Roadworks and Disruptions to Expect in the Winter

Winter in Bromley, Chislehurst, and nearby areas may signal the coming of the holidays, but it does pose several challenges that influence road conditions as well as the nature of roadworks. To start with, the winter weather averages highs of 7 degrees Celsius and lows of 1 to 3 degrees Celsius during the day. As such, it is quite common for the overnight temperatures to drop below zero degrees, which increases the chances of ice and black ice on the roads. At the same time, the chance of rainfall in the winter months is high. Couple this with the low temperatures, and you have the perfect recipe for snow or sleet. On top of all of this, most days are cloudy or overcast, which hinders road visibility. It is thus unsurprising that road conditions worsen in the winter. We walk you through the roadworks and disruptions that you are likely to come across in the winter and how best to protect yourself and others.

The Types of Roadworks and Disruptions in Winter

Even in the pouring rain and gloomy weather, roadworks must continue to ensure that roads are passable and safe. If they were not to take place, not only would road users be at risk, but small issues would soon escalate into major breakdowns that would be highly disruptive and costly in the months to come. Here are some of the roadworks and disruptions you will come across:

Roadworks
  • Utility works. Cold weather does quite a number on infrastructure, which calls for a need for repairs or upgrades, especially to gas, water, electricity, and telecommunication lines. Given how essential these services are, disruptions are considered necessary. The crew may either close one lane, resulting in temporary traffic lights, or may need to close an entire road where an excavation is the best option.
  • Highway maintenance. The constant freezing and thawing of water on the roads results in the formation of potholes, cracks, and other structural changes that damage the roads. To prevent these changes from making the roads impassable, highway maintenance crews will occasionally close a lane to resurface the road. Often, they do this at night to minimise disruptions, but there are cases where this lane closure will take place during the day.
  • Gritting or salting. Seeing as freezing water can damage the roads, roadwork crews will often pre-treat the roads to prevent ice formation. While this does not require closing a lane, it can cause traffic delays as gritting lorries move at slow speeds. Luckily, roadworks crews do this gritting at the crack of dawn or late in the evening, which reduces these delays.
  • Planned improvements. Even as the cold months drag on, borough schemes, such as junction modifications, must take place as planned. As a result, there may be a need for diversions or bus stop changes due to relocations or suspensions during the roadworks.

It helps to note that for minor roadworks, lane closures and temporary traffic lights are the most common disruptions and are often temporary. On the other hand, for major roadworks such as excavations, diversions, and bus stop changes are necessary to ease the flow of traffic.

Staying Updated on the Current Roadworks

Understandably, roadworks and their accompanying disruptions can cause delays to road users. After all, with lane closures or gritting lorries in your journey, you are bound to slow down, which can be frustrating. Luckily, you can avoid such surprises by using the following official data sources:

  1. The London Borough of Bromley Roadworks Map. The council has an online map that displays the ongoing as well as planned roadworks in the borough.
  2. London's Register of Roadworks (London Works). This register goes beyond the Borough of Bromley and instead shows you planned roadworks across Greater London.
  3. Transport for London (TfL). You can use this website’s traffic status updates to get information on the major route changes that may affect travel.

With this up-to-date information, you can plan your journey within the borough with confidence. Of course, some emergency roadworks may take place that may not be on the list, but in most cases, you will not have surprises along the way.

How to Report Unsafe Signage or Blocked Pavements

Safety at a roadworks site is not only essential for the crew but also for other road users. Therefore, if you come across signage that is missing, incorrect, or unstable, you should report this. Furthermore, if the roadworks site has created an unsafe obstruction, you should bring this to attention. But how?

If the issue at hand poses an immediate risk to road users, you should contact the London Borough of Bromley's Out of Hours Team by phone. You can easily find this number by doing a quick search. Please note that while you can also contact the team via an online report, making a call is much more effective and faster.

Where the signage or obstruction warrants attention but can wait, you can report this using the Bromley Council's online 'Report a Problem' feature. Be sure to include as many details as possible to help the council locate the site and take action as soon as possible.

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