Scottish transport minister resigns over travel chaos

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I am not a drama queen, nor am I exaggerating. The snow was extremely deep here. The roofs of several buildings have collapsed due to the weight of it. In fact, there is barely a building with intact gutters. The next town is the same. There have been some very nasty near misses by us and indeed someone from our town had to be taken to hospital after being hit on the head by falling ice. None of the other round know round here who have to push prams made it out until Friday of last week.

I agree that in respect of a normal amount of snow, say less than 10 inches, in an ideal world everyone would clear the path around their property. It's simply not a good idea to legislate for it here though. If such legislation was passed, you would incur civil liability for not having taken reasonable steps to clear the pavement. There would then be a significant amount of litigation over what constitutes reasonable steps etc.

As matters stand, I don't have a legal responsibility for the pavement but I do to people like the postman who might walk on my drive/ paths. I didn't even have time to clear the drive never mind take responsibility for the pavement. I am conscious that in North America etc such responsibilities are imposed but they have the
advantage of knowing, almost to the week, when the snow will arrive and how much there will be and can set up arrangements with snow clearing companies accordingly.

And for the record, am not precious, just cautious. Of course the pavements are deeper than elsewhere as in narrow rural roads all the excess snow from the ploughs ends up there. If you'd had really significant snowfall where you are you would know that. Also, since someone brought it up, whle DH is not a dwarf, he is indeed pretty small.

Lastly, Mozette, half an hour to clear my drive/ paths/pavement in front of the house? Maybe with a JCB.

Why can't you clear your snow, why your DH?

I cleared 80m of snow for me and my neighbours. You could pay a teenage boy to do it.

DH works 14 hours shifts, 5 days a week as a chef and he has managed to clear snow.

Apologies for garbled last line of first paragraph. Meant to say that none of the other mums I know round here who need to push buggies made it out before Friday.

We had 2 foot of snow here.

Thecrackfox, have explained, have 2 DCs including a 5 month old. My buggy has snow wheels but even they were fucking useless by the time we had over a foot. Would have had to carry the pram to the end of the garden, and plonk it down into the now. Actually I did try this a couple of times when trying to clear the drive but both times my eldest, who had been helping with a trowel, got too cold after 45 minutes and we had to go back inside.

And believe me, too right I would have paid a teenage boy had one been available. There are none near us. Would have paid anyone for that matter, if only to save poor DH wasting a whole day of his annual leave digging us out

'It is city bylaw in Canada. You are responsible for your driveway and pavement adjoining your property. If you don't shovel the snow, you get fined. Either you do it yourself, have a friend or relative do it for you or pay someone to do it. It's a great way to make money for teenagers. If you shovel snow off your property and block a public path, you get fined.

You are also responsible for ensuring your property is safe to walk past. You are responsible for removing snow and icicles off your roof if the possibility of injury exists.

If you possess a drive way, you are required to shovel enough of it to park your car on. Cars abandoned in the middle of the road or badly parked due to snow are fined.

Most northern American states are the same.'

Yep! If it were forecasted we sprinkled on the salt before heading to work.

If it came in, as soon as we got in from work, grab a quick bite to eat, then out with the shovels or snow blowers if you had them.

Up an extra hour early in the morning to remove snow off roof, icicles, driveway, pavements.

Don't want to to do that? Hire someone else to or get fined.

We got our storms from Canada. Some could be incredibly fast moving and dump a meter or more in a matter of hours.

You could clear the snow when your children are in bed.

So you set the alarm an hour early. Get up, get a cup of coffee and break out the shovel and brooms.

That's why I hate snow.

So many 5AM starts because have to be at work by 8 in most N. American places.

But a great way to stay in shape, shovelling your driveway and pavement for an hour in the morning and some more in the evening.

Or you can buy a snowblower. They have them here.

Or have heating installed in your driveway. I know some people in Michigan who have heated driveways.

Stewie, my point is that for large swathes of north America you know that you're going to see plenty of ice and snow each year. If householders need to, they can set up arrangements with people who presumably make a living in winter from clearing it for those unable/ unwilling to do so. We only rarely get a lot of snow here, though this winter and last have been exceptions. It would therefore be difficult to operate a snow clearing business here. I can think of plenty of winters, most of them in fact, in the past 10 years where, if we've had any snow lying at all, it's been for one day max

Um, so shovel it yourself. We bought a metal shovel for about a tenner and a plastic blade type one with a metal edge for about £8.

It's not hard if you're able-bodied.

Groskaka- couldn't you have put your (precious) DCs in snowsuits to play in the garden to play whilst you shoveled.

And personally I dont think you need a buggy for a 5 month old and a preschooler- one can go in a sling and one can walk.

People should have to clear in front of their own houses.

Unless you are a doctor etc, going to work was a 'non-essential journey' and office job type people shouldn't have been out in their cars in the first place!

I saw the snow at 8am on Monday morning and stayed in rather than going out in the car. DP stayed at work overnight, rather than risk the journey back.

There has been such a lack of common sense from so many people.

Ps out of interest, how do you remove the snow and ice from your roofs? Was interesting that Edinburgh council were telling people to do it last week without giving any guidelines on how to which seemed like a recipe for disaster. We tried but our roofs are far too high and no one would come out because of the weather (Work at Height Regs apply apparently) I looked on some US websites which said to leave icicles unless they get really big as they are the best way to protect the gutters.

We don't have the skill set here that you guys do, but nor do we need to usually, as this weather is so unusual for us. My dad is nearly 60, has lived his whole life in central scotland and had never seen snow/ icicles like we had last week.

... and nevermind if you got stuck overnight on the M8, hopefully, the elusive teenage boy would have come round anyway and cleared the path.

Canada may indeed have got it right, but I bet the country's infrastructure is a little (lot?) better than Scotland's when it comes to transport /access to work & schooling in freezing / snowing conditions.

OK, it was mega crap for the thousand people who got stuck on the M8 overnight but there are millions of people in Scotland.

I got the icicles off my gutters by hitting them from my bedroom window with a broom.

Darlene, you're exactly right, I am being far too precious, I should have sent my 5 month old to play in the garden with her big sister. Silly me.

And have you ever tried to shovel snow while wearing a baby in a sling?

Why can't you shovel snow whilst the baby slept?

We have all have children so this is why we are struggling to see the difficulty.