"Tom Bennett" wrote in message
...

If we had Canadian winters, we'd have Canadian methods for coping with
them. But we have the best (or worst) of all worlds. With such low
probabilities of severe weather, it's hardly surprising that, as a nation,
we place such a low priority on planning (or spending) to cope with it.
The trick is, I think, in developing the systems to cope and then keeping
them live but on-hold. Given the warning we had before yesterday's
episode, I'm appalled that (for example) neither London Underground or
many London Boroughs could field either the men or very simple equipment
needed just to grit the pavements and platforms.


In the UK our snow situations tend to be rather messy, involving temps
hovering around freezing. So we get an unpredictable mix of melting
(both under presseure of traffic and sunshine) rain washing the salt away,
refreezing and fresh snow falling onto ice. An absolute nightmare for
the gritters!

In Canada it tends to either snow or not snow.
And if it does snow it tends to be powdery snow that can easily be blown
away. They don't even bother to salt the roads as salting doesn't work
below about -15C anyway. Cars will have snow tyres and snow tracks.

I wonder how they cope in areas like the SE states of the US where
the possibility of heavy (possibily wet) snow is part of the climate but
tends to ocurr sporadically.

Col
--
Bolton, Lancashire.
160m asl.
http://www.reddwarfer.btinternet.co.uk