Coping with snow in the UK

Plow. In my part of the country, we plow snow immediately. When it gets too deep to plow, they use front end loaders and dump trucks.

Tom

 

Depends on the person here... Grab the snowshoes, cross country skis, snowmobile... but that's generally for those who like to have fun with it Most of the rest of us just drive and complain about the traffic!

I've only had trouble once while driving... the snow was coming down so hard and fast the plows couldn't keep up. I ended up stuck for 15 minutes in a drift trying to make a right turn.

 

We have the same problem here. Snow is so infrequent and intermittent that people generally aren't prepared for it. The hilly terrain doesn't help, nor does the changing weather. We'll get a skiff that melts during the day and freezes over night, so traction changes constantly throughout the day, and even between sunny and shady patches. Some years the salt and sand trucks are rarely used, and in others we'll blow the snow removal budget in a week. People from places that get real snow laugh when the city comes to a standstill over tiny amounts of the fluffy stuff. One year, even the rapid transit didn't work because snow prevented the automatic doors from closing. I laugh too - snow boots and a hat are all I need.

 

Here is one of the ways we cope with it. This is my wife heading up the last pitch:



Tom

 

i think it is easier in places where you get lot's of snow almost every year. invest in the equipment and be done with it. but when you only get a little every once in a while, it's hard to justify the investment. i have relatives in the d.c. area that say the city comes to a halt when they get an inch of snow. around boston, it's business as usual and only wimps take the day off, except in 1978 when thousands of people left work at 5:00 and half way home got stuck in 2-3' of rapidly accumulating snow and spent 24 hours or more in their cars waiting to be rescued.

 

Seattle comes to a halt at 3 inches of snow. Twenty years ago, before SUVs and 4WDs became half the daily commuting fleet, it took at least 4 inches. The lowlands have few plows, a big fleet is not cost effective.

The inland cities can handle far more.

 

The only problem I've ever had in the sort of snow we get in the UK these days is other people.

I drove a little Renault 5 Turbo 20 miles home in four inches of snow without a single wheelspin or a slide - that's a lightweight 'front wheel drive jet propelled roller skate'. Never had a problem with the Prius either. Yet every time it snows, all around me are people with wheels spinning, people going sideways, people panicking whenever they see something in front of them.

I think everyone should be forced to ride a motorcycle around diesel slicked roundabouts in driving rain before being let loose in a car - it does wonders for your ability to read the road conditoions and react to them.

Too many people treat a cars controls like on/off switches and wonder why things go wrong.

[gets off soapbox]

 

This is too funny. There is a great invention, called Snow Tires (Winter Tyres).
- made of softer rubber
- does not become frigid at -20c
- has huge teeth
- some have coconut threads in the teeth for extra grip on pure ice streets

Imagine a snow storm, where within 8 hours 24" to 30" (inches) fall overnight. We plow our streets, rarely use salt - because it's ineffective when the ambient air is colder than the freezing point !

The next morning, we leave earlier as we have to dig out our car, scrape the windows. Then head out to work in rush hour traffic, it might be an extra hour to drive the 20 or so miles.

The biggest problem are the small streets, where the lanes are narrower due to the snowplow making 5 foot hills on either side.

This is normal, happens at least 10x per winter, here in Quebec, Canada.

Last 5-6 years though, we're jealous of the central states in the US, getting more snowstorms and more inches, than we do.

This Sucks Big Time - our cross country / skidoo trails are not thick enough, and for downhill skiing the slopes need to use excessive artificial snow, which is granier than the real thing.

At least we get lots of sub-zero temperatures, that sometimes lasts weeks on end. That builds character.

// 1 to 3 inches of snow...worried...panzies !!!

 

+1 on where your at depends on how the weather is handled. I've heard comedians comment on how LA shuts down for rain. In my younger days, I once did 55+ down the turnpike on 3 inches of unplowed snow. At night, with just the parking lights because the snowfall was too heavy for headlights.

Locality funding is also a major factor. Where I grew up in NJ, the township can put down salt when there is just an inch. Some towns in Pa can run out of salt during the season, or not able to afford it to start with, instead use what is called cinders, basicly stone grit. I'm sure places like Germany and Austria have no problem finding the funds for clearing roads.

 

Dry snow is completely different than wet snow that turns to ice as soon as it's compressed. I know, you Easterners laugh at the pictures you see on the news about Vancouver drivers in Winter. Well, what little glimpses of Winter we get.

 

Snow can be quite bad for areas not used to it. Ice is much worse

Despite having a large SUV, I still run dedicated factory studded winter tires on it. Around a year ago, I had been invited to a friends house in NW Ontario to go moose hunting. The freezing rain turned to heavy snow, and in 24 hours we went from fall to winter



Vehicles were in the ditch everywhere, but I could proceed in 2H at 50 km/h. The road was closed at the Ontario border due to a bad crash, so I turned back. Stopped at a truckstop to have a second breakfast. You can clearly see the studs in the tires



Around an hour later, had to pull off at a rest stop to "drain" the 4 cups of coffee I had drunk. I literally fell on my butt getting out of the vehicle, that is how icy it was.







I highly recommend studded tires, especially the new generation of factory studded Nokian winter tires. They use a special square-shaped stud. The directional tread pattern is very safe on rain and slush soaked roads too

 

I wish Michigan would stop fooling around and let us run the new studded tires. Studded tires are technically legal in Michigan, but only if they meet a standard not supported by any tire manufacturer.

Tom

 

Yes, mostly true! Urea has been used at airports for a long time, as any sort of salt on the runways would cause extensive corrosion damage to airframes and jet engines

Although not corrosive in the usual way, urea can cause problems with algae blooms in rivers and lakes. See below

Roadsalt and Winter Maintenance for British Columbia Municipalities

Road Salts & Deicers | Wise Water Use

Some locales "prewet" the pavement with brine or this stuff

http://www.cargilldeicing.com/liquids/hydro_melt/dc_dt_hydromelt_sellsheet.pdf

 

No studs in southern Ontario
They spray the roads before a snow comes

 

Which is why cars rust so quickly in southern Ontario

 

Heres few good tips on how to deal (and drive) with snow: Top 7 Tips