Well, Am I?

[ItsAHollyJollyTee]

I grew up on the East Coast of the US. Every winter was like the one we're having now. But we dealt with it. We had snow tires. Schools did close, but maybe for a day. Because towns were prepared for it. Snowploughs. Grit. Salt.

As I sit here reading thread after thread about people being stuck, sliding, towns not ready for this, AIBU to expect it to be time for the people of the UK to get ready for this?

This is like last year. It will probably be like this next year.

So isn't it time to stop saying 'the UK never gets weather like this' and admit that, yeah, now we do. So let's be ready?

I think if the government invested tens of millions of pounds in preparation for winters that never came - people would be more pissed off then they are now.

If bad weather is a guarantee then, of course, you do it.

winters like this are really really unusual and rarely happen.

I just think they should make it law that you have to clear the pavements outside your house so at least people can walk around safely. It would be great if they provided more grit bins and grit rather than having to buy your own though.

it's a cost-benefit analysis, OBV

I agree with that CarGirl. It's horribly annoying to have one clear stretch of pavement followed by ice.

But, Nancy, at what point are they no longer unusual? That's the question no one seems to want to quantify. If this happens again next year, will we still be saying 'but this is unusual.' Because that would be the 3rd year in a row.

I also agree with you Limara.

We do need people to take more personal responsibility. I live in a flat, so have no pavement that 'belongs' to me, IYSWIM, but if I did? You're darn tootin' I'd be out there clearing the snow and ice. Mostly because I don't want to have to walk over/through it. Especially pushing my son's pram!

YABU. How long have you lived here? What on earth would be the fun in just getting on with it? What would we grumble/talk to strangers about? Tchuh.

YABU. This is the 13th winter in my house, and it's only the past 2 years that we've had more than 1mm of snow. (Both the past years we've had about 6in).

We as individuals need to take responsibility. We can't expect the government/local councils to help us any longer-they haven't go the cash.

My dh has lived here 33 years (in the same town) he reckons it's the most snow he's ever seen - a whole 5" (hmm]. This was standard up north during my childhood for weeks on end, school still opened etc I think the farmers used to help out clearing the roads and I guess we all went to local schools in walking distance etc

Well my son in 13. He has only seen any snow in the last 3 years and round here theat has still been really very little. Spending a fortune in preparing for snow would be a bit like spending a fortune preparing for a tsunami. It might happen but on a balance of probabilities it isn't worthwhile.

I do agree people should stop whingeing though and just accept that they either put up with some inconvenience or do it themselves!

BTW I heard s Belgian man the other day on R4 saying exactly what everyone says in the UK " a few inches of snow and everything stops!" It's not just here you know.

Personally I'd rather my local council spent their money on services for the local community than stockpile grit and snow-ploughs on the off-chance we might have some snow. Just because we've had 2 winters with lots of snow it means nothing. We could have 10 years of no snow. Or lots. In the same way that we have wet summers and hot summers.

I suppose this country just isn't as great as the good old US of A .

Oh please Go. I never said the UK was better or worse than the US of A. It was a friggin' example.

Sheesh. Chip on your shoulder much?

It's a hollytee - ive been living in London for 13 years - think i've seen snow 3 times.

I think if we had another 3 winters in a row like this then, yes, a big investment would be justified. But not now.

Exactly, SGM. Glad someone understands.

I think 5 winters like this in a row would be statistically significant enough to warrant extra investment.
I do agree that we as individuals could do more i.e. clear pathways outside our houses but I think investing in show chains etc. is a bit excessive.

But after 5 years they may cease....it's a cyclical thing.....

I lived in Germany as a child, we were totally prepared, but the snow was on the ground for months at a time.

I remember shovelling snow, because it was the law that you kept your own drive and section of pavement clear. We had moon boots, salopettes and jackets to wear over our school clothes, decent sleds etc - well prepared.

Here in a small coastal town in NI, I have never known weather like this. Older people in the town are comparing it to the 60s. I would hate to waste all the money and storage space on all that gear for something that happens once every 40 years.

If it stays another week though, I think it's time to invest in snow clothes!

It's like at the turn of the century all the pictures of the Thames frozen solid - think it's linked to shut down of the North Atlantic Drift.....

Very true cargirl, you would need at least 5 to indentify a trend rather than a random occurance in the weather but this wouldn't necessarily mean the trend will continue.

What I was trying to say is that I wouldn't even consider changing policy without at least 5 to prove the trend. Even then it would warrant further analysis.

If it's a case of lack of awareness by members of the public as to what to do during severe/extended weather events, that's more to do with insufficient experience and knowledge.

I recall that during last year's snow, there was a great deal of uncertainty as to whether people should clear the pavements outside their homes, because of a possible risk of making the situation worse if black ice subsequently formed.

Elsewhere, someone wrote that they were accused of stealing because they were taking grit from a grit box to spread on the local roads and pavements. Not many people know that those supplies of grit are placed there by the local authority specifically for the use of the local community.

Some people aren't aware that they can buy ice grips to put on their shoes, or that they can buy winter tyres or snow chains for their cars.

It isn't easy to get ready for something that doesn't happen all that often. In places where severe/extended weather events usually occur, the knowledge of how to deal with it comes from experience. But we haven't had much experience of those kinds of weather events here. If we get another winter like this one during 2011/2012 the percentage of people able to be ready to cope with that will increase.

This is an area where I think the government should be doing something by using air-time on TV to broadcast appropriate advice. They already do this for some health issues, and I would have thought some timely advice about safety on the roads and pavements would be useful in the current circumstances.

Apologies, sometimes I end up writing essays instead of brief responses. Perhaps that's why so often I seem to kill threads.

i agree tee, i don't think winter prep should be soemthing that is only made ready when we are arse deep in snow. it should just be available. i personally will be preparing for thsi from now on. i think it is time the councils (or whoever is responsible for roads) should be re-assigning some of their budgets to winter prep.

Huggly you may well be right. As I grew up somewhere that experienced proper snow most winters for a decade I know to clear my car properly and why and all about black ice etc etc. Down here you seem to be in the complete minority if you actually clear the snow off the roof of your car, bonnet, headlights etc . People also don't seem to realise it's much easier to clear the snow when it's fresh and things are much more hazardous later on when it's compacted and frozen solid..........,

Agreeded huggly, I have no idea where to get ice grips from for shoes and I couldn't tell you where our grit box is or even if we have one.

The council sometimes leaves a pile of grit on my local high street but I have never taken any because I don't know if it is for general use or if it for their staff to use.