Why does the UK grind to a halt with a little snow?

[Overlag]

let me guess, it snows maybe once every 6-10 years in the UK. In oslo its every year. So we dont get "used to it" so id say 95% of us have never driven in snow like it is here. Last time it snowed like this in Essex i was 9. Im now 26.

he has winter tyres on, we have summer tyres. Very few people here will have even heard of winter tyres.




I drove about 10miles in this snow last night, barely got above 20mph.

 

[Mr-White]

the reason the UK grinds to a halt is we rarely get snow, so we drop everything to go make snow angels

MW

 

[Sankari]

let me guess, it snows maybe once every 6-10 years in the UK. In oslo its every year. So we dont get "used to it" so id say 95% of us have never driven in snow like it is here. Last time it snowed like this in Essex i was 9. Im now 26.

he has winter tyres on, we have summer tyres. Very few people here will have even heard of winter tyres.

[...]

I drove about 10miles in this snow last night, barely got above 20mph.

I drove in snow like that two years ago, and again this morning (14 miles to work).

 

[Overlag]

also i dunno why the holiday thing came up, but i have to book bank holidays off out of part of my allowance... YES THAT INCLUDES CHRISTMAS DAY... otherwise i have to work.

UK sucks.

 

[Overlag]

I drove in snow like that two years ago, and again this morning.

your in the mids, in london it doesnt snow.

 

[Fothsn]

Has anyone blamed the Muslims yet?

Seems like it’s you doing all the moaning, perhaps you should?

See Australia managed to cope with the huge heat wave they just had? It’s the same for us, it just doesn’t happen anymore these snow storms, people blaming the county please!

 

[Sankari]

Seems like it’s you doing all the moaning, perhaps you should?

Sounds like a plan.

See Australia managed to cope with the huge heat wave they just had?

Yeah, we did. Of course, it's an entirely different phenomenon; you can clear snow from the roads, but you can't stop the sun from heating up cars, buckling train lines or starting bushfires, can you? Not to mention the occasional arsonist.

Still, at least the nation didn't grind to a halt; people still went to work, and the schools stayed open.

It’s the same for us, it just doesn’t happen anymore these snow storms, people blaming the county please!

We are not talking about national blizzards here. It's a bit of snow; deeper in some areas than others, but nothing impressive.

 

[Wicksta]

also i dunno why the holiday thing came up, but i have to book bank holidays off out of part of my allowance... YES THAT INCLUDES CHRISTMAS DAY... otherwise i have to work.

UK sucks.

If bank holidays (including Christmas day) fall on weekends in Germany then you lose them, it's not carried over to the Monday. Different countries have their own 'problems' with holiday as well as the UK. Try moving to Canada or the USA and start moaning about how much holiday you get there compared to the UK.

 

[Wicksta]

We are not talking about national blizzards here. It's a bit of snow; deeper in some areas than others, but nothing impressive.

It's bad enough around here that it's pretty undriveable, and I'm used to winter driving. The snow around here is also bad enough that it would have caused problems in other more prepared countries as well. Chatting to a friend in Canada this morning he said there was about 10cm (less than around here) of snow last week and statistically an accident every 60 seconds in the area on his commute to Toronto. And they have winter tyres.

 

[Fothsn]

Sounds like a plan.



Yeah, we did. Of course, it's an entirely different phenomenon; you can clear snow from the roads, but you can't stop the sun from heating up cars, buckling train lines or starting bushfires, can you? Not to mention the occasional arsonist.

Still, at least the nation didn't grind to a halt; people still went to work, and the schools stayed open.



We are not talking about national blizzards here. It's a bit of snow; deeper in some areas than others, but nothing impressive.

I probably sounded a bit funny about the heat wave in Australia, it’s not good when old people die of heat exhaustion, but I’m only mentioning it as it happens not so often, we don’t have snow like this anymore in the UK so when it comes we are not prepared for it like a lot of EU countries that have regular snow fall, just the way it is and how does the UK come to a standstill? I went to work just like millions of people?

 

[Overlag]

It's a bit of snow; deeper in some areas than others, but nothing impressive.

how is it not impressive when we have not had a foot of snow for about 20 years?

 

[Tenzen]

Simply put we dont have the experince or infrastructure. More to the point we dont need it. The cost of being prepared for it far outweighs the actual risk of it happening.

Therefore when it does happen we grind to a halt. I wouldnt expect anything less either.

 

[Sime]

 

[KNiVES]

People don't seem to realize that they endanger themselves and the lives of other people by attemping to drive in such conditions without the proper training and tyres. Stop being such stupid idiots and stay inside.

 

[dirtydog]

I agree with Evangelion - we've had snow and slightly below zero temperatures. Compared to many other European countries or parts of North America, or even Scotland, it is absolutely nothing. The snow in most areas of England is not so bad as to require snow tyres. Okay you can't drive at normal speed or without taking extra care, but staying at home in most cases is ridiculous.

I don't remember my school ever being closed when we had snow, when I was a child either.

 

[unknowndomain]

I don't think its silly at all, the railways, roads and people are no ready for this kind of freak weather, Also its not just a little snow, the picture you showed us of Oslo is what its like here in Epsom, there are massive piles of snow and the road is a blanket of it, its okay for us to have a day off anyway.

 

[dirtydog]

its okay for us to have a day off anyway.

Perhaps giving people paid days off for 'bad weather' is part of the problem. I went to work today because I wouldn't get paid otherwise.

 

[unknowndomain]

I was going to go to work but I was told my store was closing at 5pm and I start at 6pm

 

[Overlag]

I agree with Evangelion - we've had snow and slightly below zero temperatures. Compared to many other European countries or parts of North America, or even Scotland, it is absolutely nothing. The snow in most areas of England is not so bad as to require snow tyres. Okay you can't drive at normal speed or without taking extra care, but staying at home in most cases is ridiculous.

I don't remember my school ever being closed when we had snow, when I was a child either.

ok...

Dad, Bus driver, been at work since 6, yet to drive a bus today, no buses running.

Mum/sister work up Barking/London. No way to get to work because tube is not running. My mum COULD drive to barking, pay £20 to park, then my sister could get a taxi to London, but what if the expected extra foot of snow comes later. How will they get home later?

Me, ill have to go to work even if London got nuked by the Russians. Gotta love Tesco.


Comparing our snow to other countries with other climates is just daft. You know what? North America's snow is NOTHING compared to Antarctica, so its a bit dim to compare it. The problem is how regular this happens. Most countries will have a stable climate so they get there heavy snow once every year or so. Last time it snowed like this the conservatives was still in power, 1991. And yes I still had to go to school.

Last snow fall near London was 2003? 2004? and 2007?. Those falls were less than 2cm and never settled on treated roads/pavements and trains ran fine. The foot of snow we have today and the extra foot we might get later is exceptional.

 

["andy"]

actually..