Snow!!!!

[gatesmr2]

Hiya

Now i'm not that old at 38 but it seems every time we get a few flakes of snow we have a weather warning :shock:
Is it just my memory playing tricks on me or does it seem like we don't know how to do anything when we get a little snow??
I have been listening to the news and hearing of schools shut up north, and its the headline story telling us we might get up to 5cm.
Where i used to live in the middle of the countryside in Cambs with dykes (big deep ditches) i can remember walking over a dyke at the back of the garden which is 6ft plus deep and filled with snow, we never got snowed in and when i first started work i only ever missed one day as it was black ice, freezing fog and i was meant to be there at 5.30am, but still managed to get in for 10ish. Ok a lot of the problems where cleared by the local farmers and there tractors clearing the snow of the back roads (yes i did hate them as i never missed one bloody day of school due to snow) so they could walk over the fields and go shooting over the christmas new year break.
We have not had a bad winter snow wise for years i would like to know what happens if we get a real problem with deep snow as in where you do get snow drifts that swallow a car.
A couple of years ago i was near cambridge when if you remember the gritters did not go out till it was to late and the M11 was blocked by snow, the next morning i had a good 8 inches of snow on the car, cleared it off de-iced it and off i went all be it very slowly. You would be amazed at how many people didn't turn up for work.
In Sweden etc they don't seem to have a problem and even closer to home in Scotland they just take it in there stride so why is it that a few cm of snow if you listen to the news grinds the whole country to a halt???
After looking at the Pictures on the TV it seems they don't have that much snow up north really ok a few back roads might be closed but please surely we can keep main roads open in this day an age with a few cm of snow on them.

Might just be me looking back with rose tinted glasses :?

Martin

 

[filsgreen]

I don't think so Martin. I feel that the UK can't cope as they are not geared up for it. Canada and other countries do not have a problem, why does the UK?

 

[kenf]

Health & Safety is the problem. A child might slip on ice. Even worse a teacher might slip on ice, there where we would be.
But with days off from school the children and no doubt teachers can go off on sleds and slip purposefully on ice.

 

[Smudger]

Health & Safety is the problem. A child might slip on ice. Even worse a teacher might slip on ice, there where we would be.
But with days off from school the children and no doubt teachers can go off on sleds and slip purposefully on ice.

There is a health and safety issue, but that isn't it.
When travel is disrupted teachers as well as pupils find it difficult to get to school (actually teachers tend to find it harder as they generally live further away). Without the teachers or other adult staff it is not possible to maintain safe levels of supervision, so schools are closed.

It also prevents the problem of pupils starting out for school, being unable to get there, and being stranded away from home.

 

[Paul Chapman]

Might just be me looking back with rose tinted glasses :?

I can remember when, in the South East, we used to get snow in January and it was still here at Easter but we still managed to get to school and to work.

Cheers :wink:

Paul

 

[CNC Paul]

Slightly topical.


http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=iCQiFhI6P8k



Paul

 

[thomvic]

All the previous posts are right to some extent. The problem, if that's what it is, is a change of attitudes to duty, litigation and so called 'safety' issues.

When I was at school in the 1950's we had much more and more frequent snowfalls but school was never closed. There were days when teaching staff numbers fell short of the norm but pupils without a teacher were simply spread out amongst those classes that did have a teacher. These days the rules limit the number of children a teacher is allowed to have charge of.

There were often days when the heating was off but we were never sent home - we just kept our coats on and did activities to keep us warm.

The only day I ever had off school, for any reason, was when the school bus (I had to travel 11 miles each way to secondary school) crashed on the way - fortunately only minor injuries to a few. On that occasion we had to walk about 4 miles in deep snow to get back home.

Closing schools cause major disruption to families with working parents. If children are sent home from school there is often no one available to collect them or to look after them when they get home. If advance notice of the closure is given, parents have to lose working time AND pay. Teacher don't lose pay when they have the day off because of snow!

Litigation is perhaps the major issue. These days if a child is hurt at school the local authority is considered liable and therefore likely to have to be sued for compensation for injuries incurred. Parents see such incidents as an opportunity rather than an accident. The same injuries caused while a child is out of school and in the charge of it's parents do not attract such a risk. Teachers cannot afford to take these risks regardless of cost and/or inconvenience to families.

 

[woodbloke]

I can remember the big freeze in '63 (I think :? ) when the snow was up to the top of road signs - Rob

 

[Smudger]

Might just be me looking back with rose tinted glasses :?

I can remember when, in the South East, we used to get snow in January and it was still here at Easter but we still managed to get to school and to work.

Cheers :wink:

Paul

Not always on the first day, Paul!

I once got snowed into a school in County Durham, 300 kids and no food. It almost turned very nasty - and that was 1969! It snowed in October and thawed the following Easter.

 

[Peter T]

I have a work colleague who lives in Buffalo, New York.

Their average annual snow fall is >90 inches.

Obviously they are much better geared up for it than we are, but any snow fall of less than 12 inches isn't considered worth even talking about, let alone getting the snow blower out of the garage!

 

[newt]

The standard media quote is usually don't drive unless essential, 40 years ago no media and a lot less traffic. As has been said, folk jump at the idea cant go to work to risky, I will get out the sledge and break a leg.

 

[misterfish]

I think it's down to what a particular area is used to. We used to live in the mountains in Mid Wales where 'difficult' weather conditions were the norm. If there was a threat of frost or snow the local authority had the gritters out all night fitted with snow ploughs. Travelling to work or getting the kids to school was never a problem. Our road (to the north of Brecon up in the mountains) was usually kept clear and never blocked for more than a few hours. When we moved on to Somerset and now West Sussex things are different - gritters are most often sent out later meaning the roads next morning are more treacherous, and it is usually only the main roads that are treated.

In reality its down to coping with the 'usual' local conditions - in Wales we had a set of snow chains, kept a spade, food and blankets in the car and expected the unexpected. The other thing is that snow looks pretty and nice and fluffy but that can be an illusion. In Wales we went from dark clouds to a foot of snow (and deeper drifts) within 20 minutes. When the weather looked ominous I filled all the fuel containers (we had solid fuel heating) to make sure we had adequate fuel indoors.. While doing this I heard a car driving by and thought 'rather him than me'. 20 minutes later a bang on the door and above the howling gale and there stood a couple without any coats asking for help as they were stuck in a snow drift about 400 yards up the road - these were the people that had driven by earlier. It was heavy snow and drifting in the strong wind and the drifts built up in minutes.We ended up putting them up for the night. By the next morning the snow plough had been by and cleared the road.

Misterfish

 

[skelph]

Living in the heart of Aberdeenshire I can remember winters back pre 1990's where we had several feet of snow overnight accompanied by howling gales - everyone battened down the hatches and waited until the Roads Department crews did the business. The road clearing crews did a fantastic job in atrocious conditions using equipment a lot less sophisticated than that available now. Decisions to send out the crews were taken locally by the local depot foreman based on local conditions. Nowadays the decisions are taken centrally (ie miles away) in a control room and based on weather forecasts which are general rather than specific.

Most people then knew how to drive in snow and only farmers and gamekeepers had 4x4 vehicles. We didn't have the same chaos on the roads then as we have now because we adjusted our driving to suit conditions. The Chelsea Tractor brigade appear to think that their vehicles can tackle anything without their altering speed etc.

Modern drivers appear to have never learned how to drive on anything other than clean, bare roads - their answer to a few millimetres of snow is to engage first gear and press the accelerator pedal as firmly as they can resulting in skidding cars and polished icy surfaces. Most of us who have been driving for decades know to use a higher gear and just enough accelerator to stop the engine from stalling.

Current driving lessons do not appear to cover tuition on driving in anything other than ideal conditions so how are youngsters supposed to know how to deal with snow and ice?

Sorry about the tirade but I have to put up with these numpties nearly every morning and evening in the wintertime.

 

[Jenx]

Hello Skelph !
Another one in Aberdeenshire ! Excellent !
I'm in Hatton, nr Ellon.. DickM is up towards the Methlick direction...
Where are you ?

You're right about the driving lessons ... my Daughter has just been through it, and the way they're taught to drive now is garbage.
No proper use of the gearbox, far too much 'avoid showing hesitation', to the point where the new driver makes very dangerous manoevures, just to avoid looking 'hesitant'.. its a nonsense.

I guess not the driving schools' fault.. its a directive from 'somewhere' ... apparently is nothing unusual now for kids to be taking 6, 7, even 8 actual tests before passing... My daughter took 3....
Well, in my honest view, if they weren't 'fit' for a licence, they wouldn't be up for a test in the first place... this smacks of yet another 'racket' to (a) Raise money and (b) get the number of road users down... if you've more 'falling off' the 'old' end of the scale, and less people are coming in, at the younger end.. then it stands to reason the number of users will decrease.
Do this country-wide, and the impact becomes significant.

The methods taught are poor.
No doubt about it.

Hi though,Bud... almost neighbours !!

 

[skelph]

Hi Jenx

I'm in Alford when I'm at home - Just got back from north of Holland last night, where it was snowing, and having seen the forecast for Aberdeenshire that morning I was fearing all sorts of problems getting home but the roads were bare.

My young brother passed his driving test in summer, so when the snows arrived I took him to our local car park and showed him how to control the car in 6" of snow. The car park was empty so he was in no danger (neither was I!), half an hour of standing starts and forced spins and he was quite happy that he could pull away from a standstill without difficulty and control a skid without getting too excited.

Youngsters these days seem more interested in doing doughnuts and squealing tyres on dry surfaces than in learning how to control the car in adverse conditions.

 

[Jenx]

Yes, we've 'escaped' the last few days !.. Wednesday night / thursday was forcast to dump 8" on us ( of snow )....
It never materialised, AT ALL !! just rain.

Mind you. I told the missus on wednesday after tea.. "you're in for 8 inch of the rough stuff tonight " and her eyes lit up.
.. Perhaps she's got a sledge hidden behind the shed, I don't know ! :wink: .


Nice to meet you, even if it's 'virtually' !

:wink: 8)