2017

RH0281 - Green Insurance Claims, Procedures and Processes - 201217

A member authority is seeking to review and develop their approach
to managing Green Insurance Claims (those by the authority
against the driver) where Highways Infrastructure has sustained
damage and the costs may be reclaimed.

This includes damage to street lights, bridges, signs, road surface,
barriers or traffic signals. It also includes incident response and road
traffic collision clean up. Insurance companies seem to be requiring
more detailed evidence regarding claims.

To help with this, they would be very interested to read any
available documentation colleagues in other APSE member
authorities may have to hand, which outline the authority’s approach
to Green Insurance Claims. 

 

RH0280 - Highways structure, pay, training - 12.12.17

A member authority is reviewing their highways services.
They are seeking information on the following topics:

1.Centralised Data, Business Intelligence and Performance Teams.

It is proposed to restructure all of the Data, Business Intelligence and Performance teams in the Council into one central corporate team.

• How are your Data, Business Intelligence and Performance Teams set up, - centrally or within the businesses (If possible can you send structure charts)
• If central, have you changed recently and if so how did you move to this format
• What lessons did you learn from the restructure?
• What advantages / disadvantages have you come across by having all staff sitting under one group.

2.Highway Operative Rates of Pay

The authority is currently struggling to recruit staff within Highways as contractors etc are paying higher rates than us.

If you have your own workforce:

• What are your Highway Operative rates of pay?
• What overtime rates to you pay?

3. Traffic Management Training for In House Highways Workforce.
The internal Highways workforce carry out works on the Highways as well as Emergency Out of Hours Call outs.

If you have your own internal workforce, what level of Traffic
Management training do you provide for your staff?

• Chapter 8 Training
• 12D Traffic Management
• T1 – Lantra Training
• T2 Lantra Training
• T3 or above Lantra Training
• Or do you just employ Traffic Management subcontractors to manage both routine and emergency works?

 

RH0279 - Highways operation - 28.11.17

A member authority is reviewing their highways operation with a view to moving to 7 day working. This would treat weekends as ‘normal’ days for planned maintenance.

• What is your current schedule?
• What are the normal working hours?
• Do weekends attract higher rates of pay if worked?

 

RH0278 - Permeable highways construction - 13.11.17

A member authority is seeking information on permeable highways surfaces to support SUDS initiatives

1. Have you accepted permeable highway surfaces?
2. Have you limited this to certain types of roads or across the whole set of highway classifications?
3. What form of construction is favoured – permeable asphalt, permeable block paving etc. and why?
4. Are there good and bad examples – how have the projects turned out, any unexpected costs?-Where are these sites and could visits be arranged?
5. Has any analysis been done on cost savings – routine
6. maintenance vs additional costs?

 

RH0277 - Unauthorised memorials on the Highway placed by members of the public following Accidents and Suicides - 13.11.17

A member authority has an issue with unauthorised memorials on the Highway placed by members of the public following Accidents and Suicides.

They are interested to hear from any authority which has Procedures or Policies in place regarding the removal of these memorials.

They would like to see any procedures or policies which authorities are willing to share on the removal of unauthorised memorials.

 

RH0276 - Traction of Horseshoes on Road Surfaces - 26.09.17

A member authority has received feedback from local equestrians that some road surfaces in the County are no longer suitable for horse-riding since their shoes cannot grip the surface and slip.

As they set out to respond to these customers, they would be very grateful if other member authorities, who have had similar feedback could share with them their experiences of responding effectively to
this problem. They would be particularly interested to know if any other member authorities have addressed this through Council policy in some way and would be grateful for a copy of any such
document.

 

RH0275 - Road Space Noticing - Surface Dressing works - 29.08.17

A member authority is reviewing the issue of Road Space Noticing following delays caused by poor weather.

Please could you provide answers to the following:

• Do you notice surface dressing application?
• Do you notify road space start and finish times for surface dressing application?
• Do you amend notices if works are off programme?
• If you notice the works, is the notice for each USRN, the combined USRNs within the immediatescheme or the whole works programme?
• What computer programme do you use to notice the works?
• If you don’t notice and update each USRN individually, how do you comply with the requirement to inform the Highway Authority of the works?

 

RH0274 - Organisational Structures - 020817

A member authority is reviewing areas of responsibility within Highways and to help with this, would be very grateful if you could share a version of your organisational structure for Highways
services.

They are particularly interested in how the following aspects of service provision are delivered and if necessary, please add a few comments next to each bullet below to help identify the staffing
structures in place around these service areas:

• Parking Enforcement
• Highways Systems and Data
• Traffic Management (i.e. Streetworks Noticing, Roadspace Management, Temporary Traffic Regulation Orders)
• Regulatory services (i.e. Rights of Way Definitive Map, National Street Gazetteer, Traffic Regulation Orders, Highway Searches)

 

RH0273 - What is included in your hourly rate build up costs? - 21.07.17

A member Highways Authority is seeking to benchmark their approach for calculating the ‘hourly rate build up costs’ for staff in Highways Construction.

To help with this, they would be very grateful if you could please put a ‘x’ in the boxes below next to those costs included in your calculations.

If there are any further costs you include, not listed in the table below, please state within your response. Further, if you have an example of your costing formula you would be willing to share, this
too would be greatly appreciated.

• Pension contribution
• Stationary costs – printing, materials, postage
• National Insurance contribution – employee and employer
• Communications – mobile phones, land lines
• Sickness
• Travel & subsistence
• Leave R ecruitment costs - advertising, interview expenses, removal expenses
• Training
• Support services
• Premises
• Equipment including ICT (maintenance and software licences),
• Protective clothing, plant,
• ICT Support
• Financial services
• Legal Services
• Management salaries
• Purchasing
• Areas of non productive work
• Insurance (employee, buildings & plant, misc)

 

RH0271- Policies for Developer use of In-house Highways Design and Construction services for Section 278 and Section 38 works - 13.07.17

Currently, our Council does not insist that Developers use the Highway Authority’s in house design and construction services for delivering Section 278 and section 38 works.

To help review this approach, it would be helpful to gain an understanding of the policies adopted by other local authorities, through your responses to the following Yes/ No questions.

Section 278

Does your Highway Authority require all Developers to:

• Commission the Highway Authority to carry out the design for all S278 projects? Y/N
• Give the Local Authority first refusal to design S278 projects? Y/N
• Commission the Highway Authority to carry out the construction for all S278 projects? Y/N
• Give the Local Authority first refusal to construct S278 projects? Y/N

If yes to any of the above please outline the justification for this or supply a link to your policy.

Section 38

• Does your Highway Authority offer an in-house design service for S38 projects? Y/N
• If so, is this limited to highway infrastructure? Or does this offer extend to private infrastructure? Y/N
• Does your Highway Authority offer an in-house construction service for S38 projects? Y/N
• If so, is this limited to highway infrastructure? Or does this offer extend to private infrastructure? Y/N

If yes to any of the above please outline the justification for this or supply a link to your policy

 

RH0270 - Managing weather emergencies - 07.07.17

A member authority wishes to consult with other LA in respect of how they manage their response for action due to severe weather conditions. They are particularly interested in the following information:

• Do you have a Severe Weather Plan to deal with the response to calls for action due to severe weather i.e. flooding and storms? If Yes would you be prepared to share any documentation?
• How does your LA operate it’s Severe Weather response
• service in regards to operational staff? Rota System, Shift Patterns, Sub-Contractors or ‘Other’ (please specify)
• Could you confirm the payment system for standby? Fixed Monthly, Standby plus hours worked, All-inclusive/honorarium or ‘Other’ (please specify)
• What Plant and Vehicles do you have to deal with responses to Severe Weather i.e. pumps, jetting systems, chainsaw, sweepers etc?
• Do you have a system or plan for recovery following severe weather conditions?
• What training is required for your operational staff to enable them to deal with Severe Weather responses i.e. chapter 8, first aid, chainsaw, HGV?
• Who are the teams involved with your LA that respond within Severe Weather conditions?
• Do you test your processes for dealing with Severe Weather conditions and if so in what way and how often?

 

RH0269a - Recruitment of Highways Locality Officer - 19.06.17

Locality Officer role. Which is in addition to the Councils Highways Inspectors (Brief details given below).

This role is focused on reactionary intervention to allow the formal highways network inspections to be carried out without becoming delayed due to dealing with other functions.

As such this role is part highways inspector and part grounds maintenance inspector and enforcement action.

They are now looking to recruit to this role from agencies.

They are interest in which agencies authorities use to recruit to roles such as this.

Job Purpose:

To play a key role in collaborative working with other internal & external stakeholders specifically Engineering Services, Community Safety, Waste, Public Protection, Highway & Transport Services,
Parishes and Contractors in order to improve quality & delivery of neighbourhood services in the locality.

To ensure that the Council fulfils its duties under the Highways Act (HA), Environmental Protection Act (EPA) by undertaking technical work and carrying out routine and ad-hoc inspections, monitoring,
surveys, liaison, engagement, positive intervention, enforcement and work instructions.

To ensure year round highway network and environmental services and standards are compliant within the Borough.

· Section 154 (Highways Act) - addressing vegetation encroachment and all other enforcement activities including mud on road, obstructions, illegal modifications, visibility issues, nuisance etc

· Dealing with in hours and out of hours emergencies including Road Traffic Collisions, flooding, oil, diesel, other spills, adverse weather

· Appropriate Rights of Way maintenance

· Winter Maintenance Technician duties and responsibilities including rota cover, monitoring and site inspections to determine conditions and advise on appropriate service actions, grit bin management and co ordination of snow wardens

· Undertake visual tree inspections on all trees within and adjacent to the adopted highway

 

RH0268 - Marches & Rallies on the public highway - 23.06.17

A member authority is seeking advice on policy & procedures in respect of the provision for marches and rallies on the public highway:

They are aware of Police powers but their focus is on the preparations that local authorities should make:

• Do you differentiate between a ‘march / rally’ and any other ‘event’ on the public highway?
• What criteria do you use?
• What documentation needs to be provided by the organiser, (in particular risk assessments and public liability insurance)?

 

RH0265 - Winter Automated Salting, Data Recording and Live tracking Systems - 24.04.17

A member authority is seeking a route management and automated salting system.

The system should enable the driver to concentrate on the process of driving, and not be unduly distracted by the salting operations. Ideally any driver should be able to take out a gritter without prior
knowledge of the route, follow the navigation and deliver the salting operations safely and effectively .

Please can you advise how you have approached each element:

• live tracking
• data recording
• route navigation
• automated salting

What has been your experience?
Were any problems or difficulties encountered with installation or in use?

 

RH0264 - Local Service Plans - Extreme Weather Events - 30.03.17

A member authority is seeking to extend their traditional Winter Service Plan and make it more adaptable to all kinds of events.

These may include:

• Localised flooding
• High winds
• Prolonged snow/freeze events.
• Etc.

Have you extended your plan to cover this type of event?
Please can you send a copy?

 

RH0263 - Highway Incident Policy - 27.03.17

A member Authority would like to know if any other Authority has a highways incident policy and also a manual for highways inspectors, who are called out to manage highways incidents and emergencies
in and out of hours that they would be prepared to share.

 

RH0261 - Fast Fill solution for gully tankers - 13.01.17

A member authority is currently working on moving the gully cleansing service from their Environment and Neighbourhoods team to the Highways and Transportation team.

They are looking at efficiency measures to try and improve the service and are considering installing a fast fill solution for their gully tankers. This will involve using a pumped water system to fill 2 or 3
tankers simultaneously in 15 minutes as opposed to the one hour fill time from the domestic supply.

They would be interested in hearing from any authority that has either installed or are considering installing such a system.