DEVELOPMENT OF SNOW REMOVAL MACHINERY IN HOKKAIDO

Hokkaido has one fifth of the total land area in Japan and its entire location is considered to be located in a cold and snowy region. With its metropolis-Sapporo, which is located in a heavy snowfall area, the prefecture experiences very severe weather conditions for Japan and the world. Under these extreme circumstances, the Hokkaido Development Bureau has been playing a leading role in facilitating effective snow removal through the management of national highways and also its active involvement in the technical development of snow removal equipment. At present, most snow removal on roads is conducted mechanically and the speediness of the work execution and maintenance of safety are basic elements for snow removal equipment. With the banning of studded tires, it has become necessary to improve anti-freezing technologies and to develop snow removal equipment for roads where studded were previously used. Measures are also required to deal with a variety of needs, such as more efficient snow removal operations for high-standard highways and other high-speed transportation systems. This paper describes how the simplification and automation of operations are needed in order to compensate for a lack of experienced drivers.