What does the world think of the way we deal with our weather? We have television screens showing pictures of great disruption caused by snowfall when it looks like God has shaken icing sugar over the land. Airports can't deal with this amount of snow and the Channel Tunnel has closed indefinitely. If planes aren't safe in cold weather that is one thing but the excuses that I was hearing were about problems caused by the amount of snow on the ground.
Last night around 10pm I took a very pleasant walk along Broadway in Morecambe. It was snowing fairly heavily but my trusty shoes meant that my steps were sure even with a dog that was pulling from time to time. I did notice no difference between snow landing on the road and snow landing anywhere else. Broadway is a fairly broad way but there was no grit to be seen. This was fine for my photographs but I'm not sure if I want to go driving.
On Sunday evening I drove through Lancaster . Television and radio reports had told me how well prepared we were in Lancashire and we were so much better off than last year when we had icy weather for days at a time! Well now that we were prepared I dared to go up a hill and found myself sliding around. I wasn't on my own. I have heard many stories of people stuck in their cars or unable to get where they wanted to go.
It is one thing to decide that treating the roads in bad weather is not a priority. It is quite another to say that we are prepared but only treat a few roads.
Change the world
P.S. This morning Broadway has been gritted. I travelled to Hest Bank and saw two snowmen. I think this would be the first time that these children had built a snowman and they looked really good.
P.P.S. I am listening to the news on the evening of the 22nd and I hear that councils are working flat out. I thought that my main road was left for a morning shift rather than a night shift so I would question the "flat out" but it used to be the case that side streets were gritted. Council workers may be working flat out but there must be a lot less of them now.
P.P.P.S. I travelled from Morecambe to Chester and back this evening and the roads were fine. They were also the quietest I have ever seen them so congratulations to those who are looking after them.
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I went to Galgate today....22/12/09...and was told by the owner of the chip shop that the council flattly refused to clear the bridge over the Conder...even though it is on no more than 10 ft wide...he had been told to buy more salt and treat it himself.
ReplyDeleteThat was last year...tioday..he and another man kindly pushed me out of a tricky spot.
If I'd listened to me internal voice I would not have got myself in the sticky situation.....I was lucky..there were two kind men there to help me out