Some people would describe snow as magical and serene, watching it glisten on everything it falls on. However, as a lot of people will tell you there is a different side to snow. In the matter of hours that it takes to fall it can unleash disaster on transport links and normal everyday services. Why is it that even a light covering of snow can cause total chaos? You might ask how in other countries with a far greater annual snow fall than the UK; how can they carry on with everyday tasks? It might be worthwhile attempting to learn something from the way they deal with the white stuff next time we are greeted by it.
It is estimated that around 12% of the Earth’s surface is covered in a permanent layer of snow and ice. Although a lot of this creates totally inhospitable conditions where no one lives, there are still places where people manage to live their lives without having to compromise on much. For example, parts of Canada and Alaska have large communities that spend a lot of the year amongst snow drifts. How do they cope? Firstly, when the snow does hit they are prepared with residents having large supplies of food already in their houses in case it is impossible to get outside. Although in our country in counties such as Buckinghamshire it is unlikely that we will ever be totally cut off can take a lesson from this? If we have enough food in our houses it will mean we won’t have to venture out into dangerous conditions, which is an important thing that we can remember in winter. This is small thing that we can all do to make sure we don’t have to make as many dangerous journeys this winter, but there are however some times that we have to go outside that can’t be avoided. In countries such as Canada everybody has two sets of tyres to fit onto their cars when it gets cold and starts to snow. Snow tyres are specially designed to make a car safer during snow enabling more traction when conditions get bad. Despite having an average monthly snowfall of 220cm (which is nearly five times more than London) it seems like we just aren’t able to cope with the unlikely event of snow even when it does decide to pay us a visit. Should snow tyres be something that all of us should have on our Christmas lists? Some residents in Buckinghamshire communities argue that snow tyres just aren’t worth the cost for the few times a year that it does snow, on the other hand with the amount of problems a light dusting of snowflakes causes some people propose that this might not be such a ridiculous idea after all. This is debate that is ongoing and not only over tyres, but why we aren’t able to do anything that is remotely reminiscent of everyday life!
Are there any real large-scale things that can be done to try and ensure Planes can take off and land smoothly as well as the general school run? Well unluckily for us the government just don’t believe that it is a worthwhile investment putting serious money into dealing with snow. This is for a number of reasons firstly because it just isn’t predictable enough (like Canada) for a large-scale operation to be put into place. The best thing for everyone is to try and cut unnecessary journeys in cars and other transports to minimise the risk to yourself and those around you and also to ensure that you have enough supplies and backups to last you if a cold spell should strike!
