Government warning regarding the weather

[gazingdown]

A government warning said that anyone travelling in icy conditions should take a shovel, blankets, sleeping bag, extra clothing (including hat, scarf and gloves), 24 hour supply of food and drink, de-icer, rock salt, torch, tow rope, petrol can, first aid kit and jump leads.

I looked like a right twat on the bus this morning

 

[smoke grenade]

A government warning said that anyone travelling in icy conditions should take a shovel, blankets, sleeping bag, extra clothing (including hat, scarf and gloves), 24 hour supply of food and drink, de-icer, rock salt, torch, tow rope, petrol can, first aid kit and jump leads.

I looked like a right twat on the bus this morning

LOL

 

[Peter Grummit]

Just getting that together for my bike ride now....

 

[catfish]

That's a lot of gear to carry down to the corner shop & back.

 

[GreersElbow]

Oh jolly, an excuse for the Chancellor to blame something other than himself for poor economic growth, riveting!

 

[Sussex Nomad]

Are the general public so thick they need this pointing out to them!?

Do people reply to emails telling them of vast fortunes to share from Nigeria?

 

[Deleted member 18477]

OR they could put more grit down? And have more slow ploughs at the ready? Like all other countries in the world where snow falls...

 

[Lady Whistledown]

Are the general public so thick they need this pointing out to them!?

Judging by the number of teenage females in hardly any clothing whose cars I had to dig out of the snow on the A23 on Saturday night/Sunday morning, I would say most definitely YES.

 

[Manx Shearwater]

Judging by the number of teenage females in hardly any clothing whose cars I had to dig out of the snow on the A23 on Saturday night/Sunday morning, I would say most definitely YES.

Will you be needing any help with this should it snow again this weekend?

Just wondering like.

 

[strings]

OR they could put more grit down? And have more slow ploughs at the ready? Like all other countries in the world where snow falls...

On the one hand I agree with you. On the other, I don't think it will ever happen. We only tend to get snow for a couple of weeks a year at worst - if we believe what we were told about last year being a 'once in two-hundred years' freak occurrence. I don't think that our government or councils would be willing to increase spending in snow equipment that will sit unused most of the year. Nor do I think that people would be willing to have other services cut, or have their taxes raised, in order to pay for more snow equipment.

Due to the infrequency of our snow in comparison to the rest of Europe and North America, I think we will always be the poor relative when it comes to coping with snow.

 

[Lady Whistledown]

OR they could put more grit down? And have more slow ploughs at the ready? Like all other countries in the world where snow falls...

I would say at this point that the gritters were going up and down the A23/M23 constantly throughout Saturday evening, I saw them regularly, but when snow comes down quickly, there's only so much that can be done. To be effective, the salt needs vehicles to grind it into the road surface, and if there aren't many cars about, as is the case at 10pm on a Saturday night, then it doesn't work so well. Plus that's designed to stop the road surface freezing, not snow sitting on top of it.

The snowploughs were also out, but at least two got stuck in the traffic on Handcross Hill after a lorry jacknifed, which kind of renders them impotent. While that was being sorted, it kept snowing, making the situation worse until they could be extricated.

People should realise that sometimes nature is going to win, no matter what we do. There is no point in this country spending a fortune on snow gear, be it councils or individuals, for the rare occasions when we actually get enough snow to make a difference.

 

[Lady Whistledown]

Will you be needing any help with this should it snow again this weekend?

Just wondering like.

Will keep you posted