Sick of the incessant snow updates

We’re just over the M62 in Stainland. Heavy snow until 1ish. The snow plough went up several times through the night because we’re on a bus route.

Calderdale council have put signs up all over the borough recently about not gritting minor lanes (budget cuts). I’m expecting a lot of complaints today as there will be a lot of people who can’t get to work.

And yet for years we always noticed that Calderdale gritted far better than Kirklees. The difference as you crossed from New Hey Road even onto relatively minor roads like Marsden Gate was marked

Local schools all shut, except one, though the school bus got stuck on a hill and has just left the kids at a pub for the school minibus to ferry them the rest of the way.

“Too cold for snow” here. Minus 7c in Aviemore and minus 13c just up the road. Crisp, clear morning though.

Lovely crisp fresh morning here in South Lanarkshire, minus 5c currently, beautiful blue skies and a heavy frost.

Town Field, Doncaster, just now.

Lovely crisp fresh morning here in South Lanarkshire, minus 5c currently, beautiful blue skies and a heavy frost.

Honestly, this famous “east kilbride” snow is a lie. Anyone from here was the first to call in to work saying they couldn’t make it to work because of the biblical snow here. 4 years I’ve been here and we’ve had a few dustings. Skiving barstewards!

Minus 7c in Aviemore and minus 13c just up the road.

And eldest still cycled to the Lodge from Boat of Garten this morning, and will be cycling home from leaving drinks in Aviemore pub tonight. No he doesn’t have studded tyres!

Can’t park there mate.

Fosse way Warwickshire

Honestly, this famous “east kilbride” snow is a lie. Anyone from here was the first to call in to work saying they couldn’t make it to work because of the biblical snow here. 4 years I’ve been here and we’ve had a few dustings.

we’ve been here 21 years now Bob.  In the first 10 we had a lot of pretty disruptive snow and ice, very much less in the last decade for sure.

/\ /\ that’s not gone well for them!

But…but…isn’t that a 4×4?

Nothing here at the far western end of Bannau Brycheiniog. A friend in Brecon reckons there’s some on the tops but he’s not been outside to look yet.

There’s even snow in Evesham, this is at the top of Fish Hill at 6 this morning…

And this is in the Vale…

The most surprising thing about this is that the weather forecasters were right for once…

Just another beautiful icy (-4c earlier) day where we are in Angus.

Loving this weather, due to last until the weekend. This time last year around here was recovering from storm Babet floods so it’s a nice change.

Can’t park there mate.

I wonder how many of those were essential car trips

But…but…isn’t that a 4×4?

yes indeed, and like most large suv type 4×4’s it will probably be on wide normal tyres and the driver won’t have taken basic physics into account and that traction to get moving is different from braking ability. But to be fair, the majority drivers are not educated about this.

The assumption that their tank-sized vehicles will magically grip on ice and snow with wide summer tyres just because they are delivering power with 4 vs 2 wheels is always found out on the first wintry day, when they are going sideways and small 2wd cars with narrow tyres are zipping past.

But…but…isn’t that a 4×4?

I used my Mighty Yaris on the 8 mile Highland commute – on more than a few occasions my sub 1-ton car on skinny all season or winter tyres stopped on ice and snow, while the farmers 110 or 130 slid past locked up into undergrowth, and other fake 4×4’s also…

Fun commute this morning

I’m surprised how heavy the snow in Bristol is at the moment, especially as the BBC Weather site still just says light rain…

This thread is 11 years old! Does the OP even come on here anymore?! ?

Quite a modest dusting in Manchester.

Roads were fine in HX3, got to Brighouse fine at 7am but didn’t risk my usual shortcut up a steep lane. Looked very festive out back though 

Time for this fun again of course:

On Her Majesty’s Slippery Surface has to be a winner this year…

https://www.traffic.gov.scot/gritter-tracker

This thread is 11 years old! Does the OP even come on here anymore?! ?

No, but it makes me smirk to post on here. And to be fair, it stops a multitude of other random threads….

starting to melt nicely in Bucks

Snowing rather heavily in the FOD, makes doing deliveries in a truck fun!  Very much doubt there will be any at all when I get back to Cardiff though, haven’t had any snow there for nearly a decade

Soggy snowless and a terrible day to have booked the car into a garage in central Cambridge for me. Covered the same distance in half the time getting out to the office after dropping it off though.

Not much in Macc. Had a nice walk though 🙂

I wonder how many of those were essential car trips

It always seems that there is a conflicting viewpoint whenever it snows.

I ‘had’ to drive to my job today which took me about an hour on country roads. I’d much rather not have to be honest as I’m driving a rear wheel drive van with no weight in it that will wheelspin on a single wet leaf! Self employed though so it’s a chunk of dough if I don’t go in, plus the potential snow day shaming.

But I took my time and was patient and sensible. On the road though, you’ll tend to get a mixture of nervousness through to bravado, sort of like comments above where clearly ‘people simply don’t have the necessary snow driving skills’, compared to whoever currently isn’t parked in a ditch.

So you’ll get people going incredibly cautiously and driving gods driving up your rear.

Then once at work, it’s tales of, ‘oh I lived 2 hours from the office and made it in on days like this, while Sheila who lived a mile down the road apparently was snowed in!’

Yeah. I suppose it’s because we don’t have regular and reliable snow that it’s always difficult to find that happy medium. Especially driving.

There’s a kind of pressure to make the journey and make it into work. But when it goes wrong which it can do easily, the pressure is that clearly people are just not skilled enough and should have left the roads to those who are all of teh awesumz.

Go carefully all 🙂

Yeah. I suppose it’s because we don’t have regular and reliable snow that it’s always difficult to find that happy medium. Especially driving.

Not had much practice driving in snow here (Derby) for 10 years or so. Slightly nervous if I’d had to drive today.

Daughter has just passed her test and needs to get to her part time job from 5-7 tonight. Snow looks likely to have gone but the ice could be lethal coming back.

Sacked off work, hand pruning 20000 vines covered in snow isn’t fun.

It’s been snowing most of the morning in Cardiff, but nothing has stuck of course.

Then once at work, it’s tales of, ‘oh I lived 2 hours from the office and made it in on days like this, while Sheila who lived a mile down the road apparently was snowed in!’

It depends on local situation. I live in a housing development in which is made of cul-de-sacs, but the main route is ploughed. If you live on the main route you can just pull out of your driveway and you’re fine. If you live in a flat cul-de-sac you have to trundle out on packed snow for a but but then you’re ok.  However our road, whilst only 50m or so long is a steep hill, so it needs to be clear for people to get up.  Similarly, if you live in the Valleys the main roads can be clear but the side streets can be very steep and narrow so cannot be ploughed and even if you shovel the snow there’s not necessarily anywhere to put it.

Not much in Macc. Had a nice walk though

I’ve got to confess that given your aversion to heating I’m a bit disappointed that you’re not out in a string vest and a pair of shorts.

I’ve got to confess that given your aversion to heating I’m a bit disappointed that you’re not out in a string vest and a pair of shorts.

I quite like heating but it costs money so I’ve got a big jumper and woolly hat on and am sat under a blanket (I’m still colder than I was outside though as I’m not moving around)

@simondbarnes – readying that Santa look I see. Good skills 🙂

The assumption that their tank-sized vehicles will magically grip on ice and snow with wide summer tyres just because they are delivering power with 4 vs 2 wheels is always found out on the first wintry day, when they are going sideways and small 2wd cars with narrow tyres are zipping past.

The long gone and lamented Boomerang hotel in Morzine was run by an Aussie who claimed his stock 2CV would still be making journeys long after every 4×4 had parked itself in a ditch/piste machine/bar door. Never ran snow chains apparently. Still I was onlt ever there in summer so it could have been BS!

Retriever snow roll unlocked. Still snowing a bit here but not really settling much. Blooming cold and unpleasant tho. Glad I’m WFH in the toasty heated shed.

Oh and @sharkbait – in winters past, I carried 4 of those in the back of my beemer estate. Useful if I / someone needed de-icing action but more useful putting some weight on the rear tyres. Was known as the “Ghetto Winter Sports Pack” 🙂

However our road, whilst only 50m or so long is a steep hill, so it needs to be clear for people to get up.

I and the neighbours have spades and grit. It tends to be a nice social opportunity to wander out on a snowy morning and help everyone out. All the elderly get a knock and driveway cleared as well by one of the neighbours.

@Scapegoat – that was very true. However this year we’ll be matching Kirklees sketchy levels of gritting.

Calderdale tried something similar about 7-8 years ago and after a few crashes and threats of legal action they miraculously changed back to gritting all streets where people live