To think you don't have the right to get places when it snows?

[kokosnuss]

The local newspaper has posted it's now-traditional "OMG SNOW'S FORECAST, CHAOS IS IMMINENT" Facebook post and all the comments are along the lines of "oh great, not getting anywhere that day then, not with our incompetent council".

I do think councils have some responsibility to keep major roads passable if they can, so that emergency vehicles and other key traffic can keep moving.

But AIBU to think you don't have the automatic right to continue completely as normal when it snows? Isn't there a case for just accepting that the weather is bad and some things might not happen?

No problem in my Land Rover, I have to get to my horse through roads that are never gritted. I see people in little fiesta's trying to drive on these roads on a Sunday, I think where are you trying to get to in this weather, they don't get very far and a complete waste of time

I live at the top of a very long 20% hill.

If bad weather is forecast I park my car in the valley and walk the 2 miles down to it. In doing so it usually means that I can drive.

I live in a steep valley. Even the 4x4 would struggle to get up it in snow. But it never snows here. I miss snow. I bloody love snow!

When I grew up (I'm 43) we used to have significant snowfall of at least a foot at general level and seriously deep drifts due to wind almost every year until I was around 9. Our very small town was on top of a hill (800ft above sea level) and we'd be snowed in for two days because the roads were totally impassable. Now THAT you didn't and couldn't drive in.

Most of what we get these days is a couple of inches and it's actually very easy to drive in those conditions if you are sensible. It's only when the ice comes into play it can be hideous.

No problem in my Land Rover, I have to get to my horse through roads that are never gritted. I see people in little fiesta's trying to drive on these roads on a Sunday, I think where are you trying to get to in this weather, they don't get very far and a complete waste of time

I go and see my horses in snow with a golf. Before that it was a c4 and before that a clio. Go up and down hills no problem with these small cars. I grounded the clio once in 2010 because it was so low to the ground and the snow was 2ft deep. But up until that point I was one of the few driving around the city with ease to go and get me and my roommate some shopping.

The car makes no difference. I can do that because I know how to drive in snow and ice. I got that clio down a severely steep hill in the city with no issues, none of the roads were clear either. Snow tyres and going slowly is what helps. Not 4x4. Although having a higher up car would have stopped me from grounding it the second time.

We actually have a 4x4 pick up truck now for towing my horse and I find it less stable in snow and ice than my small car. It can do it, but the back end slides out sometimes. It's too big really for ice. The bigger the vehicle on ice, the bigger your problem. You actually want something small and light, not big and heavy.

YABU. Nobody would worry about snow if staying home was an option for them!

I work for the NHS and when snow is forecast we all get an email alerting us to the likelihood and making clear that we are of course expected at work on time, and should put plans in place now to ensure we do so.

Not everyone has an understanding employer that will let employees work from home because of a bit of snow. I was still expected to travel to a meeting half way across the country by 9.30am during the last bit of snowy weather (I was late and boss wasn't impressed).

It's a myth that all other countries deal with snow without issues.

OH is from Denmark and on days when it snows the local news stories mirror those in the UK.

Youngmystery go to the Alps, most people drive little front wheel drive cars. The old biscuit tin Fiat Panda is reckoned to be the best.

Honestly for the amount of snow we get it's laughable how ott people get and declare themselves "snowed in"

You do know different parts of the UK get different amounts of snow?

Last time it snowed significantly here, it was over the top of the road signs. It lasted for about 6 weeks - we were all just driving down one channel through a massive snow wall. It was amazing.

YABU, no work = no pay. Do you think my mortgage company will be cool with me missing payments because of the snow? Our council have been shocking this year. In fact their gritting and clearing was so bad that in the freeze we had in December fractures were up significantly.

Youngmystery go to the Alps, most people drive little front wheel drive cars. The old biscuit tin Fiat Panda is reckoned to be the best.

Exactly. If I had to choose between my golf or a discovery for driving in snow I'd pick the golf every time. Although I'd prefer the c4 actually that was better than the golf in snow, but just a really boring car, hence why it got replaced.

Youngmystery My home in the UK is in Cornwall. It is a waste of money having winter tyres there as it so rarely snows or freezes. We currently live in Belgium, and dh has winter tyres for his car, as he goes to Germany at times and you need them there, but if it snows here I can walk to the shop and the fritkot (upmarket chippy), so there isn't an issue.

The weather is unpredictable, where I live it's to be 10" of snow today but tomorrow it could all very well be melted away.
I live in a valley and if the snow isn't pre-empted with gritters then the place does come to a standstill on any commuter or public rd, think buses tipping/leaning into buildings, cars chock a block up a hill because no one can move, not all these rds are gritted and I don't blame the council,. This morning I'm sure my rd was gritted as it has a local school but by the time I'd got dressed and done my hair a blizzard of snow swept over making no difference.
I had winter tyres last year and they were great and I will get them next year but the weather changes so much and sometimes it's too warm for winter tyres then the next week perfect snowy/icy conditions.
It's weighing it up for me.

My home in the UK is in Cornwall. It is a waste of money having winter tyres there as it so rarely snows or freezes. We currently live in Belgium, and dh has winter tyres for his car, as he goes to Germany at times and you need them there, but if it snows here I can walk to the shop and the fritkot (upmarket chippy), so there isn't an issue.

It's not really. I leave winter tyres on all year round. Find that they are better for when the roads are wet, plus with more tread it takes longer for them to wear out and I do a lot of mileage, talking at least 100 miles a day. Don't see the point in paying for two sets of tyres when one set lasts me the year and I replace them again in November.

What does 'too warm for winter tyres' mean?

They don't stop working in warmer weather.

I drive on winter tyres till the threat of snow has gone - usually late April.

It can get too warm for winter tyres - not during a British winter though!

Winter tyres are necessary in a German winter and safe all winter - some days it gets up to +14 even, which is fine. It occasionally gets below -20 in our part of Germany but more often -6 or so in the coldest part of the night and in single plus figures or hovering around 0 in the day.

Winter tyres are no good all year here as they become too soft in hot weather and actually start to disintegrate at 30+

Winter tyres are safe in British winter temperatures though, all winter.

Winter tyres generally perform worse than summer types at temperatures above 7 degrees. It's not unheard of for it to be +7 at the times of day many people are on the roads for the majority of the British winter.

Keeping winter tyres on all year round is definitely not recommended in the UK.

I've done it for 10 years now and never had a problem. Some tyres lasted me 2 winter but I wasn't doing as much mileage then. Never disintegrated, had a puncture, or anything. I don't even buy expensive ones like Michelin I only use avons.

Here I've seen lovely weather in March and had taken my winter tyres off just for it to blow a snow blizzard into cold temps. It's hard to know when it's appropriate to take them off, I did some reading on it and hot weather isn't good for the tyres not that you get hot weather in March well it has happened but not likely...

It’s crap I live in the Highlands and we do get more snow than anywhere else so are more used to it and nirmally just carry on with our day to day lives even if we are slightly delayed in getting to work.

Today however was pretty bad my big diesel heavy car that normally goes straight up the hill in the snow could not get up it. I ended up sliding down the hill, into a kerb and parked it back up. Ds didn’t get to school as hubby is sick and I am just getting over a lung puncture so couldn’t walk back up the steep hill to my house from his school. We still haven’t seen a gritter yet though so tomorrow might not be much better.

Any of you trying to avoid snow disruption should come to Manchester. It's a good decade since we've had more than an inch or two of snow. My teenage DCs barely remember it.

No problem in my Land Rover, I have to get to my horse through roads that are never gritted. I see people in little fiesta's trying to drive on these roads on a Sunday, I think where are you trying to get to in this weather, they don't get very far and a complete waste of time.

I used to live on top of a very steep hill. We used to get all sorts of cars being abandoned along it when it snowed.

Last time it snowed really badly in this country I drove up it in my 25-year-old rear-wheel-drive vehicle and went past several other stuck cars. I got all the way to the top.

So I agree with others that going out in a Fiesta (front-wheel-drive, so much better than RWD) seems perfectly reasonable if you know how to drive it.

And if you don't, you should stay at home - as should 4x4 owners who don't realise that their vehicle may get moving better in snow but doesn't stop any quicker than a 2WD car.

Anecdotes do not equal evidence. Summer tyres perform better when it’s warmer and the roads are dry.

I'm in North Manchester, up in the Pennines and we've had a fair bit of snow tonight, and three or four other times this year. Perhaps you're South Mancs InMySpareTime? Plenty of road disruptions going on tonight round here!

I agree, those who think that their 4x4s are going to get them everywhere scare me the most, and it's not the going up, its the descent that's the dodgy bit. This afternoon I had to wind my window down and actually shout at the woman behind in her mediocre 4x4 to back off and leave a sensible distance before we went down the steep hill covered in snow and slush. There were cars sliding all over the place and getting stuck, yet she was less than a foot away from my rear bumper, barely payments no attention. I'd previously flashed my hazards and fog lights to try and get her attention (and pipped) yet she hadn't noticed. She shouldn't have been on the road! Fortunately she did listen (probably thought I was an aggressive nutter, but at least she kept a good distance after that!)