Ploughing, Gravel & Salt On The Roads

The roads and paths have been ploughed, which takes away half the fun - unless you are an oldie hobbling along, you have a stroller with dinky little wheels or you have nice shoes that get wrecked walking in snow.


Tractors and other heavy vehicles with ploughs attached drive around clearing the streets and cute little machines clear off the footpaths, both leave a trail of gravel behind them to increase traction. The ploughs leave great piles of snow where ever they can - creating at times huge snow mountains that are there to be climbed by little people! And it is funny to see the hedges of snow lining the footpaths.


Vägverket has a policy dictating how quickly the roads are to be cleared.

Black roads - When 1cm of snow has fallen the ploughs have 2 hours to clear the roads. Once it has stopped snowing they have 2 hours to completely clear them of ice and snow. Ice is treated with salt.
Yellow roads - as above but within 3 hours.
Green roads - 2cm and 4 hours apply.
Blue roads - when they have 2cm of snow on them the ploughs have 5 hours to clear them. Five hours after the last snowfall the roads are to have no more than 2cm of snow on them. Ice is treated with sand/gravel (not salt).
Grey roads - when they have 3cm of snow on them the ploughs have 6 hours to clear them. Six hours after the last snowfall the roads are to have no more than 3cm of snow on them. Ice is treated with sand/gravel (not salt).

This policy applies to the entire country - you can look to see what colour the roads are in your region on Vägverket's website.