chippings are available from local building materials stores or in small quantities from retail outlets such as DIY stores, etc. The city of Rosenheim has set up approx. 120 grit boxes for its citizens in the city area, which are repeatedly refilled with grit by the public works department during the winter. From these boxes, grit can be taken for household use. As a resident of Rosenheim, you can also obtain smaller quantities of grit free of charge directly from the depot on Möslstraße.

Unfortunately, many "bulk buyers" also use the grit supply for the citizens, so that the boxes are hardly filled and empty again. The Public Works Department checks and fills the boxes as soon as time is available. Please inform the winter road clearance service if the grit box has not been filled for a long time.

The municipal winter service of the Municipal Services is responsible for roads with high traffic importance and high hazard potential and secures the following roadways in winter:

• Main roads with high traffic significance and high hazard potential.
• roads with public transport (ÖPNV)
• so-called danger spots such as intersections, crosswalks, bus stops, bicycle paths.
• Secondary roads are only cleared with the help of the machine ring

Depending on the weather, winter services may begin at 01:00 at night with the aim of securing roads with important traffic for the first rush hour. We need about four hours for a gritting operation. A clearing operation lasts six hours or more. Outside of rush hours, priority is given to roads with high traffic importance. The monitoring and alerting service is on the road 24 hours a day to call in a winter service operation if necessary.

This can have several reasons. Possibly the snow plow is still on its way. Heavy snowfall can prolong the operation or cause roads that have already been cleared to be snowed over again. Traffic jams can also hinder the snow plow. You may also live on a side street, where parked vehicles usually obstruct the clearing work.

The municipal winter road clearance service clears and grits cycle paths. The operations depend on the weather and are subject to the available personnel and vehicle capacity.

Secondary roads in Rosenheim are cleared at the same time as the main roads, but always depending on the available personnel and vehicle capacity. For this purpose, seven additional vehicles from outside companies are currently contracted. In extreme weather conditions, the Public Works Department also carries out gritting work in exceptional cases, provided that the main roads are secured.

Due to large amounts of snow, cramped road conditions and the width of the snow plow blade, it can happen that the snow plow pushes the snow back onto the sidewalk or driveway. Especially if the snow cleared by residents is deposited on the street.

The cleared snow is to be stored next to the pavement in such a way that traffic is not endangered or impeded. Snow should not be deposited on the roadway, also because the next snow plow can only push the snow back to the edge of the road and thus back onto the sidewalk if necessary. Caution: Drainage channels, sewer inlet manholes, gullies, hydrants and crosswalks must be kept clear when clearing snow. In the event of heavy and persistent snowfall, storage capacity is exhausted everywhere at some point. The only thing that helps here is mutual consideration.

The street cleaning fee of the residents does not cover the winter service, but the sweeping of the streets by the cleaning company outside the winter service. No fees are charged for winter road maintenance. The municipal task of securing the roadways in winter is financed by the city of Rosenheim from tax revenues.

The bus stops are cleared and gritted by the winter road clearance service of the public works department within the scope of securing so-called danger spots. Please adapt to the weather conditions.

Here, too, residents are responsible, i.e. the school, the kindergarten, or the relevant sponsor. As a rule, the janitor grits and clears the sidewalks here.

Clearing and gritting obligations only exist within the closed development. If all roads in Rosenheim are cleared and no damage to the unpaved road surface is to be feared, the Inndamm is also cleared if possible.

Winter road maintenance in Rosenheim - Together for safe streets and sidewalks!

Winter road maintenance in Rosenheim - Cycling in winter