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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

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Original poster

To ask what 'essential journey' means to you?

33 replies

Iamsparklyknickers · 19/01/2013 10:33

With all the recent travel advice in my area basically boiling down to "if you don't have to travel then don't", I'm wondering how people translate that?

To me it means essential service staff like police, medical staff etc, people who need medical attention, people looking after elderly or sick relatives, people who can travel a short distance to provide work cover, people needing medical attention and maybe I could stretch to transport of essential foods/petrol.

I appreciate that I can lean towards over reaction, but it appears dp and I have very different ideas of 'essential' journeys! I've also noticed people grumbling about employers basically threatening them to get into work regardless. Is there some universal criteria in existence to find out who's in the right?

OP posts:

HollyBerryBush · 19/01/2013 10:36

Depends where you live, the conditions, whether you are driving or on public transport, whether you need to be paid or whether you can take a hit of losing a days wages, whether you get your holiday docked, whether the firm is financially solvent or in danger of going to the wall, whether there are pressing orders to be done.

Me? 2 loaves of bread, 4 bottles of milk, should see me nicely holed up until Monday when I will re-evaluate.

Nincompoopery · 19/01/2013 10:44

For me, the prospect of losing a days wage would make my journey to work essential. However this would still be a calculated risk (3 inches of snow would be doable, 6 inches and I would rather stay home safe and sound)if public transport is available or my journey means less than an hours walk then I will happily not drive in this weather.

theodorakisses · 19/01/2013 10:44

Getting low on crisps or wine

jjuice · 19/01/2013 10:50

Getting to work. There is only 4 of us there and if we didn't go in we would lose too much business. Plus we wouldn't get paid if we didn't go in. Taking as holidays isn't an option as we only get national minimum allowance.
It's one of the reasons we have a much hated 4x4.

oh yes and low on wine and chocolate, not bothered about crisps.

Original poster

Iamsparklyknickers · 19/01/2013 10:52

theodorakisses although I felt very sorry for the lady in my local coop yesterday, she'd opened up and all her colleagues had called to say they couldn't get in to take over the late shift - I'd be fuming, these ladies all live local and have worked there for years. Hope she shut up early...

See I tend to take my cue from public transport, last night they called off all services from 8pm and I think they're still main roads only today (city so not little country roads), so I wouldn't have gone off clubbing (ha!) last night. Even the taxi drivers were signing off in droves. Yet dp thinks it's fine to want to tottle off on a 2 hour drive (he didn't in the end)

OP posts:

Original poster

Iamsparklyknickers · 19/01/2013 10:55

Oh and apparently Denise Van Outen told someone on twitter to pretty much get over it when they tweeted they couldn't get to strictly at the Birmingham NIA from Stoke on Trent last night. Something along the lines of 'it's only snow love'.

I see where she's coming from, but you can't control the trains!

Local radio was bloody outraged!

OP posts:

GoldPlatedNineDoors · 19/01/2013 10:56

Drive to work is essential for me. I work.in a Hotel so nothing as extreme as Fire/Police/Ambulance but never the less there are guests in house who need staff, and the likelihood is we will take a cancelled flight or some stranded people will come off the motorway and check.in.

We need to be there.

manicbmc · 19/01/2013 10:59

All right for her though. She can afford a nice cosy hotel room if she gets stuck.

I want to go and visit my son tomorrow. I go every week to take him cake and a radiotimes (he's residential). But if it is very bad and public transport is iffy, I'll have to forget it. It isn't essential.

Original poster

Iamsparklyknickers · 19/01/2013 11:04

goldplated, see for me that's where the grey area starts, I agree public facing businesses need to open, so is that where the scale of whose journey is worse than someone else's starts?

Does your work prioritise asking staff who live the closest/are less likely to be affected by school closures to cover those who travel further?

OP posts:

Meglet · 19/01/2013 11:06

DVO is probably chauffuer (sp?) driven too. I doubt she knows anything about national rail services in freezing weather.

I did have an evil chuckle at a daft, martyr-ish friend once. There was a severe weather warning for snow over london + midlands and she still decided to drive for 2hrs to visit friends. She ended up stuck on the M25 for 4hrs and said it was awful, I didn't have any sympathy as it was bloody forecast!

I'm lucky that I can leave my car in the garage in this weather. I walked 2 miles there and back for a GP apt yesterday, but I'm healthy and can manage it no problem. Not everyone would want to walk it.

SirBoobAlot · 19/01/2013 11:13

Right now I am considering an essential journey into town for a cooked breakfast.

JourneyThroughLife · 19/01/2013 11:22

Work is essential for me. Plus I've already collected someone from the local hospital this morning (in deep snow) as they'd been discharged and couldn't get back themselves. However, I'm used to driving in snow, I'm not afraid of awful weather and will happily go out in freezing fog during the night etc. Plus I have a pretty good car which can cope with bad weather conditions, so I don't always see the "essential journeys only" advice applying to me....

RuleBritannia · 19/01/2013 11:22

I reaised that I was too low on milk and bread this morning. Where bread is concerned, I buy one large sliced loaf and keep it in the freezer. I eat such a small amount that one loaf lasts about 6 weeks.

I looked at my car --with

DowntonTrout · 19/01/2013 11:32

My DS was due to travel to the Brecon beacons yesterday from the north of england. They had booked a holiday cottage for the weekend. Despite my warnings about the bad weather 8 of them set off in two cars and made it with no problems at all- a 5 hour drive.
Their journey wasn't essential but they stood to lose £1000 if they didn't go. I lent him my 4x4 but the other car was a Clio!

GoldPlatedNineDoors · 19/01/2013 11:38

I think work just try and get every due in in so will send taxis if public transport stops, ask people who are already in to stay overbight and do a shift tomorrow - we havent had a directive from them.

KatieScarlett2833 · 19/01/2013 12:03

Work and medical emergencies only.

DumSpiroSpero · 19/01/2013 12:11

Last night's essential journey was to the fish and chip shop as my meat for dinner didn't defrost in time! .

Fortunately was off yesterday and I only live around the corner from my work - the only problem arises if both DH and I have to go in and DD's school is shut, which may happen on Monday.

DH will not be paid if his school is open and he doesn't go in, and I will have to go in as I'm the nearest person and even if we shut I'll be the one ringing the families to tell them.

I do work for Surestart though, so will probably be able to take DD in with me if absolutely necessary - she's 8, so she can sit in the cafe with a hot chocolate and her iPad and amuse herself while I work.

NotSuchASmugMarriedNow · 19/01/2013 12:13

It's essential that I earn a living and that my kids get an education.

Social stuff can wait.

DadOnIce · 19/01/2013 12:16

Most people's work won't count "snow" as an acceptable reason to stay at home. And think of all the jobs which can't be done from home. Teacher, doctor, police, factory workers...

StayingIncognito · 19/01/2013 12:19

My three hour journey yesterday to attend my 10 year old great-niece's funeral was essential to me. However, I did go by train instead of driving and I took overnight things and was prepared to stay over if the return journey proved impossible. Also wore plenty of layers and had food and drink in my bag in case the train got stuck.

SPBInDisguise · 19/01/2013 12:26

SI I am so sorry :(

Good point GoldPlated - many people would class hotel work as non essential (not like medics, fire etc) however then the advice is "stay somewhere nearby) - therefore a demand on hotels who themselves place a demand on retal etc.

For me, work - sort of. Lots of the time I can work from home (I do 3 days from home as standardanyway) and still deliver. However when i go into work, I tend to do the essential stuff that can only be done at work. So I could probably, depending on time of year/specific deadlines, get away with one completely snowed in week, but not two. However I am lucky. DH is similar. Our issue would be childcare.

Shopping - there are a few shops within walking distance, so as long as they don't start running low we are OK. This time is nothing really though - main roads seem OK and deliveries are getting through. Not like a couple of years ago when we were very scared we'd run out of gas, and the local shops were running low on milk.

LindyHemming · 19/01/2013 12:27

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

maddening · 19/01/2013 12:34

Also managers in certain businesses should be deciding to ask less staff in - eg clothes and similar retail in really badly affected areas - plus if staff are finding it hard to get in so will the customers.

Polyethyl · 19/01/2013 12:36

My husband is supposed to be on a TA training weekend. But the training area and range has been closed. Stop the war - there's snow in Hampshire!

HecateWhoopass · 19/01/2013 12:39

Depends.

If there's a bit of snow but the main roads are clear then essential means something different to 2 feet of snow on every road and you'll probably end up walking

I don't think it's an absolute. I think it's those things that are vital enough to mean that it is necessary to go out in those particular conditions.

clear roads, it may be considered essential to go and get a pint of milk.
2 feet of snow, it's only essential if someone's going to die!

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