Snow Day
I was watching the news this evening and it mentioned the deep drifts in northern parts of England and the views were spectacular (as long as you don't spend too much time thinking about the incredible impact this weather is having on the UK) but what was really spectacular was this road which crossed a county border into Cumbria. The adjoining county council had a snow plough/blower vehicle and they took it up this winding lane toward an outlying village and then at the border turned around and went back. Leaving the road utterly blocked. Utterly bonkers.
So there are these examples of just how far the human race has come... nice... and then you see the stories of how neighbours are checking up on each other, communities turning out to clear roads and paths so that children can go to schools, sit exams etc. The difference being of course that the Snow plough guy is under orders from a Council watching its pennies.
Our local council says they'd love to get more grit for our roads but they'd have to put the council tax up. What about all the money they make (millions of pounds to be truthful) from traffic wardens? Couldn't some of that profit be put back into keeping our roads safe? No? Thought not. What about the companies the Council are contracting out to to tow away cars which have been abandoned at the road side when the snow has defeated them, and then charging the owners 100 quid to release them? Where is that money going and what kind of society are we in that we are taken advantage of so cruelly?
The buses stopped until this afternoon and with more snowfall expected overnight, they are expected to be suspended again tomorrow. How much would it have cost to invest in snow chains for the wheels so that the people we rely on to keep us ticking over can continue to do their jobs?
Brighton & Hove City Council - How about gritting/salting the bus lanes on the A259? Now there would be a novel idea.
Having watched an Ambulance jack-knifing across a road this morning, why cant someone think of the lives at risk and get the snow chains, studs or whatever is needed to ensure that if you do have a heart attack, you don't die in a crash on the way to the hospital.
My son has now missed most of his first week back at school and he is only 4 years old and he is climbing up the walls with boredom, but what about all the young people coming back expecting to sit exams, being told that they now have to wait until June to sit them. How hard could it be to reschedule them for a couple of weeks time?!
Why is Britain so rubbish at this? How come other countries manage perfectly well? Very little industry lost, work continues, transport is fine. Countries like Canada are literally laughing at us because we cannot cope with 20cm of snow. They have 4 months of snow per year in some parts, more in others and do they lose 4 months of work? I suspect not.
So there are these examples of just how far the human race has come... nice... and then you see the stories of how neighbours are checking up on each other, communities turning out to clear roads and paths so that children can go to schools, sit exams etc. The difference being of course that the Snow plough guy is under orders from a Council watching its pennies.
Our local council says they'd love to get more grit for our roads but they'd have to put the council tax up. What about all the money they make (millions of pounds to be truthful) from traffic wardens? Couldn't some of that profit be put back into keeping our roads safe? No? Thought not. What about the companies the Council are contracting out to to tow away cars which have been abandoned at the road side when the snow has defeated them, and then charging the owners 100 quid to release them? Where is that money going and what kind of society are we in that we are taken advantage of so cruelly?
The buses stopped until this afternoon and with more snowfall expected overnight, they are expected to be suspended again tomorrow. How much would it have cost to invest in snow chains for the wheels so that the people we rely on to keep us ticking over can continue to do their jobs?
Brighton & Hove City Council - How about gritting/salting the bus lanes on the A259? Now there would be a novel idea.
Having watched an Ambulance jack-knifing across a road this morning, why cant someone think of the lives at risk and get the snow chains, studs or whatever is needed to ensure that if you do have a heart attack, you don't die in a crash on the way to the hospital.
My son has now missed most of his first week back at school and he is only 4 years old and he is climbing up the walls with boredom, but what about all the young people coming back expecting to sit exams, being told that they now have to wait until June to sit them. How hard could it be to reschedule them for a couple of weeks time?!
Why is Britain so rubbish at this? How come other countries manage perfectly well? Very little industry lost, work continues, transport is fine. Countries like Canada are literally laughing at us because we cannot cope with 20cm of snow. They have 4 months of snow per year in some parts, more in others and do they lose 4 months of work? I suspect not.
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