Good people of Britain...........PANIC

[MARKakaJIM]

Massive disappointment up here with seemingly no fresh snowfall, temperatures up a couple of degrees from yesterday and wind doesn't seem as violent either.

Still plenty of crap about in my street but once past there everything was completely cleared until I got to the last few hundred metres from work where the road is very exposed and there was still a lot of snow around from yesterday's drifts, albeit most seem to have been broken up and scattered across the road now but it didn't pose any challenge.

Current weather forecast doesn't show much to worry about up here now, think we've seen the worst of the Beast of the East and doesn't look like the storm from down South will make it this far up with any real force.

 

[Langers]

Trains all fine. On the Chiltern to London. Huzzah!!

 

[The Bear]

Took me ten mins more to get to the hospital And that was because people can't seem to drive over 15mph in a bit of slush.

The main roads are clear enough with tracks to drive in, other than the bit of slush which makes people shit themselves for some reason.

They are short handed in the hospital with staff saying they can't get in. Load of rubbish. Probably because their kids aren't at school.

 

[Donegal Wolf]

Had to abandon my car Wednesday evening about a mile from the house. Went down yesterday and not a single car track on the road since, so left it there, will imagine still be there today after last night, although we seem to have missed the worst of it.

As the nearest shop is 5 miles away not much point in going out, have enough stuff in but we ran out of alcohol last night (hopefully we will make it through without any until tomorrow!)

As I am working from home the last couple of days have took the executive decision to let the wife and kids put the heating on during the day (getting soft in my old age)

 

[lemonjelly]

Apparently the snow during the night (here in south bham at least) stopped around 3 (was forecast to fall through the night).
Have walked in (partially to prove a point, won't bore you with the details) and am one of only 2 people out of 40 on my floor to have got in. Walk takes me about 55 mins give or take.

It doesn't feel as cold out there as previous days have.
Hoping that they do get other roads clear during the day, as am supposed to be going to see Dara at the hippodrome tonight. Saw a snowplough/gritter doing a main route on the way in.

Snow is forecast across the day, though we're at the edge of it, so could get away with it.

 

[Kenny]

Roads into Birmingham were fine this morning. Won't be an issue for you later

 

[lemonjelly]

Looking at the walk in to work, it wasn't great, up to the a38 (on my side of the city). Certainly looks do-able for me.

 

[Paddingtonwolf]

Roads are fine apart from the pricks who want to drive at normal speed rather than driving to the conditions

 

[Parkins left foot]

About 5ins of snow here - no idea what the roads are like as live in a cul de sac & no one has been down this end of the road yet (there are a lot of retired people in Dorset) & I don't need to go out anyway.

Artistic wave patterns all down the drive - could probably enter it for the Turner prize plus now have frosted opaque windows at the front of the house where the snow was blown against it during the night & now frozen on.

The cat decided to go out to have a look even though she was told that she wouldn't like it. Jumped off the back step & promptly half disappeared in the snow-immediately jumped back in & now sitting by the patio doors looking at it with a bemused look.

 

[Boozad]

Just had a walk down the local shops and while the paths are fine the roads are ridiculous. Cars were just spinning everywhere, two have skidded up onto the path and been abandoned and a 4 x 4 has shot onto the doctor’s car park. It’s weird because it doesn’t look that bad but I stood and watched two cars trying to move and they were going absolutely nowhere, just moving from side to side a tiny bit. The wind is still blasting as well, just having a coffee to thaw my face out.

 

[b3h]

The main roads are clear enough with tracks to drive in, other than the bit of slush which makes people shit themselves for some reason.

What if your car is absolute shit in the snow but passed it's MOT

 

[The Bear]

Cars aren't shit in the snow as long as your tyres are ok, it's just the drivers who don't have any experience driving in it and are a bit too timid. You take extra caution obviously and leave bigger gaps, but 15mph is too slow along a normal road. That's how people get stuck going up hills because they slow down too much and don't keep their momentum going.

I managed to get up a steep hill full of snow just off my house with no tarmac visible just snow tracks, and I drive a front wheel drive small hatchback. Yet I saw someone come rolling back down just before I left. It's about confidence and technique.

 

[Tredman]

Our cars are generally shit in the snow because we don;t use winter tyres. You can have all the confidence and technique in the world but if you don;t have grip you don;'t have grip,

 

[Boozad]

Yep, the people skidding round our estate earlier weren’t going uphill and were only slowing down to let other cars through the other way then couldn’t get moving again. Fuck all to do with confidence, more to do with the state of the roads and the cars not being able to move on them.

 

[The Bear]

Well yes if you're forced to slow down and the snow is deep enough then you're stuffed no matter what.

Lack of grip can be overcome by momentum for dealing with hills, but only to a point obviously.

 

[b3h]

My tyres are fine. But my car is dangerous in the snow. I'm fairly confident and don't care about driving in snow

(FWIW I walked so I'm not the type you're dissing )

 

[Paddingtonwolf]

The roundabout by McDonalds on the way into town last night was like practice night for Tokyo Drift in a rear-wheel drive Merc. Absolutely lethal. This morning Pendeford was pretty bad but you could keep going at a sensible speed. Stafford Road was fine past the M54.

 

[PPB]

Bishops Wood appears to be buggered. Sister can't get out at all. Which means she can't take step dad for his treatment. Is it because of money or lack of it that the ploughs and gritters don't get sent out?????

I think what DW said about UK sounds about right......it's shit!!

 

[Parkins left foot]

Bishops Wood appears to be buggered. Sister can't get out at all. Which means she can't take step dad for his treatment. Is it because of money or lack of it that the ploughs and gritters don't get sent out?????

I think what DW said about UK sounds about right......it's shit!!

Never been enough to do more than keep the main roads open - minor & estate roads don't get treated (though in the village I used to live in there were grit boxes dotted around so that residents could go & treat the roads themselves)

Makes sense in a country that will only have a week or so of this (& none in many years) - not going to spend loads of money on equipment thats going to be unused most of the time

 

[Paddingtonwolf]

I saw gritters with snowploughs this morning. They are out.