View Full Version : how many southern folk got caught out by the snow?
effin essex county council didnt grit the roads today, so the snow settled nicely.
Took me an hour to drive about 3 miles across town this morning, and didnt even get to work as the roads were gridlocked, and from what I heard on the radio most major essex roads were blocked in some way or another.
I just turned round and drove back home, and my work colleague who was with me was just as happy with that, and I got some jobs done on the sv as well :p
Ceri JC
05-12-12, 03:26 PM
I've found that when the roads are like that, for journeys under 15 miles or so, mountain bike is the way to go (unless you have a road legal trail bike, or snow chains for your SV).
Mikey10
05-12-12, 03:27 PM
No but if it rains I'm sure it would be snow when it hit the ground as its cold enough.
One thing I will say my dad was talking to someone who works in the met office weather and he was confident were going to get a lot of snow in January
were going to get a lot of snow in January
hope not, hate the stuff.
I only have a 4 mile journey, so in hindsight, cycling would have been better today, saw a guy going the other way on a yam r125 this morning, brave or bit stupid, as there wasnt much grip on the roads.
Would be ok if people knew how to drive, followed someone doing 10mph this morning ffs!!
ClunkintheUK
05-12-12, 04:18 PM
Yeah, jsut got caught out. Bike was warming up as it started. I thought "It'll probably be fine on the main roads, once i get into putney" (which to be fair i think it was) but very enarly dropped it at 3 mph pulilng out my road. Thought i'd take the train instead (Bleh). Waited for the train, which completely failed to stop at the platform, though it was trying. They decided, nevermind, and just cancelled it instead, and put 1/2 an hour on all the rest of the estimated times.
Nothing was moving round our way, I stuck the studded tyres on the mtb and was the quickest thing on the road this morning, saved me 2 hours over driving, it still unnerves me though cycling downhill on sheet ice the best bit is the astounded looks from stuck motorists:D
Littlepeahead
05-12-12, 06:36 PM
I got up at 6am, saw the snow, put the cricket on TV, fired up the laptop and emailed the boss to say I'd work from home so had quite a productive day. Instead of spending hours trying to get to and from work I put an extra 4 hours in from my sofa.
bathwiggle
05-12-12, 06:38 PM
The snow round dunstable wasn't too bad on the main roads, just as well as i only have the bike. Shame the whole of dunstable stopped due to the main traffic lights not working and people being unable to cope with them.
Wideboy
05-12-12, 06:41 PM
Snow? What snow? Clear blue sky and sunshine all day here
Dicky Ticker
05-12-12, 08:48 PM
December is winter time and in this country we have snow in the winter time. No point in blaming the council if the majority of people don't know how to drive in an inch of snow.It doesn't seem to matter what it is ,heavy rain,a bit of snow or icy roads I have come to the conclusion that no matter how many winters we have, southern drivers in general just can't hack it.
Not just the roads or traffic chaos,why close 50 schools in Essex?:confused: It happens every year and we never seem to learn so why are we caught out by the snow which was forecast.
essex council said they had no knowledge of snow, even the weather I was watching last night didnt mention snow.
Its not the snow I have issue with really, its the fck wits who dont know how to drive, and cause more hold ups.
We had quite a few winters on the trot with no snow, been some for at least 3 winters running now.
I rode the Versys into work this morning, did get a few bewildered looks from car drivers though as they plodded through the slush
widepants
05-12-12, 09:43 PM
Snow? What snow? Clear blue sky and sunshine all day here
too true , sat in the sun fishing today
tigersaw
05-12-12, 10:09 PM
too true , sat in the sun fishing today
Thats because you are still underwater
widepants
05-12-12, 10:19 PM
Thats because you are still underwater
you could be right .Drove along the peat moors and the river has flooded the fields to form a lake at least half a mile wide
This snow just amplifies the fun I have with my economic BMW 3.0 rear wheel drive fun machine. Most people are at a loss driving in it, I love the looks I get passing people stuck haha I just drive sensible and safe (where applicable)!!!
RWD are pants in the snow. You may be able to drift it but that's something best saved for an empty car park if that's how you get your thrills. Personally I reckon a FWD is better for these conditions (apart from a 4WD obviously).
I've also got a 3 litre bmw (e46 sport touring) and I reckon it's the worst possible car you can have in snow and ice. There's no weight over the rear wheels so they just spin. Putting bags of sand in the boot gives it slightly better traction but not much. When it's snowing now I don't even bother trying to drive in the bmw. Lexus IS 200 I had before it was just as bad. Either the traction control cuts in immediately and prevents you making progress or if you switch it off you just sit spinning on the spot.
There's plenty of rear tyre on the bmw too (255/35/18) and I don't buy cheap ones either. Makes no difference. Round my area when it snows the sloping roads are always littered mainly with bmw's that are stuck.
At least in a FWD the engine sits over the driving wheels and the weight helps provide some traction and you can point the drive wheels in the direction you want to go in.
How can they say they had no knowledge of the snow!
The will it rain web page showed a big wege of cloud moving south into Essex .
And as it was icy at 9pm the preceding evening the road should be gritted .
The back roads are never gritted so you need to drive acordingly .
Having passed 3 cars in the hedge /ditch what D T said is true .
The Mrs had a collision leaving work. Only one set of car track s in the snow so it's decidedly difficult to lay blame.
andrewsmith
06-12-12, 07:13 AM
Snow?
We had warning, and the morons still drove like tits!
4 mile bus journey: 1h 15 minutes last night and that was a quick journey
sent from a phone
The big que in colchester seamed to be people useing the north station route.
December is winter time and in this country we have snow in the winter time. No point in blaming the council if the majority of people don't know how to drive in an inch of snow.It doesn't seem to matter what it is ,heavy rain,a bit of snow or icy roads I have come to the conclusion that no matter how many winters we have, southern drivers in general just can't hack it.
Not just the roads or traffic chaos,why close 50 schools in Essex?:confused: It happens every year and we never seem to learn so why are we caught out by the snow which was forecast.
My school was shut, at the last minute. This was after I'd spent over 2 hours trying to get there. Mac: the reason why schools close is because of safety. You may think we're being soft but with so many of our kids walking in to school, but most staff stuck in hours of snow bound traffic, we simply cannot look after them. The two to three hundred children that did get in were supervised in the hall by the handful of staff who lived with walking distance or managed to drive in before the morons of Chelmsford decided to gridlock all the roads. Believe it or not, we really don't want to close the school; we'd really rather teach those children.
The big que in colchester seamed to be people useing the north station route.
There was a bit of a pile up in Mile End Road. My daughter managed to bypass it all and get to Nayland in time for school
ClunkintheUK
06-12-12, 08:23 AM
When I started a new job in the middle of the snow in 2010, lots of the senior people went on a shopping spree. All bought top end Audi's or Range Rovers for the 4 wheel drive. Thought they were a bunch of loons. Especially since the garages all sold out, and they didn't take delivery until March.
ClunkintheUK
06-12-12, 08:26 AM
A friend of my parents loves the snow, but then he's a racing driver, so just breaks out the Porsche with some winter tyres on. He says the looks he gets blatting around in a sports car when everyone is tiptoeing around si brilliant.
He leave the 4x4 at home because the 4wd is better on the porsche apparently.
Winter tyres is plain cheating ;)
ClunkintheUK
06-12-12, 09:20 AM
Yeah. The Z4 on run-flats in the snow was interesting.
Dicky Ticker
06-12-12, 10:31 AM
I accept what you say about schools Messie,my D-in L is a teacher and had to take two classes which is not the best scenario but the other side of the coin being if you don't have the kids in school,where do they go,do parents take time off work to look after them or do they just roam the streets or become latch-key kids.
When I went to school in Scotland,WHICH WAS 5 MILES FROM MY VILLAGE the bad weather often affected school work but we would be the assembly hall or gym having lessons or educational films,or games even.Surely a better situation than having to send kids home and a parent take time off work.
The point I am really getting at is all parts of society don't seem to plan ahead,just a little bit,for bad weather,be it leaving for work a bit earlier,councils having forethought or driving/riding with that bit of extra care------------it all makes a difference
Littlepeahead
06-12-12, 10:41 AM
My BMW 5 series was like Bambi on the ice so I rarely took it out in the bad weather. The 7 series is slightly better but on compacted snow and ice it still does its best Jane Torvill impersonation down my road towards the neighbours' parked cars.
What annoys me in Chelmsford is that even when they grit the main roads they don't do the bus routes through the estates so the buses don't run so you can't even get to the station to wait for a non-existent train to arrive.
daveyrach
06-12-12, 10:41 AM
December is winter time and in this country we have snow in the winter time. No point in blaming the council if the majority of people don't know how to drive in an inch of snow.It doesn't seem to matter what it is ,heavy rain,a bit of snow or icy roads I have come to the conclusion that no matter how many winters we have, southern drivers in general just can't hack it.
Not just the roads or traffic chaos,why close 50 schools in Essex?:confused: It happens every year and we never seem to learn so why are we caught out by the snow which was forecast.
To be fair the snow round my way wasn't forecast at all, but, Reading Borough Council have been gritting every other night anyway. I managed to get to work in the same sort of time on the SV even in the snow. Still some drivers need to drive according to the conditions, driving at 30-40 down an ungritted side round that has speed bumps isn't a good idea, esp when they can't stop at the end.
Dicky Ticker
06-12-12, 11:13 AM
Possibly I am being a bit unfair on the general British public as I had the advantage of advanced driving instruction[skid pan etc.] and then spent the next 25 years driving artics in all sorts of weather and road conditions in places like Poland,Russia and Scandinavia where they do not grit roads. Crossing the Alps with an artic in a foot of snow and ice isn't fun but you learned to drive accordingly for the conditions,yes maybe 1/2 day late in arriving at your destination but I still got there.
Being brought up in a rural locality farming you take note of the weather forecast as the work still has to be done.
I think I have said enough on this subject-----------but please be careful.
punyXpress
06-12-12, 11:30 AM
RWD are pants in the snow. You may be able to drift it but that's something best saved for an empty car park if that's how you get your thrills. Personally I reckon a FWD is better for these conditions (apart from a 4WD obviously).
I've also got a 3 litre bmw (e46 sport touring) and I reckon it's the worst possible car you can have in snow and ice. There's no weight over the rear wheels so they just spin. Putting bags of sand in the boot gives it slightly better traction but not much. When it's snowing now I don't even bother trying to drive in the bmw. Lexus IS 200 I had before it was just as bad. Either the traction control cuts in immediately and prevents you making progress or if you switch it off you just sit spinning on the spot.
There's plenty of rear tyre on the bmw too (255/35/18) and I don't buy cheap ones either. Makes no difference. Round my area when it snows the sloping roads are always littered mainly with bmw's that are stuck.
At least in a FWD the engine sits over the driving wheels and the weight helps provide some traction and you can point the drive wheels in the direction you want to go in.
There's your problem.
Top of the range car tyres have got wider and wider, and while they look good in the showrooms, they are worse than useless in 'challenging' conditions. Best bet is the narrowest wheels/tyres you can get and about 6 bags of cement in the back. With fwd you dont have that option.
About the best car I had in snow was a 1930 Austin 7 - no surfeit of power there, but it had Avon SM bike tyres so traction was no problem either. Get the right gear ( equipment) and go out and practice.
( not aimed at you personally )
You need snow socks on the BMW LPH.
Lots easyr to fit than chains and ok to the road .
Littlepeahead
06-12-12, 11:42 AM
To be honest, if the snow is bad I work from home, and if I need to get into town that much I'll just walk.
The only time I've ever dug out the drive to get the car going was on my wedding day in the USA. 3 foot of snow overnight in upstate New York state and -14 degrees. I was out there with the shovel so we could get to the courthouse. Good thing I got hitched in jeans, Timberland boots and a big rabbit fur hat and not some meringue and heels.
Sir Trev
06-12-12, 12:51 PM
Round my area when it snows the sloping roads are always littered mainly with bmw's that are stuck.
This.
Wycombe is just one hill after another and my road is no different. It is also a rat run and every time it snows people assume their executive saloon will cope, because, after all, it is German. They normally get level with my driveway and slither back down. Tee hee. The exception was my neighbour (the house uphill from me) who managed to get her 3.0 Omega automatic up to her drive and in on only the second attempt, much to the annoyance of all the blokes watching her! Way to go Sally!!!
I just work from home but get little done as I watch/laugh at all the muppets trying to drive up the road instead.
ps, only had a light dusting of snow yesterday morning so no problems. But it was so cold all day some of it was still on the drive when I got home again...
chris8886
06-12-12, 01:01 PM
here in watford, we've had the lightest of dustings and that's it, but apparently up near letchworth it was bad enough to stop people traveling down to watford for a charity meeting!
Doinitmyway
06-12-12, 01:36 PM
At 8am yesterday in Rochford/Southend I think we had about an inch or two. Could still find traction with 090's :p
Halfway to work and the snowflakes the biggest i have ever seen started falling!
http://img213.imageshack.us/img213/3734/05122012862.jpg
http://img17.imageshack.us/img17/7126/05122012861.jpg
wish we had more here..only a light dusting..btw someones unplugged your phone line doinitmyway :)
Yeah was quite interesting when I left at 6am in Houghton Regis, Needed petrol so after riding the best part of a mile down a road on black ice absolutely cacking my pants I pulled into the petrol station and nearly dropped the bike 3 times in the process. Filled up and then couldnt get off the forecourt..... finally got it off about an hour later and just went home and dialled into work.
Was fun.... If i didnt have to stop for Petrol I'd have been fine....
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