As a Swedish woman who once lived in Norrland (the northern region of Sweden), I just LOVE hearing British people complain about the snow. When I was growing up, I used to get called a wimp for complaining about even the slightest drop in temperature - nice to know I'm finally among my own kind.
I saw a news article last year showing how they done it in Moscow and they had the right idea. Every single council worker is moved onto snow clearing duty. Shovels, plough, gritters and even lorries are filled up with snow and driven out of the city.
It's pretty chaotic in Surrey, but we do have more thsn 2", and it's still snowing. I have no particular problems, I have 4WD and chains, haven't put them on yet though, maybe in a day or 2 after a bit more freeze/thaw. It's the less prepared who get stuck, and block the road for everyone else, like the idiot van driver who abandoned his van in the middle of 2 lanes on the A217 in Kingswood last night. If you are a member here, I hate you, and so do about 20 000 others. Why not reverse a little back down the hill and park it??? You can't help being stuck, but you can be a little considerate for others who are not.
Living up here in Scotland we are used to the snow but even by the usual standards here I have never seen snow this deep. Where I live has came to a standstill. There is very little traffic on the road and public transport has come to a standstill.
I always have to laught though. When Scotland gets it bad with snow we never ger a mention on the national news but if London so much as gets a scattering of the white stuff it grinds London to a total standstill. We have had snow for the best part of a week now.
Due to our proximity to the Gulf Stream as well as a numerous cold air currents, our Island status and other factors, the unpredictability of our weather is almost unrivalled in the Northern Hemisphere.
Infact, no infrastructure in the world could probably cope with all the extreme varations our weather systems throw up over the course of a few years.
Living up here in Scotland we are used to the snow but even by the usual standards here I have never seen snow this deep. Where I live has came to a standstill. There is very little traffic on the road and public transport has come to a standstill.
I always have to laught though. When Scotland gets it bad with snow we never ger a mention on the national news but if London so much as gets a scattering of the white stuff it grinds London to a total standstill. We have had snow for the best part of a week now.
I was seeing on the news about the snow in Scotland and the north for days before it hit down here. It was reported rather a lot.
I think it stems down to money, or should I say greedy, tight, stingy local authorities who wouldn't part with the steam off their own sh*te.
Every year we get the same tired old excuses. "There wasn't enough grit", "not enough money for grit", "we were caught unaware's by the weather" to name but a few. Expect the "lesson's will be learned" classic to be spat out by some scummy council jobsworth at some point. Only for all this to happen again between November and February next year.
You'd think these scumbags would think well ahead and have plans in place for all this instead of being more worried about lining their own pockets.
Every local authority, heck even the Government, should hang their heads in shame. I forgot you can't shame the shameless.
Where I live in Aberdeenshire winter tyres are a must but not mandatory, we take them off in June:p
and put them back on again on 1st July?
I know nothing about winter tyres, so can those of you who do know about them tell me if driving on them when there is no snow can damage them or the car?
Someone told me that they are only really to be used when there is snow everywhere you drive and that you have to take them off again once the blizzards have gone.
Which is fine in countries where they have months of non stop snow on the ground, but not fine here when it's so unpredictable.
After living in Germany for twenty years I find it hard to understand why England goes to pieces when there is snow!!
Here nearly everyone has winter tyres. In fact they have just made it mandatory to have winter tyres, if you don't fit them you can be fined Euro 40 or Euro 80, if you get into an accident the Car Insurance is not valid if you have summer tyres on!! Same thing with seat belts. It is farcical to see so many cars (obviously without winter tyres) struggling in the snow. Last winter was pretty awful and it looks like this one is going to be worse so why is England always so unprepared for snow??:rolleyes:
Because unlike in Germany it doesn't snow widespread in England every year. Even in Scotland snow at lowland levels is usually a patchy affair outside of the NE corner.
Our winters have for the best part of 20 years been generally mild and snow free in Southern Counties. You'd have to go back to the early 1990s to find winters as snowy as the one just past, or the one just starting it seems.
Therefore "winter tyres" etc are a pretty pointless affair for a country with a mild temperate maritime climate like ours where normally snow days can be counted on the fingers of one hand.
Because unlike in Germany it doesn't snow widespread in England every year. Even in Scotland snow at lowland levels is usually a patchy affair outside of the NE corner.
Our winters have for the best part of 20 years been generally mild and snow free in Southern Counties. You'd have to go back to the early 1990s to find winters as snowy as the one just past, or the one just starting it seems.
Therefore "winter tyres" etc are a pretty pointless affair for a country with a mild temperate maritime climate like ours where normally snow days can be counted on the fingers of one hand.
what about snow chains?
Waste of money too?
Just curious for experienced drivers' opinions.
However from November until February every year you can pretty much bet that we are going to get snow at some point.
But surely that is the problem - 2 unknowns, when and how much. You would have to have all the equipment and people on standby for 4 months. Doesn't seem cost effective to me, though there would be a big profit in it for someone.
It's chaos on the roads because you are often at the whim of two extremes. The "Ah, it's only a bit of snow I'll drive as fast as I like" and the "OMG it's the next ice age, I'll drive as slow as I can"
I wonder how many consecutive years of heavy snowfall we will have to endure before there is a change in attitude towards spending serious money on snowclearing.
Comments
Yes, that's the total - all available here.
British unions would veto that idea.
Cant have gardeners and plumbers moving snow.
ALL OUT STRIKE ACTION would be called.
cars being stuck on motorways for HOURS & HOURS & not moving!!!!
airports closed with planes also frozen!!
yeah theres no chaos is there :rolleyes:
Where are you referring to? Its happening all over Europe
I always have to laught though. When Scotland gets it bad with snow we never ger a mention on the national news but if London so much as gets a scattering of the white stuff it grinds London to a total standstill. We have had snow for the best part of a week now.
well the stuff they were showing on the news was england ... i think it was the south east they were showing as it was talking about gatwick etc!
Infact, no infrastructure in the world could probably cope with all the extreme varations our weather systems throw up over the course of a few years.
I was seeing on the news about the snow in Scotland and the north for days before it hit down here. It was reported rather a lot.
It usually is
I cant see any chaos from my bedroom, so no, there is no chaos as far as I am concerned.;)
It's just a bit of snow fgs.
Do tell us how.
im guessing batteries & lube
Yes:- Snowfall disrupts northern Europe's airports and roads
I'd go with that.
Shameful
and put them back on again on 1st July?
I know nothing about winter tyres, so can those of you who do know about them tell me if driving on them when there is no snow can damage them or the car?
Someone told me that they are only really to be used when there is snow everywhere you drive and that you have to take them off again once the blizzards have gone.
Which is fine in countries where they have months of non stop snow on the ground, but not fine here when it's so unpredictable.
He probably cant get their because of the snow.
Because unlike in Germany it doesn't snow widespread in England every year. Even in Scotland snow at lowland levels is usually a patchy affair outside of the NE corner.
Our winters have for the best part of 20 years been generally mild and snow free in Southern Counties. You'd have to go back to the early 1990s to find winters as snowy as the one just past, or the one just starting it seems.
Therefore "winter tyres" etc are a pretty pointless affair for a country with a mild temperate maritime climate like ours where normally snow days can be counted on the fingers of one hand.
what about snow chains?
Waste of money too?
Just curious for experienced drivers' opinions.