observer Posted December 19, 2009 Report Share Posted December 19, 2009 Well it's that time of year again; temp down to minus zero, snow and ice on the roads etc - then we get the news stories of multiple road accidents, trains trapped in tunnels, schools closed: are we ever prepared for anything in this Country? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mary Posted December 19, 2009 Report Share Posted December 19, 2009 I am glad to hear you have snow - I can remember that last year you were all hoping for it. Is anyone prepared to deal with weather change? Most people don't even bother to know what the weather is until they are in it, let alone drive. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peter T Posted December 19, 2009 Report Share Posted December 19, 2009 Well it's that time of year again; temp down to minus zero, snow and ice on the roads etc - then we get the news stories of multiple road accidents, trains trapped in tunnels, schools closed: are we ever prepared for anything in this Country? Most people NO!!!!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Evil Sid Posted December 19, 2009 Report Share Posted December 19, 2009 had to chuckle when i read about the chunnel trains breaking down. it seems they could not cope with the change from cold air to the warmer air in the tunnel. all that money spent on development honestly you could not make it up. as for the rest it is the same every year, half an inch of snow and the country grinds to halt. the big problem is that we don't get enough of this type of weather to allow people to learn how to cope with it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paul Kennedy Posted December 19, 2009 Report Share Posted December 19, 2009 But as it is a joint venture between ourselves and the French, is this problem their fault or ours. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bill Posted December 19, 2009 Report Share Posted December 19, 2009 Sid?s right in that many younger drivers have never experienced driving in snowy conditions and it really shows. Mind you, the modern front wheel drive car aren?t as easy to control as the rear wheel drive cars we used to have back in the days when snow was more common. As for being prepared, one recommendation I can give is if your going on a longish journey, other than the standard government advice is to make sure your mobile is fully charged and you carry a satnav unit. I got stuck up in the wilds of Scotland on Thursday night, got totally lost and couldn?t see any of the road signs because they were covered in snow. Without a satnav, I had to rely on directions given over the mobile and if I hadn?t had that, I?d probably still be stuck up there now! Bill Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
observer Posted December 19, 2009 Author Report Share Posted December 19, 2009 So how do the Russians and Canadians cope with minus 30C? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LymmParent Posted December 20, 2009 Report Share Posted December 20, 2009 They grow up with it and learn to respect the weather, plan properly and behave sensibly. Ask around and you'll find very few drivers here who have the basic shovel and blanket in the car, even when the forecast is heavy snow. How many drivers do you see without even a coat, because the car has a heater and they're not going far? You'd only do that once in minus 30, wouldn't you? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peter T Posted December 20, 2009 Report Share Posted December 20, 2009 But as it is a joint venture between ourselves and the French, is this problem their fault or ours. Je ne sais quoi!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Evil Sid Posted December 20, 2009 Report Share Posted December 20, 2009 well just come in from walking the dog across sankey valley. everywhere has a light dusting of powdery snow. even the canal is white. only problem i had was crossing over the two bridges. the paths were ok but the bridges were so icy that even the dog had trouble keeping its footing. we got halfway across the second one and it stopped and gave me that "i want to go home" look so we gingerly shuffled round and skated back to the less slippy path. now sat here with a hot coffee and very disgusted dog. not sure if he is disgusted at having a short walk or for me dragging him out in such horrible conditions. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peter T Posted December 20, 2009 Report Share Posted December 20, 2009 My two idiots were scooping it up as they walked along. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
observer Posted December 20, 2009 Author Report Share Posted December 20, 2009 Get cabined up, heating on full blast and hope there's somat on TV! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Geoffrey Settle Posted December 20, 2009 Report Share Posted December 20, 2009 Our dog loved her walk in the snow this morning and the minor roads are getting slippery but once you remember the techniques of wlaking and driving in the snow you start to get used to the conditions. I was running along the front at Douglas yesterday with my son and we were slipping and sliding everywhere. They hadn't put any grit down on the pavements. Fortunately the tide was out so we ran along the beach. The taxi driver had only just told us the day before that the Isle of Man never gets any snow because of the Gulf Stream. Well by 4pm it was snowing hard. Good advice from Bill above. Advice that we've all forgotten about because it just doesn't snow very often and we don't get the practice. The countries that Obs refers to have worse conditions for longer so they have to find solutions. However when it comes to the Chunnel fiasco that is something else altogether. They should have contingency plans in ready operation that worked first time - especially considering their record - it's an utter disgrace. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
observer Posted December 20, 2009 Author Report Share Posted December 20, 2009 Any competant organisation should have plans for any and every contingency, however rare - according to first reports, the chunnel rail authority didn't. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peter T Posted December 20, 2009 Report Share Posted December 20, 2009 Geoff, I hope that you did a Risk Assessment before running. As for forgetting because it doesn't happen very often, WHY would you forget????? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
observer Posted December 20, 2009 Author Report Share Posted December 20, 2009 Early onset of Alzeimers?! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.