Strange drive clearing behaviour

[snakehips]

I might nip out and clear the pavement outside our house later. Although these days, that's probably some kind of admission of liability should anyone slip and break an eyelash, or something.

There's a time honoured principle that it's only the person who does something who can do something wrong.
(Many a successful career has been based on this principle particularly in large organisations , but I digress)
If you clear snow off the pavement and somebody still manages to injure themselves they can claim it was because of your actions.
If you do nothing , nobody can be injured as a result of your actions.

Snake

My Library

 

[yashicamat]

Snake . . . you're probably right, it's a sad sign of the way things have become.

As it happens though, a bunch of folk further up the road cleared the bad steep corner on our cul-de-sac during the pre-xmas snowfall. I was astonished and personally thanked them all, even though I didn't actually really use the road. Nobody is bothering this time around. This snow is different to what fell before Christmas. The other stuff was very slippy for pedestrians but quite grippy for cars, this stuff is unbelievably slippery in a car but one can comfortably walk on it!

 

[threebikesmcginty]

A German friend was telling us that in Germany the shopkeepers are responsible for the pavement outside of their shop so it always gets cleared of snow and ice. Might be an idea for here rather than relying on the council who are more often than not completely useless.

 

[marinyork]

With that date, I thought the reply was going to become about the bloody Tories.

I just did the 150ft of path outside my place, after going out for a bit of a ride on the snow. Good times.

Hehe. No it's just coincidence. Before that was when we had the last moderately bad winter. Since about that time we've had mostly roasting hot summers most years and autumn like mild winters if one is going to quickly describe winters over a decade.

About clearing and suing someone it has always sounded incredibly vague as a principle. In the past when people had more common sense it was always why people got so angry at the local village idiot or council worker sprinkling grit on pavements just for the hell of it and then not bothering to do a proper job of it. I've never seen someone clearing something in my life and not do a proper job.

 

[gavintc]

A German friend was telling us that in Germany the shopkeepers are responsible for the pavement outside of their shop so it always gets cleared of snow and ice. Might be an idea for here rather than relying on the council who are more often than not completely useless.

It is not just shopkeepers, residents are legally required to clear their pavements. It makes living in a snowy land just much more bearable. It is the same in Canada.

Talking about weird snow clearing behaviour. During my first Canadian winter, I was out early clearing the paths and the drive. Work completed and I was looking at my handiwork with some pride when the neighbour then said to me 'Where are you going to put the snow that falls tonight?' The next morning I appreciated the comment when I then had to shovel over the snow bank I had created. Canadians, I found move the snow well into their gardens on weird shaved big snow moving sleds.

 

[Aperitif]

Threebroomsmcginty given the brush off!

 

[Arch]

Yep; they're all at it round here as well. It seems to be older people - my MIL is worried sick about snow and for some reason about running out of bread. It must date from the war or maybe from 1963.

I just spoke to my Mum, and she has. Run out of bread. But she's got muffins, crumpets, pittas and croissants in the freezer, so she'll not starve.

She has a lousy cold, and is a bit worried about going out if it's slippy, and I don't blame her - her cul de sac won't get any grit. Fortunately her freezer is well stocked and she'll not starve - in fact she'll probably have a gourmet time getting through it all. But I think it's a slight feeling of being trapped. It's all very well to decide not to bother to go out, another thing to feel you daren't.

I heard a bit on the radio earlier, some archive from 1947 - one of the voices was the head tea lady at the Ministry of Food, who said that bread and milk couldn't be got for any money in London. I suppose these days, we expect everything to be trucked in, and forget that not so very long ago (at least in living memory), so much more food had to be produced daily (without the benefit of preservatives), and of course, was still rationed, so stockpiling was harder - and of course, there weren't freezers, or fridges even for some.

Apparently the Minister for Food at the time was getting spam sandwiches and tea for his supper.

 

[Night Train]

I have cleared an ice free path down my drive and also cleared the space where I park my car. I also sweep all the snow off my car before setting off.
The reason I do this is because, for a little bit of effort, it makes life easier and safer for me, my folks, the postie and any other visitors. It also means that if it snows over night we only have one night's snow fall to clear the next day.

I have also cleared all the pavement outside my house and, because we are on an unadopted rough cobbled road, I have filled and leveled the road surface with hard packed snow so that wheels don't get stuck in potholes.
I have dug out four of my neighbours drives so far and got them moving and advised them not to park on the road as it obstructs and there is more chance of their car being hit.
I think because they are all rentals I am the only one with a decent shovel.

 

[Rezillo]

Back to the original post, I don't think that behaviour is so bizarre.

I left the pre-Xmas snowfall in place on my car and wish I hadn't. It then rained and snowed, leaving my car apparently with just a lovely layer of snow but in fact encased underneath in a thick layer of ice, including all the door handles. If I'd cleared the snow off after the first fall, I would have saved myself a lot of work! Same goes for the drive, which was just a sheet of ice nearly an inch thick.

On the other hand, the snow clearer could just be an obsessive cleaner

John

 

[snorri]

Back to the original post, I don't think that behaviour is so bizarrre.

Agreed
Clearing the paths of snow also makes walking safer and less messy when the thaw sets in. The hard packed snow and ice can take ages to diappear when daytime thawing is followed by freezing overnight.

 

[GrasB]

I see nothing strange to this, clearing the snow means you have less problems & so do the people around you. From there clearing the car of snow means that there's no snow to melt then re-freze on the ground making sheet water ice, this is even more critical when you've cleared the drive of snow.

 

[Night Train]

It surprises me just how many drivers are surprised when the big pile of snow on their car roof ends up on their windscreen when they brake.

 

[Norm]

I just spoke to my Mum, and she has. Run out of bread. But she's got muffins, crumpets, pittas and croissants in the freezer, so she'll not starve.

Let her eat cake.

Our local T****s was out of bread, but had plenty of the ingredients for breadmaking. Nothing can beat the smell of a freshly home baked loaf.

 

[Campfire]

I've left our drive but cleared the bit of road which becomes treacherous with hard packed snow from my two neighbours on the right. I find it easier to walk on relatively undisturbed snow than on the residue of snow that ices over like glass. After two hours I'd had enough & was having trouble lifting the shovel.

Our close is a cul de sac on a little rise with a corner. It's a nightmare going down it because there's a high hedge on the right completely blocking the view of oncoming traffic.

 

[Hacienda71]

I cleared my drive after the main snow because when the previous snow arrived before Christmas my wife got the car stuck and i had to dig it out! Slight incline coming out of the drive and the wheels just slipped. Thought it best to preempt this for when i do need to take the car out. Fresh snow is much easier to clear than refrozen compacted snow.