That clocks should not go back in winter

[nosswith]

This weekend the clocks go back. Something I object to and would like to see end, at least in England.

Three arguments for doing so used to be made

• dark mornings in Scotland- fair point, now there is a Scottish Parliament and they can decide, there are enough places with two time zones.
• Farming- less people affected now with more mechanisation
• Guy Fawkes Night- I cannot see how one day a year starting with the few celebrations a bit later is an issue.

Since mines, shipyards and factories closed, fewer people start work early, whereas longer retail hours mean more working in the evening. If wfh at least some of the week continues post Covid 19, the numbers going out in the dark mornings will be fewer than before.

AIBU?

I wish they wouldn't. This is a bugger of a time for those with dementia, darker earlier evenings and a time change to boot.

But there are 10 million school-children in the UK, and around by us the councils are every other street light on in the more rural areas to save money. I wouldn't fancy it of I were a kid...I wouldn't walk there in the dark as an adult really. So I think the status quo works for the majority.

YANBU - it would enable children to have 1-2 hours playing in the light after school, much healthier.*
I hate when the clocks go back. All well and good about Scottish children what about every fucker else coming home from work in the dark? Picking their kids up in the dark? But oh no Scottish children. hmm

😂 For us in winter, (Rural, Northern Highlands) the school bus picks up in the dark at 8.20 and delivers them home in the dark at 3.30.
No street lights. Nice dicey icy drives to the bus stop, sub zero on the regular.
Yes it's balanced out in the summer when we get an hour proper dark if that but can't imagine being well into my working day before the sun came up at 9.45 ish

I hate getting up in the dark. But the clocks going back only solves this for a few weeks? I pretty sure by November we’re all getting up in the dark again?

I loathe the nights drawing in though. Getting dark at 5pm versus 4pm would make a big difference for me. I feel claustrophobic. I don’t want to get cosy and snuggly, I’m not ill.

I’d rather they stick with one time, whichever it is. It really messes with my body clock and sleep and I’m a crap sleeper anyway!

Interesting that some of the comments are in favour of GMT all year around. I expected support for the present change twice a year but not that.

Moving to a shorter period of BST as one person suggests would for me be a step forward, and indeed the US has about two weeks fewer of time with the clocks back.

@StatisticalSense

I mean personally I'd prefer BST+1 all year round so that there was light until 17:30-18:00 in the middle of winter and until 23:00 in summer but BST all year round would be a good start. Using GMT during winter is the worst possible time zone for many as it means that the window of natural light falls into the working (and in some cases school) day and that some people are stuck in windowless rooms during the entirety of daylight.

So sod everyone else who works outdoors and everyone commuting. So you can get daylight in your leisure time.

Why are people in windowless rooms, surely that is a man made fuckup? Go out for a walk during lunchtime.

Areas not getting daylight to 10am would mean kids sitting in Classrooms while it's still pitch black outside.

For those who remember the last experiment, how did that work for school playtime? Did kids in the North and West end up with playtime in the dark?

Wow. Was reading this just out of interest (I'm on an albeit wobbly fence) but I cannot ever imagine speaking about 'English children' or 'Welsh children' or 'Iranian children' the way a PP has.

YANBU to think we should scrap the clocks changing. YABU to think it's okay for the UK to have two time zones. That would be a disaster!

The clocks going back is really unpleasant. Because it's so dark. Dark when you get up, dark when you arrive at work, dark when you leave... the seasonal depression gets worse as soon as the clocks shift. But like PP have said, that is "real" time, it's the summer that is out of whack. So it's hard to say what would be best.

Why are people in windowless rooms, surely that is a man made fuckup? Go out for a walk during lunchtime.
My husband does 12 hour shifts in a windowless room in a hospital so I can imagine a lot of people do. Also, he rarely gets a lunch break.

I'm in favour of keeping the current system though. It has advantages for a lot of people and marks the changing of the seasons. Clocks going forward is a sign of spring and better days to come.

I should say I live in Scotland where it's so dark in winter that the clocks going back only makes it lighter for about a week and then we're back to it being pitch black from 3pm - 9am every day.

I don't understand about the 'couple of hours daylight so children can play' argument. I live on the South Coast and in December it gets dark at 4 - so on a good, bright day they might get an hour of daylight, but how many of those do we get in the winter? It's normally gloomy, raining and cold!

There were proper studies done on this.

Traffic is more dangerous at start of. School day when it is rush hour. At school end the worker rush hour had yet to begin so it ls less dangerous. Therefore it is safer to have lighter mornings .

Can any of the “let’s have GMT all year round” people explain what possible benefit there is of having it get light at 4am or earlier for a few months of the year? You can’t all be milk delivery people.

I like the change. I think we're at a latitude where it makes sense. Further north and they have so little daylight in winter that an hours shift makes no difference. Further south and their daylight isn't reduced as much during winter.

If rather have the extra hour of light on a morning in the winter provided by switching back to gmt. But gmt all year round would mean a summer sunrise of 3am, which is a bit early, and I like it being light until 10pm.

If we had to stick with one I'd pick gmt though. It's better for us to have daylight hours centred around noon rather than 1pm.

@DilysPrice

Can any of the “let’s have GMT all year round” people explain what possible benefit there is of having it get light at 4am or earlier for a few months of the year? You can’t all be milk delivery people.

Where I live it's light at 4am anyway during BST.

@DilysPrice

Can any of the “let’s have GMT all year round” people explain what possible benefit there is of having it get light at 4am or earlier for a few months of the year? You can’t all be milk delivery people.

The only the GMT all year round stops is the annual arguement about clocks changing, and the actual disruption clocks changing actually has, confusing the elderly and dogs.

That was meant to read the only Thing GMT all year round stops is

Moving to a shorter period of BST as one person suggests would for me be a step forward, and indeed the US has about two weeks fewer of time with the clocks back

I suggested the opposite - having GMT from November to February and then BST for the rest of the year. Basically keep the status quo but out clocks forward on the last Sunday in February. You'd have darker mornings for a week or two but that would be balanced out by it being light until around 6.30/7pm depending on where you live (as people have said west to east makes a difference too).

But if we are going to get rid of the change altogether I'd go for BST all year round.

Even though December and January mornings are awful

Because even with street lights it can be very difficult for drivers to see pedestrians in the dark

Only because people insist on wearing dark coats. I think all pedestrians should have to wear hi-vis when the clocks go back.

I was only in the Midlands, but I still remember struggling into school in the dark; in Scotland, it could be dark until 10 o'clock

Yes but if it's light in the morning it's dark in the afternoons. So dark by 4.
I prefer light afternoons so DCs can much around outside after school, not be stuck inside all day.

@cologne4711

Moving to a shorter period of BST as one person suggests would for me be a step forward, and indeed the US has about two weeks fewer of time with the clocks back

I suggested the opposite - having GMT from November to February and then BST for the rest of the year. Basically keep the status quo but out clocks forward on the last Sunday in February. You'd have darker mornings for a week or two but that would be balanced out by it being light until around 6.30/7pm depending on where you live (as people have said west to east makes a difference too).

I would go for this too, best option to maximise the daylight.

I don't think my dog (any dog I've ever had) even knows what time it is and has never been confused.

The only problem I could see is for people taking tablets but it happens twice a year and I'm sure gets sorted out without too many problems. The elderly will have been coping with it for a long time.

That comment was in reply to @Bikingbear. Quote fail.

Yeah screw those of us in Scotland. Nothing better than getting up in the dark, going to work in the dark and leaving in the dark. Fantastic. Cheers.