Report the absence of the winter road clearance service

Bremer Stadtreinigung (DBS) takes over the winter service from mid-October to the beginning of April. They clear and grit public areas in snow and ice. If you have noticed that the winter road clearance service has not cleared and gritted any of the roads that fall within the city's remit, you can report this.

The large gritting vehicles first clear snow and ice from the main roads, sections of road with bus routes and important squares. Within three to four hours, everything is normally gritted with pre-wetted salt. Damp salt is simple salt that is moistened with a brine solution shortly before spreading. The hand crews and small gritting vehicles also give priority to traffic lights, crossings, bridges, relevant bus stops, etc. The clearing and gritting of this 1st priority is carried out 24 hours a day as required, with a few time restrictions.

Cycle paths are generally treated as a 2nd priority. For all other roads, especially side roads, the following applies: clearing or gritting is only carried out on request, e.g. by the police, fire department, transport companies or citizens, and only after checking whether ongoing operations permit it.

Municipal services: The municipal roadways, cycle paths and important squares are usually gritted by the city.

However, as a private resident, it is also your responsibility to clear and grit snow:

You must keep the sidewalk and the area along the adjacent property, including the steps, free of ice and snow. You must do this on weekdays from 07:00 to 20:30 and on Sundays and public holidays from 9:00 to 20:00. You may not pile up snow on the cycle path, but only at the edge of the sidewalk. To protect trees and green areas, you must not use salt-based gritting agents. The thawing substances cause considerable damage to the roots. On footpaths, you may generally only use blunting grit, such as sand. The use of salt-based gritting agents is only permitted in the event of black ice and freezing rain.

Requirements

A winter service is required, e.g. due to snowfall, freezing wetness or slippery frost.

What documents do I need?

• You do not need to submit any additional documents.