>justify spending the money on an infrastructure to combat the effects

that's just it and I kinda agree. having the capacity to clear every major road a few hours after they get some snow on them is probably too expensive.

We'll just have to wait for these self heating roads to get onto the market...
http://gizmodo.com/5417008/self+heating-roads-clear-snow-with-ease

they done a good job of keeping the roads clear in ontario canadia, typically before dawn. their roads are that much straighter and flat though... none of those dodgy/hilly scottish B roads to contend with.

I have no issue with places closing and people taking the day off when it is genuinely difficult or unsafe to travel. I do also agree that any investment in that area has to be balanced against the need.

My issue is the "snow day habit". The fact that people default to taking a day off when there is snow whether there is any real reason or not. 

My kids nursery is a good example.  It is on a key route that had been well gritted. Access was no issue. EVERY child attending lives within 3 miles. No road in that area was unpassable or even close to it. Staff are all fairly local - certainly this side of any issues that came up beyond slow traffic.

They opened as usual, then decided to close at midday.  I have no idea why, there wasn't even more snow forecast until 5pm (which didn't materialise - but they weren't to know that).  I don't get it. 

With schools the issue is apparently (according to a deputy  head I know) attendence figures.  If lots of kids don't turn up to school & the school is open it makes their figures look awful. However if they close that doesn't count.  She offered that up as an explanation to me wondering why schools down south close all the time, where as those up-north (my sister works in a yorkshire school) stay open despite far worse weather.

Work shy dossers.

>none of those dodgy/hilly scottish B roads to contend with.

You forgot pot holed

>My issue is the "snow day habit"

I was hearing people saying we should go to the pub to celebrate snow day..... SNOW DAY! WFT!
Next it will be flood day :/

"snow day habit" does seem to be true... society gets softer and softer. there must be a fairly big knock on effect when schools & daycare are closed.

the winter in the UK seems to have been pretty decent up 'til now. 10C plus for a few days too. No complaints or news articles about the price of heating but at least the snow is here   

>> snow day habit

pisses me off. As someone with established homeworking connections, no kids and who rarely gets ill enough to have a day off, I'm feeling like I work a good couple of weeks a year more than most people in the office.  I don't even bloody smoke. 

Could I get beer breaks, do you think?

I hear you. I work most of the time I am awake, regardless of whether I'm ill or healthy unless I'm nearly unconscious. I don't know what a weekend or a holiday is, and truth be told, I don't want to know. Part of what I do does not require other people, but whenever there is need to get something from somebody else it quite pisses me off that they are not available at any given moment I need it.

This should be renamed the Victor Meldew thread 

yeah, those kids screaming when they're having fun sledging. Tsk.

I thought you all got Land Rovers issued to you?

>I thought you all got Land Rovers issued to you?

No, I have a friend over here who bought all the Land Rovers. In an ironic turn of events, all the Brits have to drive now are Fiats and Renaults.

<added>
http://i.imgur.com/dsdR8Sm.jpg

I feel stupid.  I thought snow was common for the UK...?  No?  I mean...it is a good ways north...

Just a few years ago those global warming folk were lamenting that British school children would never again experience snow... hhh

The north of Britain sees snow regularly & just takes it in its stride.

The south is warmed by an air current called the jet stream, which means we have warmer (and famously wetter ) weather than our position would suggest. It not only funnels warm air up from the Atlantic, but also creates a pressure system that protects us from cold fronts moving in from NE Europe.

How severe (or not) poor winters are is really dependent on the position of the jet stream in a given year. Considering we roughly as far north as new York, we get very mild winters.

Keep a stiff upper lip guys, we can get through this lol
Soon it will be back to dreary wet weather we're so accustom too