[News] The question reporters SHOULD have been asking stranded motorists

[Westdene Seagull]

This must be an element in it. A change in the law to make it illegal for companies to withhold pay when employees can't come in due to bad weather would ameliorate the situation

Or, heaven forbid, employers invest in proper remote access solutions. Not only would it help with weather situations but they could reduce the amount of office space they need. It never ceases to amaze me the backwards thinking of some employers about letting people work remotely - usually Sales Directors !

And before I'm picked up on it - I know not everyone has a job that can be done remotely and it doesn't necessarily help the self employed.

 

[Lady Whistledown]

It did make me chuckle when a stranded motorist was complaining about not seeing any gritting lorries. Totally overlooking that if you're in a long queue of stranded traffic, the gritter won't be able to drive along the road to grit it.

Road salt stops the road surface freezing: the aim being to stop ice forming. It doesn't really have any effect on snow, which, in sufficient quantities, will settle easily on a gritted road. The only way to keep roads free of snow is either to have a constant flow of traffic, or to plough them. We don't get enough snowfall in this part of the world for the local authorities to spend vast amounts of money on fleets of snowploughs, so they have to do the best they can with the vehicles they have on the rare occasions when it really comes down.

Also, road salt is only really effective down to about minus 7 degrees celsius. The air temperatures have easily been below that at times this week, and the road surface temperatures even lower in places.

So even if you know the roads have been gritted, it's best not to take it for granted that you won't come across ice.

 

[melias shoes]

So you've been stuck in a traffic jam for 12 hours on this A road in Devon. What part of "there's a red weather alert, don't drive" didn't you understand?

Seeing as you started the question with the word ' SO' I would have ignored you. Plus you would've thought that we had never had a bad snow fall in this country before the way the media is reacting.

 

[narly101]

Still no good for the self employed I guess.

Thats the risk you take being self employed though isn't it?

 

[PILTDOWN MAN]

Thats the risk you take being self employed though isn't it?

And if I was an employer it's the risk my staff take by not living near their workplace so I wouldn't pay them.

 

[CheeseRolls]

So you've been stuck in a traffic jam for 12 hours on this A road in Devon. What part of "there's a red weather alert, don't drive" didn't you understand?

Congratulations to the OP. A post denigrating the poorly informed without reference to their race, religion, ethnicity or gender (yet)

 

[Hamilton]

But its incredibly selfish. Try using that reasoning to the family of the 7 year old girl killed in Looe by a car that skated out of control down a hill; or the children of someone who kills himself in an accident in the snow. Get a hotel for the night, take a day off unpaid, its better in the long-run. Its one day in 25 years for christ's sake.

I hear what you are saying, but I also hear the argument from many people who will say they simply can't afford not to try to get to work.

 

[Coldeanseagull]

Congratulations to the OP. A post denigrating the poorly informed without reference to their race, religion, ethnicity or gender (yet)

Everybody should have school age kids, then their wives could be in the 4x4 and have more chance of getting home to put the dinner on

 

[Guinness Boy]

Congratulations to the OP. A post denigrating the poorly informed without reference to their race, religion, ethnicity or gender (yet)

Yes, but knowing the OP's previous, if everyone had stayed at home instead he'd have posted a rant about how ridiculous it was that the whole country had shut down after a few flakes of snow.

 

[Bob'n'weave]

Road salt stops the road surface freezing: the aim being to stop ice forming. It doesn't really have any effect on snow, which, in sufficient quantities, will settle easily on a gritted road. The only way to keep roads free of snow is either to have a constant flow of traffic, or to plough them. We don't get enough snowfall in this part of the world for the local authorities to spend vast amounts of money on fleets of snowploughs, so they have to do the best they can with the vehicles they have on the rare occasions when it really comes down.

Also, road salt is only really effective down to about minus 7 degrees celsius. The air temperatures have easily been below that at times this week, and the road surface temperatures even lower in places.

So even if you know the roads have been gritted, it's best not to take it for granted that you won't come across ice.

Makes a lot sense.
And with this in mind we should all be looking after ourselves IF we have to go out in this kind of weather. Public info needs to be put out along with the sensationalistic news reports, like what to take if case of problems, precautions like keeping snow covers for your tyres in the boot. If we don't prepare for the worst then every time we get an inch or two this carnage will continue. No use complaining about .gov not making it all go away or fixing it, just be prepared. BTW, I use snow socks on my tyres, on and off in a minute and will keep you out of trouble driving on snow/ice. Should be a legal requirement in Scotland!

 

[biddles911]

I hear what you are saying, but I also hear the argument from many people who will say they simply can't afford not to try to get to work.

Understand the argument re needing to work though risking your life and others for the sake of a day’s pay seems a bit disproportionate to me?

What I don’t understand is when people don’t make any effort to prepare for the conditions e.g. take warm clothes, food and drink, bring a spade etc., as appears to have been the case with many motorists?

That’s just rank stupidity.....


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[spring hall convert]

Isn't an essential part of being self employed ensuring that you have contingency for scenarios where you are unable to work?

Or should the public purse take the risk on sorting out the mess when people make unnecessary, money motivated decisions to ignore severe weather.

It's selfish. Sort your affairs out better rather than using pursuit of money as an excuse for behaving irresponsibly.

 

[jasetheace]

I have witnessed some shocking driving this week. The worst of which might seem the most mundane.

Coming over Dartford Bridge earlier in the week in appalling conditions. Those that traverse this route like me know that the cameras around Dartford actually work. And so it was that in those appalling conditions when I was nudging 53mph (the max is 50 but you get a little leeway..ok I know!!) a truck looms up against my arse flashing lights, honking horn and takes the very outside lane. Overtakes and then of course cuts me up.

The staying in lane argument is irrelevant over the bridge as everyone does 50 ish so it doesn't much matter which lane you are in and in those conditions what excuse is there for those behaviours?

Hope he gets his letter in the post for speed. Luckily for him, conditions were that bad that I couldn't accurately make out the livery.I might have been tempted to dob him in..

Although probably not as when calm, I am not of that disposition.

Anyway, in answer to some of the posts here, we have an workforce split between office and remote/mobile and I have tried to show compassion and understanding in relation to issues of accessibility keeping safety (and worrying about it) at the front of my considerations. If your employer does not and piles on the pressure overtly or even sub consciously, then you know what to do...

 

[essbee1]

How about some people need to work for a living? How about some need to get to their place of work? Hospitals? Council offices? Energy suppliers? How about the school headmistress stops thinking that her staff might be vput at risk by life in general? How about the media stop overplaying everything to the point that nobody takes notice anymore? How about the emergency services stop bleating on about how dangerous things are via their Twatter account and actually got on with doing their job? How about people WALKING to work? I did it years ago, 4 or 5 miles in snow a foot deep, Mrs WQW did it in the last decent snowfall about 7 or 8 years ago, Hove to Shoreham and back. How about the lightweights stop using a smattering of snow as an excuse for a day off (and expect to be paid)? Meanwhile, it will be 31 Centigrade here tomorrow!

Smug b*********

 

[drew]

Or, heaven forbid, employers invest in proper remote access solutions. Not only would it help with weather situations but they could reduce the amount of office space they need. It never ceases to amaze me the backwards thinking of some employers about letting people work remotely - usually Sales Directors !

And before I'm picked up on it - I know not everyone has a job that can be done remotely and it doesn't necessarily help the self employed.

This. What percentage of those bods sitting on their backsides in expensive real estate in London actually need to be there 9-5, 5 days a week. Most spend their day stuck in front of a screen and on the phone, tasks that could be done at home.

 

[Gwylan]

Ameliorate the problem for employee maybe....Not so good for employer or self employed !!

I meant ameliorate the situation for everyone. I'm self-employed so I'm fully aware that it's not easy but the self-employed may just shrug off the loss of a day's pay, it's not so easy for an employed person who's been told "come in or lose your job".

I should stress that I'm not saying people shouldn't come in when the weather's bad: they shouldn't come in when the Met Office issues a red warning: in those situations employees should get a day at home without penalty.

 

[spring hall convert]

And if I was an employer it's the risk my staff take by not living near their workplace so I wouldn't pay them.

And the public purse'll pay for it if they need medical treatment or digging out of the motorway. Woo-hoo triples all round!

 

[Weststander]

I think its a direct result of British people trying to be macho and saying 'I won't let a bit of snow stop me. Do you think we won the war by staying home in the snow?'

People died yesterday. Whoever the hell thought it was a good idea to try and cross Dartmoor on the A30, or try and go up and down Haldon Hill and Telegraph Hill on the A38/A380, with those weather forecasts, were just being incredibly selfish.

This. The severe warnings for SW England, Wales and Scotland couldn’t have been more explicit and were issued days ahead. Contrary to the snowflake noise, Red Warnings have rarely been used. Yet the stubborn still travelled long distances.

Some radio and TV interviewers did gently ask why to stuck travellors. The answers were honest that they didn’t listen properly or have a stubborn nature. Not one said because they’re a vital worker.

Four wheel drive cars might give confidence, but rarely help when trapped behind countless lorries and 2WD cars in snow.

 

[drew]

Self-employed?

Loaf of bread £5-00 Milk £10-00 Why?Because companies attempting to make a profit after paying their staff to sit at home. Please get real.

I love the way so many believe it's ok just to expect money from their employers irrelevant of their attendance. It all has to be costed, sick pay, maternity pay, paternity pay, holiday pay and now living too far away from your work to walk, you have to stay at home pay.

My old contract stated I had to live within the vicinity of my place of work. You were allowed to live further afield but would be expected to make arrangements to get in if bad weather hit. This could be staying in a hotel close by. Not a problem as it was for an airline so plenty around the airport. BA even paid for the hotel.

Talk about the papers over reacting! How hard is it to make up a lost days work?

 

[pauli cee]

Thats the risk you take being self employed though isn't it?

Self employed isn't a choice for most in the construction industry, as most contractors will only take you on that way.

Was having this conversation with a guy today, the benefits of self employed have long gone, and we now seem the easiest targets for HMRC and main contractors