Snow clearance in Stockholm today is carried out by various companies on behalf of the City of Stockholm. Criticism of snow clearance in Stockholm has been massive this past winter, with complaints pouring in and pressure so high at the beginning of January that the city chose to ignore 10,000 cases. ' He added, 'The companies have not been ready for an orange snow warning.
' Companies have signed contracts with the city but lacked the organization required to deliver. Ahead of the new procurement, the city is tightening requirements for companies. Companies must have more vehicles, better access to reserve machines, and clear crisis plans for yellow, orange, and red snow warnings.
The companies have not been ready for an orange snow warning. They have had too few vehicles and lacked the ability to quickly scale up operations. That cannot be how it works. We must ensure that those who are not sufficiently equipped are sorted out already in the procurement.
Every contractor wanting to clear snow for Stockholm City must have a clear crisis plan for snow warnings. The board of Stockholm City states that efforts will be improved, with tightened requirements on companies and more sidewalks to be gritted. In the new procurement, the city also wants to continue investing in gritting of sidewalks.
The city is now opening up for part of the snow clearance to be handled under its own management. According to the red-green board, a certain part of winter road maintenance could be handled under its own management. The traffic administration is investigating the conditions for partially conducting snow clearance under municipal management.
The latest winter has seriously damaged trust in snow clearance that is entirely conducted by companies.
The investigation will examine which part of snow clearance the municipality could take over and the costs for this. The traffic administration's assessment is that snow clearance entirely without contractors would be very expensive. ' The issue will now be investigated.