Britain braced for snow and Siberian temperatures

[NickFitz]

...the snow that brought some areas of Scotland to a standstill

How could they tell?

[Troll]

One might compare and contrast the attitudes of the then Torfaen and Mid Glam councils to the A465 trunk road...

In 1991, I drove (in a fit of insanity) from Neath to Brynmawr after a snowfall...

Roads were ok in West Glam up to the Glynneath Bank where Mid Glam starts...

All through Mid Glam territory from the Glynneath Bank, through Hirwaun, over the top to Merthyr, on to Dowlais Top, the roads hadn't been touched. About 6 inches of pristine snow all the way.

Where Mid Glam changes to Torfaen, a bit further on from Dowlais Top, suddenly the road were clear, had been ploughed and gritted and were no trouble to drive on at all, until the carpark in Bryn Mawr, which was interesting...

What this proves, other than Mid Glam being a useless bunch of tossers, I really don't know.

I actually don't have a clue to the topology of what you describe... but it's Welsh & it sounds hilly rather than valleys, & isn't that the price you have to pay for living in high altitude rural areas?
Gritting /clearing is always done on most benefit basis - reason the Cat & Fiddle road near Buxton is always one of the first to shut down - small & relatively low economic impact targets will get done last.

[Dow Jones]

Not in agreement

Hang on a minute Troll, I am all for the spirit of free enterprise and all that, but we are talking about a state here that claims to be in the top 7 or so in the world, taxes its citizens to death (literally) and councils that follow suit in squeezing every last drop of your hrad-earned income, yet they fail to provide what is deemed as essential services. Isn't there an obligation to keeping the roads/railways etc accessible under those circumstances?
Look at the fiasco at Liverpool St and West Coast Line!

[lilelvis2000]

Hmmm...well consider this. Ottawa had about 25cm of snow a month back, that cost C$5M (£2.5M) to clear up. About three weeks ago they had 37cm of snow to clear that cost C$10M (£5M). The day after each dump of snow Ottawa was pretty close to normal, buses, trains and planes all running normal schedules. Taxes are quite high there, but its justifiable with the kinds of snow they get.

Now, I reckon the snow clearing budget of Lancashire is somewhere near £0. ie: there is no plan to clear snow, just spread salt and hope for the best. Last winter the neighbours on the street were spreading the salt, as no gritters came round our end...and we live on a 10% grade so gritting is essential if you are to make the sharp turn at the bottom. So much for you pays your taxes and you get your services!

[Ardesco]

You answered your own question - we live in a temperate climate, heavy snow falls are the exception not the norm - especially in the Sarf.
Would you want money spent on something that is unlikely to happen? fleets of gritters standing by 'just in case'?

I think our approach on the whole is the best we can hope for...

Pfft

We live in a country where the Thames used to freeze over and you could get horses to drag carts across it a couple of centries ago. I belive there was also a winter fayre that used to regulary take place on the frozen thames.

Of course now it is getting cold again it's climate change not natural weather and sun spots.....

[Troll]

Pfft

We live in a country where the Thames used to freeze over and you could get horses to drag carts across it a couple of centries ago. I belive there was also a winter fayre that used to regulary take place on the frozen thames.

Of course now it is getting cold again it's climate change not natural weather and sun spots.....

Now now .. the Thames freezing was a feature of 'the mini ice age' that affected Europe mid 1400-1800, since we had not then fully completed industrialisation it's effect was not as pronounced as should it happen today.

btw what does pfft mean?

[Troll]

Hmmm...well consider this. Ottawa had about 25cm of snow a month back, that cost C$5M (£2.5M) to clear up. About three weeks ago they had 37cm of snow to clear that cost C$10M (£5M). The day after each dump of snow Ottawa was pretty close to normal, buses, trains and planes all running normal schedules. Taxes are quite high there, but its justifiable with the kinds of snow they get.

Now, I reckon the snow clearing budget of Lancashire is somewhere near £0. ie: there is no plan to clear snow, just spread salt and hope for the best. Last winter the neighbours on the street were spreading the salt, as no gritters came round our end...and we live on a 10% grade so gritting is essential if you are to make the sharp turn at the bottom. So much for you pays your taxes and you get your services!

But the point is Ottawa will always get a heavy snowfall year after year... it can invest capital to address snow moving because it is justified.

In the UK we play a lottery each year and the budget for snow gritting must be a tempting gamble for authorities with other demands... bit like flood defenses you assess the risk and plan (or not ) accordingly.

Some years you'll get away with it... sometimes you get caught out, but eventually the snow will melt and people forget

[Ardesco]

Now now .. the Thames freezing was a feature of 'the mini ice age' that affected Europe mid 1400-1800, since we had not then fully completed industrialisation it's effect was not as pronounced as should it happen today.

btw what does pfft mean?

I belive Astrophysists are predicting that we are due for a big drop in temperatures over the next few years due to the fact that the sun has not done what it was expected to do so you never know we may see the same thing again. Is it in response to use pumping CO2 into the air, is it hell...

You don't know what pfft means??? PFFT!!

[lilelvis2000]

But the point is Ottawa will always get a heavy snowfall year after year... it can invest capital to address snow moving because it is justified.

In the UK we play a lottery each year and the budget for snow gritting must be a tempting gamble for authorities with other demands... bit like flood defenses you assess the risk and plan (or not ) accordingly.

Some years you'll get away with it... sometimes you get caught out, but eventually the snow will melt and people forget

Actually the second snowfall wiped out the entire clearing budget for the year! An when I lived there, we only got the occaisonal dump, maybe twice a year. My point is, funds should be set aside every year...if it is not used it becomes contingency. or used to reduce the tax increase.

[Troll]

So where's the bleedin snow then?

Typical namby-pamby mollycoddled bed-wetting knee-jerk reaction weather bureau.