School closures

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Nov 11, 2009
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A friend of ours lives in Falmouth. All power went off 9.00 pm last night. Latest news is power may be restored circa 7.00 am tomorrow. She's all electric so not a happy bunny
Hopefully they will be connected without too much delay. My son was without electric last year for three days following a storm. No boiler etc but the gas hob worked and they have a wood burner plus led camping lights, gas cartridge stoves and torches etc. But he said the most miserable bit was getting in to a freezing cold bed. Having a caravan or MH available is a big plus.
 
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Nov 16, 2015
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I had to go out just now and the roads round here are up to the top of the kerb-stones. Main roads are passable but quite slushy. Tesco car park resembled a ski resort. I have to say I'm quite impressed with the Audi Quattro drive system after several years of RWD only cars!
Many years ago, I had a Vectra 3.0 V6 Diesel and decided to fit Winter tyres, just prior to Christmas we travelled from Milton Keynes down to Old Sarum, the weather got really bad with snow, and maybe 3 inches dropped in a matter of a few hours
The next day my friend who was Engineering manager for Middle Wallop, Helicopter side, said as the airfield was closed , let's go and play in the snow with the cars on the runway, Absolutely great fun power slides, practicing snow driving, His 4x4 half truck , can't remember the make , showed how well balanced it was lane changing, where as my car would hang the back end out but with the winter tyres, could keep fairly well where I wanted it to go.
I'm think if you enjoy driving a skid pan day would be a very educational time. .
 
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Mar 14, 2005
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I have no objection with factual forecasting and practical warning. Just the sensationalising for the sake of it. Reporters trying to outdo each other.

Just listening to today’s news and for many areas they are saying that the forecasts were not resulting in what was expected. Ie, Stafordshire got 50mm. 300mm was forcast.

John
I think we all know how that weather conditions can vary quite considerably ometimes within 100 metres. So to say that Staffordshire only got 50 mm when 300 was forecast may be true where you are, but I live 200metres from the border between Staffs and W-Mids, near Cannock Chase, and I had about 150mm, and looking at the hills they have remained much whiter as our snowfall has melted so I'd guess they have probably had more like 200 to 200mm.
 
Jun 16, 2020
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I think we all know how that weather conditions can vary quite considerably ometimes within 100 metres. So to say that Staffordshire only got 50 mm when 300 was forecast may be true where you are, but I live 200metres from the border between Staffs and W-Mids, near Cannock Chase, and I had about 150mm, and looking at the hills they have remained much whiter as our snowfall has melted so I'd guess they have probably had more like 200 to 200mm.
I don’t live in Staffordshire, see my signature. I simply quoted the news report which was being broadcast as I wrote. The very same news that warned of the 300mm.

But my point, which I will repeat. Is not that the reports are wrong, I am happy to believe that they are doing their best with the technology available. But, that the media then continue to sensationalise. Never something that the shipping forecast found necessary. Sensationalising can lead to over emphasising all possibilities/eventualities and the possible dangers. But it is just an opinion.



John
 
Nov 11, 2009
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From what I have seen of the snow on TV this morning most of the Midlands bar the Peak District have had one inch tops and almost everything is at a grinding halt, but if you have seen Bridlington - where snow was not even forecast! - they've had maybe 2-3 inches and everything (bar schools) is working AFAICS.

IMO the main issues about travel these days has three reasons:-
We don't teach people to drive, we teach them to past a test, plus they can drive anywhere at any speed immediately they have that piece of paper in their hands. We get far too little snow for newer drivers to learn how to handle it!

Far too many people have no concept of the size (especially width) of the vehicle they are driving. Just this morning a bus pulled up at a stop ahead of the Aygo in front of me. There is wide central hashing behind broken white lines (so you can legally drive on it) that is wide enough for another bus to pass without encroaching upon the other lane so what does the Aygo driver in front do? Pulls out slightly, effectively stopping me and other vehicles from overtaking and waits (maybe a minute or so) for the bus to move on. D'oh!

Finally - and perhaps the most noticeable - there is little or no driving courtesy any more. Vehicles shoot out of side roads when there is a gap no matter how small or even considering the speed of surrounding traffic. I blame the Interweb - specifically social media - for generating this 'speed matters' attitude.

Have fun. ;)
Surely in our days when we passed the test you could also drive anywhere at speed if you wanted too immediately after passing your test. I don’t recall really being taught to drive under anything other than standard urban road conditions, on relatively uncrowded roads in slower moving traffic than today. Experience in driving in snow was self taught as no internet advice in those days. Two weeks after passing my test I drove with my then girlfriend (now wife) to Switzerland in my father’s Singer Gazelle. My first experience on motorways was gained on the M1 down to London going to catch the overnight Dover to Ostend ferry. We were 16 and 17 at the time.

In comparison my granddaughter took her theory test followed by the practical test a few weeks later. I looked at the questions in the theory test and they cover far more than my driving instructor ever passed on to me. Plus the practical test is more comprehensive too.
 
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Jul 18, 2017
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When my children took the theory test; you could get practice theory tests via the internet. I tried them. I failed the first two times! Kids all sailed through at the first attempt.
Our kids never had it so easy so no Internet at the time. Same with the one grandson.
 
Nov 16, 2015
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Are new drivers taught differently now, when I pull up to a stop line in the road , be it at traffic lights or a junction, I take the front of my car to the line.
I notice a lot of drivers leave a good 4ft to 6ft from the stop line, is there a reason for this. ,?
 
Nov 6, 2005
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Are new drivers taught differently now, when I pull up to a stop line in the road , be it at traffic lights or a junction, I take the front of my car to the line.
I notice a lot of drivers leave a good 4ft to 6ft from the stop line, is there a reason for this. ,?
Do you mean the Advanced Stop Line for cyclists? In which case, cars should stop behind the first line and leave the aera in front for cyclists.
 
Sep 4, 2011
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When my children took the theory test; you could get practice theory tests via the internet. I tried them. I failed the first two times! Kids all sailed through at the first attempt.
How have we got from School closures to Driving tests?
 
Nov 11, 2009
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How have we got from School closures to Driving tests?
Because one reason mooted was the distance some staff and pupils have to travel and it is thought younger drivers can’t handle snow. But on reflection we’ve lived on Dartmoor and in Cumbria but our cars were shod with tyres that had far better traction than do today’s summer tyres.

In December 1981 we travelled back from
Leicester in a snow storm. The M5 only had one lane open, and M4 eastwards was similarly affected. Yet we got as far as Jn 18 A46 for Bath with a sigh of relief having passed lots of stranded cars and trucks. Unfortunately one of Gloucestershire’s best directed us to the Dept of Transport base at J18 as the snow ploughs were being dug out and A46 closed. We had a 1.8 Marina estate carrying myself, my wife, two large dogs and Christmas presents. The tyres were probably Semperit with lots of cross tread and sipes.

About 5 miles away HM Queen Elizabeth was similarly affected and stayed the night at the Cross Hands Hotel Old Sodbury. Bet her Range Rover tyres were not Semperit 🤭
 
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Nov 16, 2015
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Do you mean the Advanced Stop Line for cyclists? In which case, cars should stop behind the first line and leave the aera in front for cyclists.
No , not cyclist's areas, just normal stop lines at traffic lights, maybe they sit. Low in their cars, and stop so that they still see the Stop lines.
Again I see people sitting so low in the cars they can just see over the top of the Dashboard.
 
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