Out of the Big Freeze
Published: 15 December, 2010
The recent snow has underlined the need for the correct equipment to keep car parks and access roads open.
The big freeze has hit footfall hard, with national retail footfall down by over 10 per cent compared to this time last year according to Experian. The picture is even worse at a regional level, with the number of shoppers in Yorkshire and Humberside down by 24 per cent, Scotland by 14 per cent and the north east by 13 per cent.
Jonathan De Mello, head of retail consultancy at CB Richard Ellis, says: “Due to the deep freeze we are currently experiencing, retailers are having to work even harder to entice shoppers out of their homes and into the high street during this critical Christmas shopping period.
“However, on the plus side, it has never been a better time to be an owner of a covered, heated shopping centre – with footfall in major regional shopping centres like Bluewater and Westfield London, no doubt benefiting from the impact the freezing temperatures and snow is having on our high streets.”
Apart from the immense inconvenience caused, the snow was also directly responsible for a high level of falls and accidents which saw hospital A&E departments nationwide struggling to cope. Now, as meteorologists predict more snow is likely, is the time to review strategies for keeping centres open during heavy snow.
De/anti-icing expert, Kilfrost, is reminding local authorities and private companies to stock up with supplies ahead of what is predicted to be another bout of challenging weather.
Facilities managers are being advised there’s still time to put plans in place to ensure car parks, pavements and public walkways are prepared to deal with any prolonged periods of heavy snow and frost.
North east-based Kilfrost has recently expanded its Ice Melt range, an innovative collection of products, including Power Pellets, Super Grip and Liquid Melt, that enable public areas to be treated in advance of any bad weather, reducing the risk of accidents for shoppers and other members of the public.
“In the past, it’s often been the case that large public areas can only be dealt with once the snow or ice has actually formed,” says Gary Lydiate, chief executive of Kilfrost. “But our Ice Melt product can be applied ahead of any severe weather, cutting the window of opportunity for ice to form, and making it less likely that pedestrians suffer slips or falls.”
The product has been developed by Kilfrost following more than 75 years expertise in providing de-icing and anti-icing solutions for the global ground handling, aviation and rail sectors. It is available in three different formulations - granules, pellets and liquid - all of which are completely soluble and don’t leave behind a messy residue like traditional rock salt does.
“The products are also fully biodegradable, so aren’t harmful to
humans, animals or the environment,” Lydiate adds. “And they’re less corrosive than rock salt, enabling them to be applied near metals, a feature that has proved particularly beneficial already with the rail industry.”
And for applications where physically shifting the snow is more appropriate, the UK launch of an innovative and award-winning snow shovel, the ‘Sno Wovel’ could not be more timely.
The Sno Wovel is a revolutionary ‘snow shovel on a wheel’ that not only works three times faster than traditional shovelling but with significantly less effort or risk of injury. Designed and manufactured in the US the Sno Wovel has already scooped up a string of awards including Time Magazine’s ‘Innovation of the Year Award’. It is now available for the first time in the UK
The Sno Wovel is robustly built in mild steel and will clear all types of snow, from light and powdery to wet and heavy. Capable of clearing large areas of snow quickly it is used in the US by the majority of local authorities and has proved the ideal snow clearing solution for schools, shopping centres, hospitals, car parks and other public areas.
Hailed as the world’s safest snow shovel, the secret to the Sno Wovel’s success lies in the fact that it acts as a lever, using the wheel’s axis as a fulcrum. Its wheel size, handle height, overall length, and the double-width blade are all perfectly proportioned to maximise the lever action and so capture the greatest amount of snow in one pass.
The Sno Wovel has been designed to be the fastest, easiest and safest way to clear snow. It requires no training and can be easily adjusted to suit any height. Unlike snow blowers which are noisy, smelly and require fuel the Sno Wovel provides us with an environmentally friendly and safer way to clear snow.
There are also a number of additional accessories available to ensure the most effective performance possible. These include, a hardwearing strip which extends the life of the blade, a set of ‘gravel wheels’ which greatly assist when using on uneven surfaces, and an ice chipper.
Versatile machine
It looks like a machine Bob the Builder would be proud of. But the quad bike-cum-snow plough has been unveiled as the latest weapon in the battle to keep car parks and pavements clear of snow and ice.
After last year’s snow and ice caused multiple slipping accidents in Cambridge, the County Council’s highways department decided to bring in reinforcements. The quad bike, with plough and tanker trailer, has been used to treat footpaths, cycleways and some off-road paths, including across the commons in the city.
The machinery has been leased for 20 weeks at a cost of around £190 a week – it would cost about £13,000 to buy.
As well as acting as a snowplough, the quad bike tows a 250-litre tank of ATV Safethaw de-icing fluid. One full tank of Safethaw can treat up to 5km of footway in about an hour.
