Snow

[Freetochat]

Having travelled throughout Europe and Russia and seen how life just goes on when snow falls, why do we have a sprinkling of slow and the whole apparatus slow to a stop? Trains not running on time or cancelled, roads blocked and all please stay at home and don't go to work. And this is after a few days warning that it is going to happen.

Why can we not get it right time after time?

 

[scroller frank]

Having travelled throughout Europe and Russia and seen how life just goes on when snow falls, why do we have a sprinkling of slow and the whole apparatus slow to a stop? Trains not running on time or cancelled, roads blocked and all please stay at home and don't go to work. And this is after a few days warning that it is going to happen.

quite agree,
why can we not understand , that it's winter and sometimes it snows , and we just have to "get on with it"
nanny state maybe! ?
--------frank

 

[Scrit]

....why do we have a sprinkling of slow and the whole apparatus slow to a stop?

Wrong type of snow? :lol: Or perhaps because statistically we are unlikely to have much heavy snow here in winter - although that may change if the Global Warming camp are to be believed.

Scrit

 

[RogerS]

Having travelled throughout Europe and Russia and seen how life just goes on when snow falls, why do we have a sprinkling of slow and the whole apparatus slow to a stop? Trains not running on time or cancelled, roads blocked and all please stay at home and don't go to work. And this is after a few days warning that it is going to happen.

Why can we not get it right time after time?

Quite simply it is down to economics. We get snow...what..once or twice in a blue moon..and then only a small amount...unlike the Scandinavians where they know that they will regularly have a large amount of snow and so can plan and budget for it.

We do generally handle it - given the likelihood. Take Kent, for example. They can mobilise 100 local authority/county council staff (gritters etc) but have put in place contingency arrangements whereby they can call on another 250 (IIRC) volunteers sucvh as farmers who will keep their local lanes clear etc.

It's just the media hyping things up yet again IMHO

 

[Adam]

Having travelled throughout Europe and Russia and seen how life just goes on when snow falls, why do we have a sprinkling of slow and the whole apparatus slow to a stop? Trains not running on time or cancelled, roads blocked and all please stay at home and don't go to work. And this is after a few days warning that it is going to happen.

Why can we not get it right time after time?

Who is going to pay for it? Having hundreds of snowploughs sitting on standby in most of the southern counties is costly. Most winters we do not have more than a drizzle of snow at most.

However I will agree that some drivers cause problems. Snow falling but not settling and they tootle along at 10mph as through they are going to skid on it :roll: Then when you get black ice and a thick layer reducing traction and they are whopping past at over 30mph and no way could they stop fast.

Adam

 

[Guest]

Drivers getting stuck is usually down to a lack of experience of snowy conditions. I learnt to drive before gritters were common so had to learn the ways of controlling a vehicle in icy weather. I saw a van driver on the tele last night revving like mad and of course he was sliding all over the place. I was told to drive as though there was a glass of water on the bonnet and i hadn't to spill a drop, it certainly makes you lighten your reponses.

 

[dedee]

Who is going to pay for it?

Quite right. Anyone who wants to go out in icy or snowy conditions should have a spare set of wheels suitably shod with snow tyres or chains. On my only visit to Scandanavia the roads were rarely cleared of snow but the cars were still able to drive on them.

Also does all that salt and grit used on the roads not hasten their deterioration?

 

[PowerTool]

Quite right. Anyone who wants to go out in icy or snowy conditions should have a spare set of wheels suitably shod with snow tyres or chains. On my only visit to Scandanavia the roads were rarely cleared of snow but the cars were still able to drive on them.

Swedish law requires that all cars be fitted with snow chains or studded tyres by no later than 1st December (Most people still leave it until 30th of November .. :wink: )

Andrew

 

[Midnight]

Who is going to pay for it? Having hundreds of snowploughs sitting on standby in most of the southern counties is costly. Most winters we do not have more than a drizzle of snow at most.

ever thought who picks up the bill if the snow isn't cleared?? How often do you see rants due to late deliveries here..?? Trucks need to use the roads too... how they gonna do that when the roads are blocked with abandoned euroboxes?? With most of our goods transported by road thesedays it doesn't take too long before blocked roads lead to major shortages... remember the havoc during the fuel strikes..??

Then there's the clowns who think because they watched a raly on tv once they can automatically drive like Colin McRae no matter what the conditions... collisions happen... insurance claims happen... who pays for that if its not you and I through hiked premiums..???

In my neck of the woods, snow is to be expected this time of year... I drive a 4x4 for that very reason... keep it shod with mud n snow tyres year round cos ya never can tell... andddddd just in case... there's snow chains if I get really stuck... Dare I ask if there's so much as a snow shovel or blanket in your boot??? How bout some emergency rations should the worst happen??

 

[PowerTool]

Dare I ask if there's so much as a snow shovel or blanket in your boot??? How bout some emergency rations should the worst happen??

Actually,yes - although it's only a 12-mile journey to work along a flat stretch of dual carriageway (The A66 between Darlington and Stockton - same general direction as the worlds first passenger railway :wink: ) as soon as there is chance of snow,I get geared up with blanket,shovel,portable jump-starter,tow rope,always ensure I have more petrol than I need - but I think this is because I grew up in the country,and remember when snow was a regular event still.. :lol:

Andrew

 

[Waka]

Dare I ask if there's so much as a snow shovel or blanket in your boot??? How bout some emergency rations should the worst happen??

I have to admit that I don't carry any of those things in the winter. The last time we had snow in Weymouth was 1984 and that was only about an inch. if the weather does get bad the car stays in the garage.

 

[RogerS]

One winters day, me and the missus. Rear-wheel drive, high-powered engine, fat tyres, fishtailing despite my best endeavours while going up a gentle hill, desparately hoping we didn't have to stop..finessing the power. A couple of walkers well out of the way, plenty of room, coming towards us.

I remember the conversation ..

Missus " Shouldn't we stop and let them pass?"

Me "@£$%^&$£%^&&&%"

We didn't stop :lol:

 

[CHJ]

Just an observation from somewhere were it is compulsory to have winter tyres fitted for about 3 months of the year if you want you insurance to play ball, I have seen three vehicles today parked at unusual angles in the local fields. Admittedly they are not blocking the roads in any way but that is mainly due to the fact that all the roads around here are raised above the field levels and have no hedges just ditches as boundaries.
The autobahns are clear, albeit with reduced carriageway widths, local throughways are likewise. Village roads and interconnecting lanes are only tractor scraped in the main and snow tyres are essential. And people here like anyone with any sense refrain from driving on the local roads unless essential.
Better prepared? Yes, cost effectiveness of preparations, Yes, because it is a known condition Every Year.
A spare set of wheels and snow tyres are at least half UK prices, due to quantity sold I suspect, but if I had them at home in a very hilly part of the Cotswolds they would have been an advantage to me on no more than 4-5 days in the last 20 years if my memory serves me correctly.
Our village when hit by significant snow, (not every year), is within 1/2 a day, no worse and from what I can see at the moment perhaps better cleared than here.

 

[RogerS]

Chas

Many moons ago when I was in Germany my friend had some fancy plastic gizmos that looked great and wondered if they were still available.

It was for those situations where you only get a bit of snow but get stuck. One part was a boss that fitted to each wheel. The second part was removable and had three/four fingers that had a bend in that was the width of the tyre. You bunched the fingers up, fed them in at the top of each wheel, fixed to the boss and then started driving slowly. As each finger spun round with the wheel it would lock in position effectively giving you snow chains. Once clear and on better roads, you simply unclipped them.

Roger

 

[Midnight]

but I think this is because I grew up in the country,and remember when snow was a regular event still..

good onya Andy...

if the weather does get bad the car stays in the garage.

No shame in that at all Waca...


ummmm...... Roger... jus cos ya got a "brains left back in the toolbox" car... is don't mean ya gotta drive like that... y'all know what I'm sayin..??

HRH (my Landy) has about 2 ton of ballast.. engine has just about enough power to pull the skin off a custard.. but she has torque and traction in spades... In 12 years of year round driving I've needed to use 4wd in anger once... (the rest of the time was play) That once was a humbling experience.. So easy to loose control in snow and get intimate with a ditch.... and soooooooo easy to drive straight outa the thing in low ratio...

 

[RogerS]

ummmm...... Roger... jus cos ya got a "brains left back in the toolbox" car... is don't mean ya gotta drive like that... y'all know what I'm sayin..??

err.umm.no, actually :wink:

 

[Losos]

As Chas. has said in countries where snow is common it's normal to have snow tyres. Here in Czechland it's almost compulsory to drive with headlights on all through the winter, to have snow tyres, and to drive like you had a glass of water on your bonnet. I also carry the basic things like snow shovel, blanket etc. We are in a very rural area (Less than ten cars a day at this time of year) yet the road is cleared and gritted whenever there's heavy snow, sometimes they come round at four in the morning. They don't do my driveway 'tho it's about 200 metres and I had to get a snow plough to do that job

 

[Unlucky Alf]

They don't do my driveway 'tho it's about 200 metres and I had to get a snow plough to do that job

I always wished we had enough snow to justify the purchase of a snow plough, no such luck though I've had to make do with buying a Massey Ferguson to cut the grass :wink: The loader comes in handy as well though.

Cheers,

Simon

 

[Losos]

Simon, I don't have a big Massey Ferguson but one of the reasons for choosing my made in Sweden 'Stiga' was all the accessories that you can get. In addition to clearing snow it also cuts grass, tows a trailor, spreads salt (Haven't got that one yet) and many other jobs as well. Worth thinking about if the MF is too big.

 

[Unlucky Alf]

Losos, The MF is a relatively small 45HP tractor (an orchard/vineyard model) we have a lot of trees on our land and i needed something that could cut the grass as close to the base of the trees as possible, so no cab unfortunately. Goes very well for a 1969 model and is a lot more reliable than the 1950 grey ferguson which it replaced. I have the same dilemma as you though, there are so many attachments which look like they would come in really useful that I could spend a fortune if it wasn't for the fact that I have an expensive workshop renovation on the horizon.

A set of pallet forks would be really handy though :wink:


cheers,

Simon