Snow good!

[Zelandeth]

Well they were both saying we'd have nothing between 1400 and 2000 today when I last looked...it hasn't stopped yet since this morning!

[NewcastleFalcon]

Not that I would wish anyone to suffer being stranded, but I will be looking forward to a few shout at the telly moments, as the great british public are interviewed in traffic jams today.

I only wish for more entertainment value that the reporters would start their interviews with the stranded motorists with this opening set of questions.

Are you surprised that it is snowing?
Did you realise that the roads might be slippy?
Did you think that there could be the possibility of other vehicles blocking the road due to not being able to get up hills or sliding into each other?
Are you surprised that you are stuck in a traffic jam?
Are you surprised that the police have advised that you shouldn't travel unless absolutely necessary?

and finally Was your journey absolutely necessary?

Saying that this morning at 6.30 ish guess who just drove off, up several hills with vehicles stuck on them, through a minor white out all in the "absolutely essential" pursuit of business as usual.

Yes me, but I still will enjoy a shout at the telly at others!

Regards Neil

[Stickyfinger]

Well, I went shopping and had a totally hilarious fun coming home.

Nice long hill out of Shepton, blocked going up, three trucks, and Audi, two RR Evoque's all stuck and a nice big que waiting at the bottom. I could see up the hill and nothing was coming down so thought Sod It....and pulled out into the other lane.....the AX stormed up it past all the bigger modern stuff including the RR-Ev's (who I gave a cheeky wave and a couple of toots ) who were spinning their wheels getting nowhere.

HAHAHAHAHA.....love this little thing in the snow even on old summer tyres

[GiveMeABreak]

I'm surprised it goes anywhere! Not sure where it's getting it's mojo from as it must be a very light car, so no weight to get any traction.

Perhaps its got something to do with surface tension and all that stuff to do with spiders walking on water because it is so light or something????

[Stickyfinger]

Yep, very light (made of tin foil & about ? 700kg ?), FWD and skinny tyres and 3rd gear. I was really surprised to be honest, it just flew up past everything.
Also VERY surprised at the RR-Evq's, must be road tyres that makes them rubbish.

[Zelandeth]

Lightweight, relatively narrow tyres and someone who knows what they're doing behind the wheel.

Second best car I've ever had in the snow: Suzuki Cappiccino. Thing was nigh on unstoppable, because like the AX it weighed next to nothing.

Had a brief venture out just a half mile or so into our local neighbourhood to pick Abby up as she had a help of stuff to carry today and it was downright hilarious. I have to assume that the section of the highway code and the driver training stuff concerned with winter driving no longer exist?

The only problem with the roads around here just now are the idiots on them. Otherwise, yes they're a bit snowy and a bit slippery, but absolutely nothing that's a problem (unless you're in a BMW, Mercedes or Audi, in which case it's your own fault for A: Buying one, and B: Going out in it in this weather) with a bit of common sense used.

I imagine the Activa is far from the greatest car in the snow, but it didn't have anything like a problem. Not even on the hill start turning out of the GP surgery car park. Should point that there's no sign of any of the side roads involved having been gritted. I'm not heading out onto the main roads to find out if they have been. Firstly, because I'd rather not have the car dissolve, and secondly because I can see they're gridlocked from here.

Gave the guy in the Grand Cherokee who was sliding backwards down the hill a cheery wave as I went past.

The Evoques and X5s are essentially useless due to the rubber bands they have for tyres. They're virtually track orientated...Just have a look at the width of them...Also the traction control will only keep up to a point...if you just floor it, there's only so much it can deal with.

[Stickyfinger]

Fun fun fun

[andy5]

I just looked at the traffic on Google Maps. I've never seen so much orange, or so much red, or nearly black, or so many closed roads. Hardly any green bits in the south west, central southern England, south Wales, up to the Midlands. About the area with the met office warnings in fact.

The local TV news mentioned the fatal accident near Newbury again, which closed both sides of the A34 for all day. A second accident nearby destroyed more barriers by a bridge. The journalist said the repair people were rather alarmed at and delayed by 2 cars heading past them along one carriageway in the wrong direction, which meant they'd deliberately driven around or through the signs and barriers showing the road was closed.

[van ordinaire]

Have you noticed how our free, frank, fearless meja always blame the weather - rather than telling the truth & attributing the cause of the chaos on people's (particularly train operators) inability, unwillingness even, to cope with the prevailing conditions?

A classic example was a picture of stationery traffic on a stretch of the M20 due, according to the caption, arctic conditions (or some such nonsense) but it also showed freeflowing traffic on the opposite carriageway - despite the snow!

[van ordinaire]

That sliding backwards is a particularly unnerving experience.

It first happened to me in the PI (which was actually surprisingly good in the snow) when I was trying to climb a hill in 2nd (3-speed auto) with the wheels gently spinning, at tickover, & sliding slowly backwards. It was a residential cul-de-sac, so no traffic &, thus, room to manoevre, so I very carefully let it roll to the bottom & onto a drive. Then with a start on the level, had a bit of a run at the hill, which it scrabbled its way up.

Another time was actually really disconcerting, I had stopped in the '96 Cherokee (I think) on a bendy, hilly moorland road & when I tried to pull away, it started to slide backwards. What was odd, was that I could stop, & the handbrake would hold it - but as soon as I put it in drive, & released the brake, it started sliding backwards. In the end I managed to position it so it w it in as above a l/h bend so it could only slide into some gorse, put it in low permanent 4WD & as soon as it started to slide, gently fed the power in, until the direction of travel changed & we started to crawl up the hill - not nice.

[daviemck2006]

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I’ve been using the front of the 107 as a snow plough, and that’s never been out of the town tonight! It’s still snowing and the wind getting up now. Shudder to think what it will be like in the morning. At least the garden is tidy now

[daviemck2006]

The best car I ever had in the snow was a 106 1.5d. Even, as stickyfinger says about his ax, on old summer tyres it went through everything in the really bad weather ov 2010, I got to work 45 miles away every day along the same roads that my boss wouldn't tackle in a jeep Cherokee because it had 22" alloys shod with massively wide rubber bands for tyres. The 107s are usually great too, but mine is not due to absolutely s**t front tyres. I'm going to resurrect Gabby with her dripping fuel pump tomorrow just for her vredeisten winter extreme rubber she is wearing.

[NewcastleFalcon]

Do you think before it all melts away there will be time for some original FCF humorous

Car Snow Art

Regards Neil

[RichardW]

I tried to go to work this morning, but I baulked when I got here... this didn't look terribly passable in a FWD, and there is about 10 miles of country road after that exposed to the easterly wind, and going up over 350m!!

[DHallworth]

Here's a few pictures I took around ours, the ones with the cars in them were taken yesterday, the drifts blocking the road were taken this morning.

David.