Southerners can't drive in the snow...........Fact

12 Mar 2013

Saw all the mayhem on the news about the Southerners getting stuck in the snow !!!!
What snow? There was less than 1" on the roads on the reports I saw.
In the North, we wouldn't break out a 4x4 unless there was about 4" on the roads, 1" isn't a snowfall to us, it's a light dusting !!
Apocalypse (S)now !!!
Ok, I'm standing by for the abuse.
John

12 Mar 2013

12 Mar 2013

Quote by Geordiecpl2001
Saw all the mayhem on the news about the Southerners getting stuck in the snow !!!!
What snow? There was less than 1" on the roads on the reports I saw.
In the North, we wouldn't break out a 4x4 unless there was about 4" on the roads, 1" isn't a snowfall to us, it's a light dusting !!
Apocalypse (S)now !!!
Ok, I'm standing by for the abuse.
John

Well I'm a southerner and I live in Whickham... Geordies and Mackems can't really point their finger, not with what I see on my way in to work everyday!

12 Mar 2013

Quote by Rogue_Trader
Saw all the mayhem on the news about the Southerners getting stuck in the snow !!!!
What snow? There was less than 1" on the roads on the reports I saw.
In the North, we wouldn't break out a 4x4 unless there was about 4" on the roads, 1" isn't a snowfall to us, it's a light dusting !!
Apocalypse (S)now !!!
Ok, I'm standing by for the abuse.
John

Well I'm a southerner and I live in Whickham... Geordies and Mackems can't really point their finger, not with what I see on my way in to work everyday!
Proved my point, you drove to work, obviously the Northern driving skills are passing onto you, the Southerners sat in the snow and whinged !!
John

12 Mar 2013

Quote by Geordiecpl2001
Saw all the mayhem on the news about the Southerners getting stuck in the snow !!!!
What snow? There was less than 1" on the roads on the reports I saw.
In the North, we wouldn't break out a 4x4 unless there was about 4" on the roads, 1" isn't a snowfall to us, it's a light dusting !!
Apocalypse (S)now !!!
Ok, I'm standing by for the abuse.
John

Well I'm a southerner and I live in Whickham... Geordies and Mackems can't really point their finger, not with what I see on my way in to work everyday!
Proved my point, you drove to work, obviously the Northern driving skills are passing onto you, the Southerners sat in the snow and whinged !!
John
Naah John, I walk when I can. I'm an early bird 3.2 miles in the morning and same again at night. Dunston Bank is the only killer :-)

13 Mar 2013

i use to have a scooter which i rode in snow.
was a suzuki burgman 400 and because the rear foot panels were low and came out so far you could use them to lean the scooter over and slide around.
still got a picture of it parked up in heavy snow on the a331 hogs back.
never crashed on it in the snow it just seem to love it.

13 Mar 2013

It's true. We saw the pictures of a 'light dusting' of snow and that people we trapped in their cars for hours on end!
Then we compared it with images on the telly of the real stuff that fell in Brittany and northern France where they were well prepared for it and there was little, if any, drama.

13 Mar 2013

Quote by GnV
It's true. We saw the pictures of a 'light dusting' of snow and that people we trapped in their cars for hours on end!
Then we compared it with images on the telly of the real stuff that fell in Brittany and northern France where they were well prepared for it and there was little, if any, drama.

I have often wondered why this happens, do other countries use different tyres or road surfacing materials to what the UK uses?
Maybe other countries have better grip on the top surface or on their tyres just an idea.
might be why they are better prepared.

13 Mar 2013

Better weather forecasting, more interest in what goes on around them, better planning. Simple.
For example minx. The French transportation authorities denied lorries access to ferries at the UK ports so they would not spill out on to French roads causing a problem. On the French side, the same happened. The Gendarmes directed them in to the Aires (service/picnic areas) to keep them off the roads and in a safe haven where they could be looked after properly. Nothing worse than jackknifed HGV's blocking off the routes.
In certain regions of France, every motorist either has snow chains which can be fitted to tyres or a second set of winter tyres. I think it may be compulsory in some places.

13 Mar 2013

horse and cart vs the motor car, really !! you northerners will compare anything bolt

13 Mar 2013

How true, flower :thumbup:
I listened to an interview with Cheryl Baker who got caught out picking her girls up from school in the 4x4. She admitted to there being no blankets in the car and she was only wearing trainers (well, not only trainers if you get my drift). A harrowing experience by all accounts.

13 Mar 2013

:laughabove::laughabove: gotta love the French sense of humour...
You write the French accent very well.

13 Mar 2013

simply letting down your tyres to about 10 psi is ample in the uk given the amount of snow we have.
in canada the snow chains dont come out till there is about a foot of snow everywhere

13 Mar 2013

Quote by Lizaleanrob
simply letting down your tyres to about 10 psi is ample in the uk given the amount of snow we have.
in canada the snow chains dont come out till there is about a foot of snow everywhere

But have you seen the size of their tyres in Canada?
Monster truck variety!

13 Mar 2013

Quote by Geordiecpl2001
Saw all the mayhem on the news about the Southerners getting stuck in the snow !!!!
What snow? There was less than 1" on the roads on the reports I saw.
In the North, we wouldn't break out a 4x4 unless there was about 4" on the roads, 1" isn't a snowfall to us, it's a light dusting !!
Apocalypse (S)now !!!
Ok, I'm standing by for the abuse.
John

No abuse here John as I feel you are right. My Daughter lived near West Malling and that area was dreadful the other night. My other Daughter lives in Ashford and the motorway near her which is the M20 was gridlocked.
I think a huge chunk of the problem this time John was that even though there were the warnings, local councils just did not act quick enough. A lot of the roads were not treated and by the time they were, it was too late.
But of course down here the merest hint of snow shuts Heathrow which I think is the busiest airport in the world. Trains grind to a halt and of course the schools shut down even before the snow falls. It is of course all rather pathetic as I have a mate from Sunderland who lives now in Kent and he just thinks it is all rather pathetic from us " southern softies ".
But in fairness the snow and chaos that happened in the South East was down to councils being to slow to grit, I suppose purely to try and save as much money as possible, whilst obviously putting people's lives at risk on the roads in the process.
To be stuck in a car on a major motorway for up to 10 hours in 2013 because of what was a pretty light dusting of snow compared to some of our European neighbours and even as close as Scotland, is pathetic in itself. Had it been 6 foot of snow I could have understood it, and we always hear the same old excuses from the same old losers.

13 Mar 2013

And the same old losers will probably get a huge bonus out of the public purse (your Council Tax) for not spending so much :grin:

13 Mar 2013

Quote by GnV
And the same old losers will probably get a huge bonus out of the public purse (your Council Tax) for not spending so much :grin:

Do local Councillors get bonus related pay GnV? Never heard of that one.

13 Mar 2013

Quote by GnV
It's true. We saw the pictures of a 'light dusting' of snow and that people we trapped in their cars for hours on end!
Then we compared it with images on the telly of the real stuff that fell in Brittany and northern France where they were well prepared for it and there was little, if any, drama.

Really? Was this the weather that has been plastered all over the TV in Northern Europe that has bought the majority of it to a standstill?

13 Mar 2013

Quote by Rogue_Trader
It's true. We saw the pictures of a 'light dusting' of snow and that people we trapped in their cars for hours on end!
Then we compared it with images on the telly of the real stuff that fell in Brittany and northern France where they were well prepared for it and there was little, if any, drama.

Really? Was this the weather that has been plastered all over the TV in Northern Europe that has bought the majority of it to a standstill?
Yes a little bit like this.

Seems France were in indeed at a standstill. No drama GnV? Also was the Channel tunnel not shut on the French end causing havoc this side of the tunnel? I thought you said that you did watch the news in English on your French tv. lol

13 Mar 2013

Quote by Rogue_Trader
It's true. We saw the pictures of a 'light dusting' of snow and that people we trapped in their cars for hours on end!
Then we compared it with images on the telly of the real stuff that fell in Brittany and northern France where they were well prepared for it and there was little, if any, drama.

Really? Was this the weather that has been plastered all over the TV in Northern Europe that has bought the majority of it to a standstill?
But not motorists stuck in their cars after a light dusting of snow for over 10 hours...
Which was the point I was making.

13 Mar 2013

Quote by GnV
after a light dusting of snow

Your interpretation of the weather that fell here or a meterologists?

13 Mar 2013

Quote by Rogue_Trader
after a light dusting of snow

Your interpretation of the weather that fell here or a meterologists?
No, it was Geordie's

Quote by Geordie
In the North, we wouldn't break out a 4x4 unless there was about 4" on the roads, 1" isn't a snowfall to us, it's a light dusting !!

13 Mar 2013

Touche GNV lol yeah but he's a Geordie.... :-) and they wear t-shirts in the middle of winter so a light dusting to them is a major snowfall to everyone else!
Are image tags turned off by any chance?

13 Mar 2013

Quote by Rogue_Trader
Are image tags turned off by any chance?

13 Mar 2013

Was just going to post our "light dusting" in Devon...Folks don't realise a lot of Dartmoor is above 300 metres and some of it at 600 metres.

13 Mar 2013

Quote by Theladyisaminx
It's true. We saw the pictures of a 'light dusting' of snow and that people we trapped in their cars for hours on end!
Then we compared it with images on the telly of the real stuff that fell in Brittany and northern France where they were well prepared for it and there was little, if any, drama.

I have often wondered why this happens, do other countries use different tyres or road surfacing materials to what the UK uses?
Maybe other countries have better grip on the top surface or on their tyres just an idea.
might be why they are better prepared.
I lived in Switzerland for 3 years, my lounge at 5000feet was higher than Ben Nevis.
Many of the driveways in the village had underground heating installed at the time of conception.
The problem of that for us, apart from the obvious cost is the tarmac we use is that our weather is not as constant as it is in other climates.
Tarmac in Switzerland and other cold countries is of a different composite to that used in hot areas like Florida, it does not crack in severe low temperatures, in Flordia the tarmac composition allows it to withstand melting in high temperatures.
Our problem is that we are stuck in the middle, the temperatures here drop below freezing at times but at other times can reach the same high degrees as Florida (yes occasionally honest).
This means we simply cannot use the same composite tarmac that others use to combat the problem of melting and cracking, we have to use something that can work in all conditions and be excellent in none.
Just about every house and business in Flordia as excellent air conditioning, cheaper in quantities for building contractors, in Switzerland heating supplies and energy is cheaper.
In florida the main items of clothing are t shirts and shorts in switzerland ski suits are common. In Siberia fur coats are very inexpensive, partially because of availability of the fur, partially because of demand which is not cosmetic.
I wish I had been born Swiss or could afford to live in Florida lol

In Switzerland snow tyres and chains are a must, snow tyres are cheaper than in the UK and when you buy them the garage fit them for free AND store your summer tyres for free until summer, they then change them for free and store your winter tyres and so on until you need new tyres.
Both sets of tyres are used a lot which makes it worth buying them here snow tyres are simply an expensive luxury.
My Vauxhall Zafira fitted with snow tyres had no problem negotiating the 1/10 hill to my home/garage multiple times a day with 4-5 inches of snow on the ground. a 4x4 with snow tyres managed much more, a 4x4 with snow tyres and chains could manage off road in deep snow but at times JCB snow plows fitted with snow chains resembelling the anchor chains of small fishing boats struggled to get up hills.

13 Mar 2013

Quote by Rogue_Trader
Was just going to post our "light dusting" in Devon...Folks don't realise a lot of Dartmoor is above 300 metres and some of it at 600 metres.

Bragging, again rolleyes

13 Mar 2013

lol.. there's a lot to say about living in God's country Exmoor and Dartmoor being 2 of them.

13 Mar 2013

Hope the moorland sheep are as accommodating as the ones on the Welsh hills wink

13 Mar 2013

wonders how G is such a sheep expert
wink