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GREYSMEADOW

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So the government advised us that they were well prepared for the next battering of snow.... prepared my foot! They have new vehicles... haven't seen one let along any gritters!

I remember over 20 years ago when we had a huge battering the local farmers assisted with clearing the main/country roads to keep the roads open.

So what is the solution?
 
I don't think they expected it quite so soon!

Agree though, government is useless!

There were supposed to grit before the snow. I haven't seen a snow plough. That is what is required.

However, for my small little confined world, a 4x4 is on the list of things to save up for, for next winter! :)
 
Don't forget the fact that the government is trying to tax 4x4's off the road, after last years snow they thanked I think it was the Landrover owners club for help in getting supplies etc to people cut off - but this is just what happens in rural areas, people with suitable vehicles help out - they don't have to be asked. Just imagine what would happen if there were none of these vehicles on the road.
My ex (farmer) used to be paid by the council to clear the road from the village to the main road, they stopped this a few years back so last winter the council just closed the road - we just drove around the barriers as otherwise we would have been totally cut off as the other lane out of the village was impassable for due to ice.
 
I don't think many places outside the far north own a snow plough between them. 30 years ago EVERY council had a snow plough.

We just don't have the money for them now its as simple as that.

If my local council invested in say 4 imagine how up in arms people would be next spring when the council tax went up by £x amount to pay for them


While I am not into politics of either government/council what on earth are they supposed to do, doomed either way in my opinion
 
I havnt seen one gritter, let alone any grit. the road outside my house is fairly main, and it is like glass! school closed today as the snow is much worse but yesterday it was open, but no grit on the road to get to it. there are two steep hills with the school at the bottom. consequently thost that drove couldnt get back up the hill, those that walked, a lot slipped over and one of the teaching assistants actually broke her ankle.
 
Jane_Lou said:
Don't forget the fact that the government is trying to tax 4x4's off the road, after last years snow they thanked I think it was the Landrover owners club for help in getting supplies etc to people cut off - but this is just what happens in rural areas, people with suitable vehicles help out - they don't have to be asked. Just imagine what would happen if there were none of these vehicles on the road.
My ex (farmer) used to be paid by the council to clear the road from the village to the main road, they stopped this a few years back so last winter the council just closed the road - we just drove around the barriers as otherwise we would have been totally cut off as the other lane out of the village was impassable for due to ice.
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I thought that the farmers did get paid for this - you have now confirmed this - thanks.
Perhaps the governments/councils will revert back to this - would make sense.

It's a shame someone hasn't invented some sort of attachment snowplough to fix to some 4wd vehicles and help clear some of the rural country lanes as they drive along and then get a nice tax refund.....you probably all think I'm barking mad!!!
 
I don't think snowploughs are very useful except for clearing large banks of snow. If you look at their action, they scrape the top layer of thick snow off, but at the same time, the bucket smoothes and flattens the remainder, making it like glass. I followed one home once and it was terrible, slidng all over the place and I was driving a heavy 4x4 truck. They just don't scrape right through to the road, which is what you need. I don't think they could. They need to scrape at the front and then follow immediately with grit at the rear.
 
sussexbythesea said:
There having problems all over Europe with snow even in countries that get lots of snow every year so its not just the UK.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-11885495

I'd be interested to know what's your solution? Why don't you invent a snowplough attachment? What's stopping you?
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My solution would be instead of wasting money on crap like new furniture for the council offices, including an antique desk, outreach workers, a magazine no one reads & the like they could actually spend the money on salt & machinery to spread it so that the whole country doesn't grind to a halt costing billions of pounds. My road has never ever been gritted & I have lived here 17 years, thats an awful lot of council tax I've paid to have a road & pavement thats like glass.

Sadly I am not an engineer so can't invent an attachment, would be cool though.
 
I agree with Kizzywizz, there is an awful lot of waste still. I do think though that we need to take more responsibility ourselves. Maybe we need to start buying and using snow tyres like they do on the continent.
 
Kent had the gritters out the night before the snow came - in the mid Kent area. Radio Kent were also interviewing a local farmer who said he was on standby for the council. I guess it depends on the councils' policies.
 
HollyB66 said:
Kent had the gritters out the night before the snow came - in the mid Kent area. Radio Kent were also interviewing a local farmer who said he was on standby for the council. I guess it depends on the councils' policies.
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I have seen loads of ploughs and gritters in kent...hasnt made much difference though :D
 
siennamum said:
I agree with Kizzywizz, there is an awful lot of waste still. I do think though that we need to take more responsibility ourselves. Maybe we need to start buying and using snow tyres like they do on the continent.
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Agree and not forget once the snow has gone. There are more than a few people that haven't learnt their lessons from last year; they shouldn't have to be told how to cope again FGS, have a brain themselves, use it and act on it don't say it's someone else's responsibility, have a bit of community spirit and help others too.
 
GREYSMEADOW said:
Yes I quite agree - the snow has to be removed down to the tarmac and grit put down immediate.
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Problem with doing that is the damage to all of the 'iron work' that is rarely flush with the road surface.

The plough would be ripping up drain covers, valve covers etc and the repair bill in the spring would be huge.

Plus damage to the actual road surface, which is rarely smooth.

Just can't win :D
 
OH was working out how to convert some bits and pieces he had and weld together a snow plough for his tractor last year, when we had enough to block the road for all bar 4x4 for a day or two - but before he got it sorted it had thawed and gone. This summer he made a snow plough to attach to the front of the garden tractor for our daughter to clear our paths etc - but we've not had enough snow to need to clear the road this year. In fact the sun is out so I can't see the 1/2 inch we have lasting.
 
GREYSMEADOW said:
I thought that the farmers did get paid for this - you have now confirmed this - thanks.
Perhaps the governments/councils will revert back to this - would make sense.

!
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In order for farmers to help out on the roads we have to have £100m public liability insurance, full body hi viz gear and are not allowed to use red diesel. While councils do pay farmers for clearing snow the initial costs of complying with central government rules makes it prohibitive.
 
They are great round me in county durham, three snow ploughs passed me the other day in a couple mins. I believe theyt tender the contracts to farmers etc.
 
At the back end of the summer I saw 3 beautiful new gritters with snow ploughs being taken into the gritting depot close to home - wonderful - actually saw one of them out this morning doing it's stuff.

I live in Bucks..... we have approx 3 cm of snow laying on the ground presently .....
 
cariad said:
I don't think snowploughs are very useful except for clearing large banks of snow. If you look at their action, they scrape the top layer of thick snow off, but at the same time, the bucket smoothes and flattens the remainder, making it like glass.
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Believe me, they are:D Yours must be different if they have a bucket, ours have angled blades which pushes everything to the side of the road. Here they get right to the road surface and spray a liquid solution which melts anything left over. All vehicles change to winter tyres which helps enormously. Trashes the roads of course, summer is the season for repairing all the potholes, but who cares? Life goes on.

The link to the snow plows for trucks is just the kind of thing many people use here, they stay on permanently over winter, good job the spaces in parking lots are huge;) Brilliant things, especially when some farms have laneways a half mile long, fortunately mine to the house is only 60' or so, but I'm damned if I would move snow from it by hand.
 
HollyB66 said:
Problem with doing that is the damage to all of the 'iron work' that is rarely flush with the road surface.

The plough would be ripping up drain covers, valve covers etc and the repair bill in the spring would be huge.

Plus damage to the actual road surface, which is rarely smooth.

Just can't win :D
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Our plows have rubber like this:

The roads still get trashed, it happens, keeps the Municipality staff busy in Summer and Fall:D


4175713565_c0b94c8a5a.jpg


Photo taken from here: http://www.flickr.com/groups/1144841@N21/ Can you believe that there is a Flickr group for plows?
 
Didn't one of the main terestrial channels do a program earlier this year when we were in the grips of the appaling weather to see how other countries deal with this weather and why they don't grind to a halt like us?

I'm sure the conclusion was that those countries invest money into the winter upkeep and that this country could do the same but that most people would probably complain as it would be seen as a waste of money as last winter was an unusual event...hmmmmmmm

Apparently the sale of 4x4 was increased considerably since last winter, guess it might again...oh and for taxing them off the roads, if you have an old one like mine you are not taxed more than a normal road car.
 
I have lived in very cold countries for many many years and I cannot see why we cannot have ploughs here in the UK too.

Slightly Foxed makes a really good point - it sounds like an overhaul of the system is needed to make it more pragmatic. In addition to the public roads services (which should remove the snow before people need to drive to work in the morning), the councils and private people should be able to contract with local farmers who use snow ploughs with their tractors to clear public roads as well as their private drives. This may be a good thing for local farmers if they can make some extra money by getting up at 5am and clearing peoples drive ways for snow.

It is NOT ok to just keep salting, one needs to take the snow away first and then put down salt or grit. And the councils must plan where to PUT the snow (it may need to be taken away in dumpsters since most towns and villages do not have the space to put it at the side of the road.) It is completely possible to maintain the roads in such a way that a plough can go through safely in winter, other countries to it all the time, so why not here?
 
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