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Original poster

Travelling to work in snow.

66 replies

Toughtips · 27/12/2018 20:21

How do you non 4wd do it.

I'm worrying about travelling when we get the inevitable snow.

Any tips?

I know how to drive in it etc

OP posts:

ivykaty44 · 27/12/2018 20:23

Get snow tyres on your car now for the winter

ScarlettDarling · 27/12/2018 20:24

Leave the car at home and rely on public transport, resigning myself to being very, very late! I'd rather be safe than on time and I feel safer on a bus than in my tiny fiat in the snow!

BadgerSandwich · 27/12/2018 20:24

Snow tires on the car. Check the forecast before leaving home. Make essential journeys only. Not much more to it...

Kemer2018 · 27/12/2018 20:26

I'll be walking.....unless it's possible to cycle like i normally do.
Got a car but parking is extortionate.

isseywithcats · 27/12/2018 20:29

i live two miles from work and if it snows overnight the car stays at home as we are on a hill and Oh cant turn the car round so i walk to work luckily its all downhill just means leaving home half an hour sooner than normal

lavenderbluedilly · 27/12/2018 20:29

Make sure you have warm coat/blankets, sensible boots and food in the car in case you get stuck. Maybe keep a torch and a shovel in the boot. Weirdly, cat litter can be helpful to sprinkle if your wheels keep skidding on frozen snow. There are some good guides online with tips for driving in snow.

Honestly though, no job is worth risking your life for. We got snowed in last year, I tried driving and got about 50 yards up the road, the car was sliding everywhere and DS was terrified.

GinTimeAtHome · 27/12/2018 20:31

Main advice given is not to travel for non essential journeys.

Personally that didn’t work for me as I drove a gritter!!

I always made sure I had snow chains/correct tyres, I always had a bucket of grit and a shovel in the boot of the car and checked the local radio for snow updates. I am lucky I am very confident at driving in bad weather and not much fazes me.

I then got a 4wd - last year I did a 12 hour driving shift driving a gritter and snow ploughing followed by taking my own car to collect nhs workers, as the roads to my house were impassable and closed by the police so I couldn’t get home. Followed by another 12 hour shift to try and keep the network open.

TulipsInbloom1 · 27/12/2018 20:33

We had crazy snow in March this year. All schools in a 20 miles radius closed for three days. It was unheard of. Lots of people wfh or needed to then be off with the kids who couldnt go to school.

My work is 4 miles away so a colleague who lives near me and I walked together. Snow boots and sallopettes and all the hats and gloves we could find. We work in Social Housing and somebody has to be there for tenants. Thankfully we have a great out of hours service who could take on more hours so we worked reduced days to walk home before dark.

I was bloody shattered!!

Original poster

Toughtips · 27/12/2018 20:34

Just worrying incase it's bad. I start a new job in Jan n don't wanna have to call to say I can't get.

OP posts:

TulipsInbloom1 · 27/12/2018 20:35

Tbh all you can do is be prepared. Look up.bus routes etc. Then you need to put it out of your mind. Its a waste of energy worrying about stuff that (1) may or may not happen and (2) is out of your control.

Put the prep in place then forget about it.

BackforGood · 27/12/2018 20:40

It's ging to depend on your commute (and your fitness).
Personally, I'd work at home.
dh would walk in.
ds would walk in.
If you live on a side road that won't be cleared or gritted, but can walk to a main road that might e, then bus or taxi on the main road is the way forward.
Or, make friends with a 4wd owner (they love driving in the snow )

BarbaraofSevillle · 27/12/2018 20:46

You probably can't rely on buses when it snows. In my (quite hilly) city, they stop the buses when it snows.

I have snow socks for my car, they're great.

Also try to set off early so you get there before the roads get snarled up. And carry a shovel, warm clothes, boots, snacks and hot drinks in case you have to dump the car and walk.

Holidayshopping · 27/12/2018 20:47

I’ve always worked close to work to walk in if it’s snowing but I’ve moved jobs now so am worrying about this, too.

I detest driving in the snow, plus the work car park is tiny and like a bloody ice rink and there’s no space anywhere on the roads nearby.

Do buses run in the snow- I am at least on a bus route.

ragged · 27/12/2018 20:49

I have snow tyres on a small plastic car... tbh, driving on snow the car still felt pretty slippery so I think I wasted my money.

Japanesejazz · 27/12/2018 21:02

I have a Subaru with a spade in the back seat, never let me down on ungritted country roads in 12 years. When I had a BMW I used to put winter tyres on and 3, 15kg sacks of horse feed in the boot! That was just for using it on the gritted roads.

Original poster

Toughtips · 27/12/2018 21:03

I was looking into snow tyres. Bloody hate the snow. Wish it missed the UK altogether lol

OP posts:

Iwantmychairback · 27/12/2018 21:13

Haha love the thought of me walking to work. It would take me about 4 hours each way in good weather. The buses don’t run in bad weather and taxis refuse to come into the village in snow, so I would have a three mile walk to the main road then hopefully catch a bus into town, where I could get a second bus to the town nearest to work, then a third bus to a stop near the office, then ten minute walk.
Hence the reason I bought a 4x4.

Stephisaur · 27/12/2018 21:14

Slowly!

Seriously, if it’s very snowy then stay in the lower gears. You will need good clutch control. Allow 2-3 times more travel time than usual. If you skid, turn into the skid.

Honestly, it’s not that bad to drive in as long as you don’t rush and are sensible.

Glitteryfrog · 27/12/2018 21:15

If possible work from home.
We all have laptops which can connect remotely to the servers.

Stompythedinosaur · 27/12/2018 21:15

The main thing is to know how to drive in snow - steady speed, stay in as high a year as you can, and use you gears to slow you rather than breaking sharply.

Holidayshopping · 27/12/2018 21:20

stay in as high a year as you can

stay in the lower gears.

Which is right?!

Original poster

Toughtips · 27/12/2018 21:33

I've just bought some snow socks. Got good reviews and the extra grip will help if it's bad. Can't really risk starting a new job and not being able to get there.

Have also bought a shovel for the boot. It wasn't bad last year but my car wasnt that bad in it. Just want to be prepared.

OP posts:

hairymuffet · 27/12/2018 21:37

LOW GEAR !!

HardAsSnails · 27/12/2018 21:41

A cheap dustpan and brush is really useful for getting snow off your car.

OhYouBadBadKitten · 27/12/2018 21:56

snow socks are really good, so that was a good decision :)

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