You know you’re in a first world country when Sunday is a Sunday no matter what. Roads covered in snow? F it, it’s Sunday - we’ll deal with it tomorrow. Major roads tarmac barely visible, forget about road markings…Side roads? Pristine snow. Got stuck at A42 services, managed to reverse into my own tracks and gain some momentum to get on but then on the hill before the roundabout fella before me had to stop to give way and well…had to slide barely in control all the way down in reverse. Midlands looked like ■■■■■■■ Sweden last night.
ETS:
Midlands looked like [zb] Sweden last night.
Snowploughs and gritters efficiently clearing the roads then?
Oh no, an inch of snow, and we start to struggle…
Left Swindon yesterday in snow, to Oxford was easy, just take it easy. Then at Towcester it stopped, only had a little more after Melton Mowbray.
I’m around Wolverhampton Stourbridge areas. And looks like more come down bad here.
Roads have been gritted and cleared so not to bad.
But I don’t get some drivers. Cars trucks and vans.
Been.along dual carriageway ways lane 1 is clear of snow and ice. And obviously lane 2 isnt.
Roads are quietish. Yet still get idiots deciding to use lane 2 despite it being snow and.ice covered.
Salt on its own doesn’t melt snow, it needs the running of tyres to mix it up and shift it.
Those with a stable vehicle on probably the right tyres are quite right to try and use the other lanes when conditions are suitable or they’ll never clear and when you get a partial melt all that snow from the other lanes flows as water onto the one clear lane turning it into a sheet of ice.
This is why I’m back home in the warmth
On way in this morning a text from the boss saying ‘hardly any main roads gritted so head home as not safe’. No loads going out today and all being replanned for tomorrow.
Got to say in 25 years of driving thats the first time I’ve had that happen, its usually the text putting the call in the hands of the driver. But we all know the response to that if you did park up ‘well X managed to keep going so why didn’t you ■■’. So glad I’m at a family firm who respects their drivers welfare above getting the work done.
the nodding donkey:
Oh no, an inch of snow, and we start to struggle…
More like 4 or 5 inches over ere. It’s the fact that it turned to solid ice overnight because the roads were untreated though tbf I’m not sure at this rate of snowfall and cold if salt alone would’ve sufficed which seems to be the only weapon here 
edd1974:
Been.along dual carriageway ways lane 1 is clear of snow and ice. And obviously lane 2 isnt.
Roads are quietish. Yet still get idiots deciding to use lane 2 despite it being snow and.ice covered.
Well a number of cars/trucks were doing <40mph in the clear lane so what do you do…I drove along half of the A14 and didn’t see a single spreader my way, only 3 or 4 the other way. Also if the road had been salted lane 2 wouldn’t be snow and ice covered, would it? To be honest most of tthe A roads were decent enough it’s the roundabouts and outside junctions that were completely untouched.
Juddian:
Salt on its own doesn’t melt snow, it needs the running of tyres to mix it up and shift it.
Those with a stable vehicle on probably the right tyres are quite right to try and use the other lanes when conditions are suitable or they’ll never clear and when you get a partial melt all that snow from the other lanes flows as water onto the one clear lane turning it into a sheet of ice.
+1
I remember getting a ■■■■ dog’s life on here a couple of yrs ago when I said I’d passed everything on the M6 one day in lane 2 shooting spray at cars doing 10mph…(that really upset me btw 
Tbf I was only doing around 30 myself, but you know what some are like on here.
Anyway it was a Saturday and The Toon were on tv.
robroy:
Juddian:
Salt on its own doesn’t melt snow, it needs the running of tyres to mix it up and shift it.
Those with a stable vehicle on probably the right tyres are quite right to try and use the other lanes when conditions are suitable or they’ll never clear and when you get a partial melt all that snow from the other lanes flows as water onto the one clear lane turning it into a sheet of ice.+1
I remember getting a [zb] dog’s life on here a couple of yrs ago when I said I’d passed everything on the M6 one day in lane 2 shooting spray at cars doing 10mph…(that really upset me btw
Tbf I was only doing around 30 myself, but you know what some are like on here.
Anyway it was a Saturday and The Toon were on tv.
On the Toons present form being stuck in a snow drift is probably a less painful option 
Noticed BBC wm.saying bin men refused to empty any bins today to dangerous apparently
robroy:
Juddian:
+1
I remember getting a [zb] dog’s life on here a couple of yrs ago when I said I’d passed everything on the M6 one day in lane 2 shooting spray at cars doing 10mph…(that really upset me btw
Tbf I was only doing around 30 myself, but you know what some are like on here.
Anyway it was a Saturday and The Toon were on tv.
You mad thing you 
, often see the EE lads doing that, everyone calls 'em but there’s every chance they’re on proper winter rated tyres which have far higher grip levels on snow and even ice than the typical summer rubber we run round on, helps too being they run 4x2 tractors and in all normal cases their drive axle weight is higher in percentage compared to overall gross weight than the typical 6x2 Brit spec.
I’d rather be on packed snow too than the supposed cleared inside lane which if you look carefully is often hard packed black ice as the surrounding snow melts and weakens the salt mix in said cleared lane.
Mazzer2:
robroy:
Juddian:
Salt on its own doesn’t melt snow, it needs the running of tyres to mix it up and shift it.
Those with a stable vehicle on probably the right tyres are quite right to try and use the other lanes when conditions are suitable or they’ll never clear and when you get a partial melt all that snow from the other lanes flows as water onto the one clear lane turning it into a sheet of ice.+1
I remember getting a [zb] dog’s life on here a couple of yrs ago when I said I’d passed everything on the M6 one day in lane 2 shooting spray at cars doing 10mph…(that really upset me btw
Tbf I was only doing around 30 myself, but you know what some are like on here.
Anyway it was a Saturday and The Toon were on tv.On the Toons present form being stuck in a snow drift is probably a less painful option
…You get used to it after the first few decades.
edd1974:
Noticed BBC wm.saying bin men refused to empty any bins today to dangerous apparently
Can’t blame them. It’s hard to walk by yourself, let alone dragging (sliding I should say) a 50lbs bin (actually they drag them in pairs so it’s probably no fun trying to do that without traction under your feet). Also much more easy to get hit by a vehicle as some drivers don’t seem to realize that icy roads require a bit of a…drirving habits adjustment.
Usually the people moaning about lack of snow plough etc are the first to moan about all the money being spent and not being used due to lack of snow and paying drivers etc to be on stand by for doing nothing. As for the dust men may be they have been disciplined in the past for trivial H&S and decided to make a point with the snow. Unless we know the whole story hard to say.
I don’t blame the bin lads, doubt the dustcart will get stuck but a high chance of the loaders going arse over head, land arse down against a kerb and a broken back is a good possibility, forward and a borken knee cap for their efforts, our recycling collection is tomorrow and if they don’t turn up i wouldn’t blame them one.
Having done a fair bit of bin wagon work, I’m with them: it’s no fun slipping and sliding all over when you’re trying to drag the bins about, AND having to cope with car drivers not adjusting their limited skills to the situation so they too end up sliding all over the road. Other road users rarely give refuse workers sufficient courtesy on the roads at the best of time.
robroy:
Mazzer2:
robroy:
Juddian:
Salt on its own doesn’t melt snow, it needs the running of tyres to mix it up and shift it.
Those with a stable vehicle on probably the right tyres are quite right to try and use the other lanes when conditions are suitable or they’ll never clear and when you get a partial melt all that snow from the other lanes flows as water onto the one clear lane turning it into a sheet of ice.+1
I remember getting a [zb] dog’s life on here a couple of yrs ago when I said I’d passed everything on the M6 one day in lane 2 shooting spray at cars doing 10mph…(that really upset me btw
Tbf I was only doing around 30 myself, but you know what some are like on here.
Anyway it was a Saturday and The Toon were on tv.On the Toons present form being stuck in a snow drift is probably a less painful option
Life long Spurs fan so I know what you mean it’s the hope that kills you
A good example of not great planning was the M61 Friday night. Closed J5 to 6 by roadworks, planned well in advance, but as soon as you got off the motorway it didn’t look like any salt had touched the roads.
Went through a village as part of diversion, got traffic lights part way through and a slight incline. Had visions of everything coming to a halt as all trucks were skidding badly and making it even more solid ice.
Yes, was using manual (much to DAFs annoyance), low revs and traction control off, but these tyres spin on “mildly damp” as Top Gear used to say. Would have been a good idea to maybe grit the diversion.
Suspect Sundays they dont get gritted much as less traffic and all councils desperately trying to save money.
Actually what are they using now as its not grit and seems even less effective than the old stuff before car tyres have driven it in?
The fact about the EE being more geared up for the snow is a valid one, they get longer winters and colder temperatures in general. A thing that I used to wonder about was the road safety aspect. I could drive my French lorry all over and overloaded by 2.5 tonne on the rear axle according to British law, yet it would be safe as houses until it had been on the ferry deck to Dover. It was the same in Holland, my FM Volvo grossing off at 50,000kg wouldn’t stop safely in the UK if I was 500kg overweight.
That was part of my argument with the EU/UK
Different weight limits, due to safety,
Different drink drive limits, due to safety,
Different H&S policy, due to safety,
Different speed Limits, due to safety,
I may get accused of peing a ■■■■■ but I will never drive my car in snowy or icy conditions ever again.
IT ALL STARTED A LONG TIME AGO…
I was going to work in my lovely BMW E36 325i. Most reliable motor I ever had. It was very snowy.
Now the A-roads were jammed due to the conditions and I did not want to be late for work. So I thought it would be a good idea to go down this hill which was like a 5% decline on a narrow little road.
I went down fine, but then there was a car infront of me that would not go down further incase he crashed. So I was left in very bad situation in which if another car came down I would end up being in there way.
Long story short… Another car came down, lost control and went straight into my car.
So, now I will never take my own vehicle out in these conditions because I cant trust other idiots on the road.
I’d happily driver other peoples vehicles though. 