Municipalities struggling with salt shortages; Events canceled amid snow

Some municipalities are warning that local supplies of road salt are running very low. Heiloo, Bergen, and Leiderdorp are among the places affected. Consequently, authorities can either salt only the primary roads or mix the remaining salt with sand.

People in the local communities have been advised to only go out on the roads when absolutely necessary, buy salt for their own sidewalk, since municipalities don’t provide it to residents during shortages, and stay updated on the latest information from their municipality through its official channels.

Dutch infrastructure agency Rijkswaterstaat has access to a stockpile of 250 million kilograms of salt for use on the 3,300 kilometers of national highways across the Netherlands. Since Oct. 1, the agency’s 577 grit trucks have spread 88.2 million kilograms of salt, clocking almost 1.1 million kilometers of driving distance. Nearly all of that work took place over the past seven days.

The weather has also had an effect on events throughout the country. The neighborhood celebration for Postcode Lottery winners in Tiel was canceled on Wednesday because of the forecasted weather, according to the municipality. Winners will still be notified of their prize amounts. Meanwhile, the Muiderslot will remain closed on Tuesday and Wednesday to ensure public safety.

A number of town halls have changed their opening hours and are experiencing delays in issuing documents like driver’s licenses. In addition, several New Year’s receptions have been called off.

Following Monday, additional municipalities announced on Tuesday that snow and slippery roads would prevent them from collecting waste as usual. Most will not resume collections until Thursday. Pickup dates for Christmas trees have frequently been delayed as well.