hey troops whats the conditions like on m8 west of harthill , then 74 southbound via shawhead , bellshill ,
I’ve just come up from London.
M74 Jct 8 to the Raith Northbound is ice. The hard packed stuff thats like driving on cobbles.
Trucks and cars are still on the hard shoulder.
Bogs brae(A725) was a bit slushy comming up, I kept it steady at 20 mph and made it up fine.
A8 was just as bad as the M74 from Shawbridge to Eurocentral.
Although comming home in the car I saw 2 gritters on the A8 Shawbridge to the Cutty Sark bridge M8, around 07:30 ish.
Oh and when I started my car, the temp outside registered -14 
i dont trust the A725 in this weather so you might consider going on to the M73 instead and going round. its only a few minutes further but you dont have any steep hills with traffic lights at the bottom
booked off tonight again… 
i wish i was but a certain woman has me wrapped round her little finger so im working tonight 
abandoned! every time i touched my brakes they locked up so i turned round. i wont risk my car for a shift
good call mate… im lookin to get down the road on wedensday afternoon , allegedly…
So I can give you update, as I had been to Edinburgh Airport today
M8 was not bad, although annoying. Left lane was mostly clean while right lane had this annoying icy pathces:
So I left it at Eurocentral and drove the pararel road, which was not bad, except that overtaking was impossible:
There was some kind of incident in Harthill, long queue, so I took evem more side roads and that was a dream:
I got that way to A71 which was black and dry (so it might be worth a try). There was only some cars dumped here and there, including a clio lying on its roof…
I got that way to the Airport, when after I was robbed of 1 pound for dropping off the passenger (new improvment: instead of dropping the passenger off in 15 secs, you now have to queue for 2 minutes to be able to pay for that pleasure… ) I decided that the sun melted the ice and that i go back via M8.
It wasn’t so bad at the beginning. Right to about Livingston’s Tesco the road was dry, then the icy patches came back to the right lane, and after Harthill they moved to left lane, leaving the right lane covered by white snow for me.
On the hard shoulders there were Incindent vans parked, displayed “advisory speed 20 mph” signs.
So, as the Scottish people suddenly decided to be even more catholic than a pope, they were all doing 5-10 mph on the left lane, which was mostly dry tarmac with some icy patches here and there (much better than on my movie) and there was me on the right lane doing 30-40 (i did not wanted to go faster when the traffic on another lane was so slow).
Then a tipper driver decided to overtake, he got to right lane and was holding me up right to the newhouse ind est doing 10 to 12 mph
Where are these crazy tipper drivers when you need them? 
After that reached Glasgow without any problems, except a small hold up next to the Bellshill bypass junction. I do understand that they might like to close it, but do they have to park their police car in the way that they block left lane (not a slip road, left lane?)
Glasgow itself was a madness. Cars and trucks spinning wheels on every slightest hill. I tried several ways to get home, but there was no chance to get through, so as I was on the road where everything was a standstill, as all drivers were trying to push one car on a sporty low profile summer tires, I decided to get through. But I was nasty and I took the traffic island from the wrong side. No harm done to anyone, as there were no other moving vehicles or people around, but there was a unmarked police car nearby. They saw me doing my crime, jumped into their car and started to follow me, I guess to stop me in the convienient place. But I don’t have to stop until they let me know somehow that they want me to stop, isn’t it?
So I took a left turn onto the steep road and drove all the way up, while they got stuck at the bottom. Buy yourself a winter tires instead of all that dougnouts (or however it’s spelled), chaps! 
So soon I was back at home.
It took me 4 hrs 15 minutes to go there and back from Glasgow Southside.
I expect now to be much worse, as it’s getting cold, and all that water from melted snow will now freeze into the ice. Man, that will be a carnage
So what I can say? Compared to winter I am used to, nothing really big.
We say that it’s the winter which distinguish Drivers from License Holders…
I think there should be a warning: ROAD BLOCKED DUE TO EXTREME BAD DRIVING 
orys:
But I was nasty and I took the traffic island from the wrong side. No harm done to anyone, as there were no other moving vehicles or people around, but there was a unmarked police car nearby. They saw me doing my crime, jumped into their car and started to follow me, I guess to stop me in the convienient place. But I don’t have to stop until they let me know somehow that they want me to stop, isn’t it?So I took a left turn onto the steep road and drove all the way up, while they got stuck at the bottom. Buy yourself a winter tires instead of all that dougnouts (or however it’s spelled), chaps!
Nice of you to give them the slip…
Update: b762 on the bridge over m77 very bad ice. If you go that way give me a vawe. There is crashed daihatsu leaning on the sign on the trafic island and i am standing next to it…
orys:
Update: b762 on the bridge over m77 very bad ice. If you go that way give me a vawe. There is crashed daihatsu leaning on the sign on the trafic island and i am standing next to it…
Lmao, pics please. How did you park it on the sign?
Well, I am just too good driver. And I will stand by that. There was just a madness at that junction due to ice and there was a bump every few minutes.
All Scottish drivers just press brake to the bottom and keep it until they hit the other car. I was too smart for that and when the car pulled in front of me tried to evade him. I wanted to get onto slip road which was empty at the time… As the efect I skided, spinned and hit the sign.
All the other guys just check their cars and then if the scratches were big enough, they were just exchanging insurance details and going their merry way.
I ■■■■■■ the steering so I had to be recovered…
I ALWAYS telling myself when someone cuts in front of me “Next time I wont’ give a ■■■■ and just hit him” and every single time I do evasive actions before I think. This time, due to ice, my evasive actions failed.
And the guys just drove off, and I was to busy to chase them, as there was another bump involving another two cars, one spined around and the other hit it. Then there were two other bumps and so on… Lot of things were going on there.
What made me angry - when I was waiting for recovery (they came in about 50 minutes, during which another NINE bumps and several close misses occured) there was a gritter. He tried to stop for a red light and went well over the line. I approached him and asked if it’s not a good sign that some grit there would be useful. “Not my problem, I am private company, not a council” said he. “Can’t you just spare a kilo of sand? The tone is 25 quids, I can pay you one quid for it”. He just laughed and drove away.
Some time later a council gritter came, but he wasn’t gritting. He again skidded, so he decided that he’ll reverse and grit. But he wasn’t able to, so he just drove away as well.
The road was so icy, that when 7.5 ton iveco recovery truck was trying to pull my car on its back, it was skidding towards my car instead of my car being pulled onto it.
Some pics:
There is not too big damage to bodywork - the front panel and driver doors, nothing else even scratched (well, there is scratch on the plastic wheel cover 
) but the steering might be deer…
And as there was no CCTV on the junction, I think I will have just take blame fully on me
watch in edinburgh for bumpy sheet ice, gogar roundaboutis covered with the stuff.
motherwell area is pretty bad, the middle of each lane is clear but its like a 4 inch gap and the rest is ice, was nearly jack knifing at 5mph
Orys after all you’ve posted about driving in winter conditions and numpty car drivers having accidents I gotta say you’ve got some balls to post about your own accident on here Brave guy
At happens to all of us at some time though, nobodys perfect In fact my Dad phoned me yesterday to tell me he parked his car in a ditch
Lycanthrope:
OrysAt happens to all of us at some time though, nobodys perfect
Yes, I am pretty aware that you’ll have some fun on my back, but I fully deserved it
But on the more serious note: Yeah, this time I failed, but have to say that I will still stand to it. See, there was about 15 cars involved in bumps in that place when I waited for my towing truck and every single driver was just pressing the brake pedal to the bottom and sliding into the car in front of him. I was the only one who tried to avoid crash and I skided during this manuevre. Now I have to pay my price (two years of NCD lost ) for trying to save someone’s else arse. I am pretty sure that if there would be snow only, no ice, I would save myself. But on ice - noone is smart.
But I still think there is something good in it. Because if there was not a car, but for example pedestrian who were running across the street and slipped and tipped over, it would be better to hit the sign than him…
So I am very unhappy that I crashed the car while all the other drivers had only some minor scratches etc. but I think it’s not bad when you look at this that I was the only driver who tried actually to do something to avoid hitting other vehicle…
But anyway, my car is crashed. You can feel free to laugh at me, I am laughing myself
M8/a8 is rutted ice in Glasgow once u pass harthill it’s fine or if ur in the centre if Glasgow,
orys:
… No harm done to anyone, as there were no other moving vehicles or people around, but there was a unmarked police car nearby. They saw me doing my crime, jumped into their car and started to follow me, I guess to stop me in the convienient place. But I don’t have to stop until they let me know somehow that they want me to stop, isn’t it?So I took a left turn onto the steep road and drove all the way up, while they got stuck at the bottom. Buy yourself a winter tires instead of all that dougnouts (or however it’s spelled), chaps!
Your posts on this thread have been truly magnificent, I’ve enjoyed them a lot!
I recall you’ve (at least once) stated that thing you miss the most in Scotland are the real winters, you’re happy now?
Sorry to hear about your car, you wouldn’t have deserved that to happen.
Kyrbo:
orys:
… No harm done to anyone, as there were no other moving vehicles or people around, but there was a unmarked police car nearby. They saw me doing my crime, jumped into their car and started to follow me, I guess to stop me in the convienient place. But I don’t have to stop until they let me know somehow that they want me to stop, isn’t it?So I took a left turn onto the steep road and drove all the way up, while they got stuck at the bottom. Buy yourself a winter tires instead of all that dougnouts (or however it’s spelled), chaps!
Your posts on this thread have been truly magnificent, I’ve enjoyed them a lot!I recall you’ve (at least once) stated that thing you miss the most in Scotland are the real winters, you’re happy now?
Sorry to hear about your car, you wouldn’t have deserved that to happen.
Well, not happy about the car, but still happy about the winter.
orys:
Well, not happy about the car, but still happy about the winter.
I hear if you look inside a box of cornflakes you’ll find another one
■■■■, now you telling me? I splashed 9000 on that last one!