Surprising to see during the current bad spell, but a high-speed gritter (or that's what it seemed to be) was spotted last night in central Milton Keynes.
It appears to work on the principle of light and motion. Driving at a speed in excess of 50mph the gritter delivers an ultra-fine layer of grit to the road surface. This doesn't cause any problems as it is easily blown away by any other vehicle (other than a push bike) and doesn't interfere with the integrity of the icy road surface.
Any gravel or salt particles thrown out by the forward motion of the vehicle seem to be either fused into larger lumps - rather like asteroids, or vanish into the atmosphere. While the larger particles continue to impact the bodywork of other road users, the centrifugal motion means they can now reach across dual carriageways. Any remaining salt particles evaporate due to their excessive speed.
Is this the future for ice clearance?
