I have news 24 running in the background but can't help noticing that the newsreaders are trying to score points from the roads/airports/ railways spokesmen. This is unusual weather, how do they expect the authorities to act, I think they are doing their best. No need to knock them, we would soon shout if they got themselves fully covered at the expense of other services.
As for those that have been trapped, they were given plenty of warning. I had to go out in the end, but 4X4, shovel, long chain, would have helped me if I got into trouble, but as I said in another thread the 2 mile lane which is private was dodgy but the roads were good.
I heard that one of the gritters was getting a lot of abuse from stuck drivers, I would have give him a drink.
I agree! :D
The trouble is Ace theres a generation out there who don't know how to cope with road conditions like this,to some giving way to the right is a problem never mind diving in snow.
Hear Hear!
Well said ACE, there are to many bleeding soft plebs out there.
In the 60s we just got on with it however bad we just did , poor little softies of today need to get over it.
Well done to the gritters i say.
Do not go out if you do not have to for goodness sake softies use your brains.!!!!!!.
I dont think its fair to put he blame on the younger generation we created them. Its the people who dont heed good advice, those that dont think and do stupid thing like driving up the hard shoulders to find their way is blocked and then discover that they have now blocked the tow truck that was going to remove blockage
Snow on the Isle of Wigit, do me a favour, ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D, so you could not go out in ya slippers in the middle of December for once, :)
Quote from: Mr Smith on December 18, 2010, 18:18:06
Snow on the Isle of Wigit, do me a favour, ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D, so you could not go out in ya slippers in the middle of December for once, :)
Never mind the shorts. ;D
Joking apart, I think the gritters do a wonderful job, and they should not be knocked. On the news tonight there was a picture of a motorway, on one side the traffic was bumper to bumper in all three lanes for several miles. How can a gritter get down there? Magic. ;D
I used to drive 20 miles to and from work each day, and this time of year the real dickheads were the ones that overtook the gritter wagon. How much of a hurry were they to end up in the ditch, or worse.
valmarg
I would like to thank the guys and girls who are sorting out the gritters and snow ploughs getting out and about and driving them. I saw my first snow plough in UK ever in my life today, (yes im a young softie southener although ive lived abroad too). I was pleased to see him but wish he'd been going my was instead of towards me ;)
I did actually learn to drive in snow but nothing like this, but I tell you it was very good grounding for this weather. I just wish people could all learn a little from people on the continent in our attitude to snow and being prepared for driving in it, they seem to be far more prepared than us.
I did go out today just before it honked down with snow and it took me two hours to get home which was only 8 miles, but to be fair I expected it to take longer. Drivers were either putting their foot down on the excelorator and sliding or jumping on thier brakes every five seconds. Perhaps we should all have to pass some kind of drving lesson in snow conditions, Can you simulate snow to drive on?
When the UK is compared with scandinavia for the snow clearance/gritting, I think it is most unfair.
Scandinavia/northern Europe knows that from x to y it will be up to its oxters in snow and frost.
The UK, all right we have had an extremelly bad month, and we had a bad spell in January.
Do we spend the loads of money they do in Europe on the offchance that we have a bad winter, to keep the roads clear.
Personally, I don't think so. The cost would far outweigh the usefulness. Considering the bad weather we have had recently, there have been more years when the gritters, if not idle, would have had very little use.
Bring on global warming. ;D
valmarg
Valmarg - I used to live in Germany who iseem to cope with it far far better and drivers are far more prepared for bad weather. Ok some parts of Germany get a fair bit of snow but the north dont.
It got drummed in to us as forces to carry warm weather wear, flask of hot drink and food and even a sleeping bag, along with your shovel and snow chains.
we also had advice on how to drive in snow and ice. so many drivers here seem so ill prepared
Having said that my current car leaves alot to be desired this weather, yesterday even when it wasnt snowing, the back doors had got iced shut and couldnt be opened. Ive got a MPV with electric sliding rear doors. I had to load the kids in through the front of the car, I was not a happy chuck.
Dont get me going about the trains. we live in Kent on the South Eastern train route, which cannot manage to run a train when there is a hint of snow, leaves on the line or anything other than normal weather. My DH had to walk 3 hours home the other night in snow because of them. Other poor people spent the night on a packed train standing still before being let off at 7am in the morning.
we just seem so ill prepared even when we know snow is coming.
I come from Finland and when I lived there we rarely we got stuck like in this country..sad to say. It just seem stupid how some simple things like gritting cannot be done efficiently. Over there you don't see grit/salt been just chucked on uncleared ground and then left it to turn slippery mush that will only freeze into even more dangerous surface ::)
I know we don't have the equipment to deal with the surfaces..but surely it is more expensive for the country to deal with all lost working hours, sales, accidents, delays, tons and tons of salt and grit,,than getting some proper gear/machinery/attachments for existing work vechiles that can be used again and again....
Why can't council workers be sent to 'wintry' countries to training courses to learn some sense their working methods. Just chucking some salt here and there doesn't solve anything. ......ohh..and about driving on these conditions....majority of drivers are plain xxxxx the way they drive >:( ::) ..and what about dressing up for the weather..wearing sensible shoes etc, etc,... ::) ::) :-X....I'll have to shut up or I never get to sleep tonight..
What happened to the clinker on the pavements from the old coal fires I say?
Blame global warming ;)
Seriously, we all used to pull our own weight in times of adversity and not expect others to sort it out.
But since the times of rising local authority bills et al, lots of people have come to assume the right falls on others.
Ninny
Quote from: goodlife on December 18, 2010, 23:02:50
I come from Finland and when I lived there we rarely we got stuck like in this country..sad to say. It just seem stupid how some simple things like gritting cannot be done efficiently.
Last winter we stayed in Hungary for a few days and got into a pretty bad snow blizzard. Nearly a foot of snow in a couple of hours. Pretty quickly a tiny tractor arrived. It looked like an exhibit from an agriculture museum. It had a wooden board fixed to it at an angle, which scraped along the road and pushed all the snow to the side of the road. Drove up one direction and down the other, road cleared in minutes with minimum fuss. Impressive. This was a residential side street. They had proper snowplows on the main roads which were kept very well cleared. Our hirecar was fitted with winter tyres, which also helped. No chaos whatsoever.
The only thing needed and sadly missing is good old common scense.
Hi, I missed the snow in the 60's due to not been born yet.
However when I was young I seem to remember all my family worked local, down the mines, the sewing factorys, local shops etc, it was very rare anyone I knew had to commute to work. So inturn at least is the weather got bad they could walk to work.
So my question would be, due to the amount of people NOT working local anymore, thanks to Mrs Thatcher (but we will save that for another day) is this giving a false impression that us young ones cannot cope with a bit of snow.
Must agree though some road users dont have a brain cell between them.
As a rail worker I have been out since 0200 this morning and they have asked me to cover through till 1800 tonight.
I have to get myself in and home again, without a thanks from higher management.
snow clearing of sections so trains can change lines, signal(traffic lights for those not in the know) have to be cleaned, speed changes have to have their boards cleared of snow.
Repair work has to continue and workers, shoppers and the like still want to get somewhere by the transport system.
All this leads me to think, How do people get on with their life with so much to moan about?
I am not about to be put off by a few inches of snow, and I do remember the snow of 1963. Oh to be a lad of that age and still wanting the snow to be all there for when I woke so as I could go and play. 8-10' snow drifts and nobody complained back then.
Still better get off as there is more work to be done, break over and more to do.
::) ::) ::) ::)
Thank god for people like you, landiman, it is appreciated by some :)
Quote from: galina on December 18, 2010, 23:57:31
Last winter we stayed in Hungary for a few days and got into a pretty bad snow blizzard. Nearly a foot of snow in a couple of hours. Pretty quickly a tiny tractor arrived. It looked like an exhibit from an agriculture museum. It had a wooden board fixed to it at an angle, which scraped along the road and pushed all the snow to the side of the road. Drove up one direction and down the other, road cleared in minutes with minimum fuss. Impressive. This was a residential side street. They had proper snowplows on the main roads which were kept very well cleared. Our hirecar was fitted with winter tyres, which also helped. No chaos whatsoever.
Snow ploughs work well in countries with a lot of snow, and constant subzero temperates, but here in the south the temperature goes above and below freezing on a daily basis.
If we did not salt/grit this constant melt/freeze would just leave a layer of ice.
My neighbour has just cleared a path through the snow right to my front door, I suppose he was trying to be helpfull, but any melt water has nowhere to go so instead of a few inches of snow which is no problem to walk through, now in the morning it will be a path of ice which will be lethal.
Quote from: brownowl23 on December 18, 2010, 22:21:29
Valmarg - I used to live in Germany who iseem to cope with it far far better and drivers are far more prepared for bad weather
As OH delights in telling me 'it's not very often you're right, missis but you're wrong again.'
Between 1974 and 1990 I used to drive 20 miles each way a day to and from work. In those years I can count of one hand the really bad years. The worst was the 'winter of discontent' 1978/79 when conditions were bad, but were not helped by the total lack of gritting.
I find it unacceptable to spend money on what might happen, bearing in mind that the UK winters are usually relatively mild.
valmarg
If I was not having all the family here for xmas (fingers crossed) we would have gone to Prague for xmas, to get away from strictly, apprentice, sportsman and all the rest of the purile entertainment that seems to be the backbone of the bbc news this morning. But then we would be stuck in an airport for the duration.
At least I can turn the telly off, but I feel sorry for all the families camped out at Heathrow. The newsreaders are still asking WHY? haven't they got eyes in their heads, I expect the passengers would rather stay on the ground than risk a dodgy takeoff.
I agree about the news readers especially on the news 24 programs. Its like they want to turn every crisis into a drama for thier own diva moments.
Its rude , unprofessional and it makes them look very childish and worse we fail to get the subtlties of the stories by not letting the spokes people talk .
But this is what you get when you replace journalists with pretty mouthpeices. I cant bear to watch the bbc when charlie and suzanna are on they dont have a brain cell betweeen them and never listen to the responces of thier guests becuase they are so busy lining up thier next line. ugh!
well i feel better now for the rant! hope everyone stays safe and gets home for xmas
x sunloving
I wish the unemployed would stopped knocking on my door to try to sell me summat.
;D..try wearing Santa's suit when opening the door... ;) I tried..it works ;D
Quote from: sunloving on December 21, 2010, 08:30:49
I agree about the news readers especially on the news 24 programs. Its like they want to turn every crisis into a drama for thier own diva moments.
Its rude , unprofessional and it makes them look very childish and worse we fail to get the subtlties of the stories by not letting the spokes people talk .
But this is what you get when you replace journalists with pretty mouthpeices. I cant bear to watch the bbc when charlie and suzanna are on they dont have a brain cell betweeen them and never listen to the responces of thier guests becuase they are so busy lining up thier next line. ugh!
well i feel better now for the rant! hope everyone stays safe and gets home for xmas
x sunloving
good rant!!
lets face it, WE ARE A LOAD OF WINGING BAS***DS