Isn't it gorgeous? :-)

[abendgules]

London is getting up to six inches of snow - started last night, continuing into tomorrow. There's about three-four inches fallen already.

It's beautiful - mild and cool outside, perfect snowman weather. I took pictures of our little yard and our close covered in snow.

This would be no problem in Canada - ok, a bit of a dump, like the first big snowfall of winter, have to wait for the plows to get round the 401, but not a big deal.

Now picture the same conditions, in a densely packed city of 7million(?), where not a soul owns winter boots or a snowshovel.

Cars here are completely innocent of ice scrapers (I had to describe one to my office mate), snow tires ('oh, the things with chains, right?'), antifreeze for the windshield, or winter oil.

Actually I exaggerate - I own winter boots, and I've seen a couple of people arrive at work who look like they're wearing their hiking kit.

My commute was blissful, actually - no buses at all (all London buses are cancelled today) few cars, almost no fumes even at the busy intersections, and a clear run up my arm of the Northern line.

However, 10/11 Tube lines are down or partly down, so I was very lucky. I'd be SOL going into the centre of the city.

So far I'm one of four in the office, out of about 17.

Comments

[exmoor-cat.livejournal.com]

zmiya_san is on her way home now, sounds epic for her colleagues - 4 hours from Croydon to central. I'm missing my TA-issue kit, it was designed to deal with this in case we got to play with soviets in Norway. This county's completely forgotten how to handle snow, when I was a kid in Manchester, we were only sent home if the toilets had been destroyed by frozen cisterns. UK= neurotic with alzheimers when it comes to weather.

[snugglebum271.livejournal.com]

Sounds beautiful! Quite a contrast to our blistering 30C on Sunday.

You know, it's a whole year since you were here? Doesn't time fly.

[jpgsawyer.livejournal.com]

Cars here are completely innocent of ice scrapers (I had to describe one to my office mate), snow tires ('oh, the things with chains, right?'), antifreeze for the windshield, or winter oil.

I think your office mate must be completely clueless because almost everyone I know who owns a car has one of these, my Dad even used to have one in Melbourne for the four days a year it was frosty enough to need one. As far as I am concerned antifreeze in the windscreen is standard practise. (Ok call it windscreen washer fluid if you like but its antifreeze.)

Snow tires and winter oil would be plane silly here and too expensive.

That said Durham council should be sacked outright for not gritting... with an accurate forcast of snow three days out it is criminal that they didn't. I know wiltshire was well and truly gritted because I managed to get stuck behind the truck on the way out last night.

The snow is only just getting underway here in Bristol so the evening drive home will be interesting but hopefully easy enough provided they can keep the trucks from jack knifing.

[ormsweird.livejournal.com]

They didn't bother to grit last time in january either, meaning it ended up taking Tom 4 hours to get to work. Thankfully it only took him an extra 15 mins today. If it had been really bad he'd have about-turned.

[bend-gules.livejournal.com]

How much do tires cost compared to not being able to get out of your drive, or reach work?

All-season tires aren't beyond the scope of reason...I chatted to another Cdn in town has them, here, in the UK. So they're apparently available.

Contrary to popular belief here, 'winter tires' are *not* always studded or chained. They're deep-tracked, and work well in snow, wet and ice.

My officemate is a bit naiive, but I've explained Cdn winter prep for cars a dozen times, and it's always news to someone.

[jpgsawyer.livejournal.com]

They are available but even today with snow I didn't need them to get to work or to get home yesterday. If I was in London or the east it might have been different but even if I take a day working at home because of the snow I don't get any penalty, hey my boss is off today because he decided it was too dangerous to cycle in and we have hardly any snow here in the west at all.

I know that winter tires are not studded or the application of chains (I've used chains to go to the snow in Australia) but winter tires wear faster in the summer and aren't the best for those conditions.

As I generally only need one set of tires each year spending £200.00 before winter for an extra set of tires the one day of the year I might have trouble when I get nothing in return seems rather unnecessary.

I agree if it was a more regular event and not so exceptional that I would get in trouble at work well then I would agree winter tires would be a must. Its all about optimising the return.

I agree though with someones comment somewhere else. Really we should be more honest about what we are doing, which is why I have started to post about this stuff.

[acorngirl.livejournal.com]

I do feel sorry for London folks - or anyone else unprepared for Mother Nature's winter glory! - but here's a few stats to put things in perspective for you:

This season's Ottawa totals:
Total snowfall: 202 cm
Largest snowfall: 22.6 cm
Total on the ground: 69 cm
Source: Environment Canada (http://www.weatheroffice.gc.ca)

And then there's the transit strike ... the O-train just started running today for the first time since Dec. 10; some main buses will be back on the roads a week from now, but the express and rural routes probably won't be back 'til May - it's been quite a winter here!

Oh, and Happy Groundhog Day - they all saw their shadows, so we're in for 6 more weeks of winter: http://www.cbc.ca/canada/story/2009/02/02/groundhog-day.html

But, all in all, I'd rather have what we've got than what the poor Aussies are suffering through! 40+ heat waves that stop trains with melting railroad tracks - yipes!!

[frrsawyer.livejournal.com]

I'll second that last statement! It was 44.3 degrees here on Saturday and 43 again on Sunday......and that's only two days out of the last week! I've just about had it. Have been sleeping in an air mattress in the lounge for the last week with the air conditioning going just trying to get some sleep!

At least I don't have to worry about catching trains though. At least I don't have that to contend with.

Give me a bit of snow any day :-)

[henrytroup.livejournal.com]

I was in Wichita, Kansas once. An inch of snow the previous winter had paralyzed them for a week, for the same reasons.

Ottawa's snow clearing budget is over $60 million a year, and was overspent for 2007 and 2008. That's about half of the total "surface operations" budget, twice the library budget, and about one-and-a-half times the garbage budget.

***

In Ottawa, six more weeks of winter is an early spring!

[nusbacher.livejournal.com]

There was a gritting truck out in my village as I shovelled out my driveway this evening. Gritting on top of a foot of snow. Some sort of plough would really help, but of course there's no business case for buying ploughs when this happens one day a year. I wish they'd just be frank about it: if it snows just stay home. Which, by the way, most people did.

I came home from the station at a steady 25 mph and just sort of slewed into the driveway where I bottomed out on snow. I managed to brute-force the car most of the way in -- far enough to avoid the splash from the road -- and then set about shovelling the driveway.

bendgules speaks sooth, though: snow shovels aren't sold here that I've ever seen (nor are long-handled snow brushes with ice scrapers on the other end). So the dustpan was pressed into service.

You have to imagine me in an ivory mohair business suit under a black Cossack-looking coat dancing the kazatske in order to bring a no-handled dustpan to bear on the packed snow.

When you're done laughing ...

... thank you ...

[ethnowoman.livejournal.com]

Edmonton doesn't believe in plowing much; the city does own snow plows, but, ie, they only just plowed my street, three weeks after a big snow dump. I thought I was brave in Ottawa to drive... but driving here is really a pioneer adventure.