Why Does Plymouth Fall Apart When It Snows?
Many people would say that all it takes is a sprinkling of snow and the whole of Plymouth comes to a standstill. The fact is that this could also be said for many other parts of the country!
Well, it’s true that the buses sometimes stop running, events get cancelled and schools and businesses close every time it snows.
Just Get on With it
There are two schools of thought on this. One takes the macho attitude that a little snow shouldn’t stop anyone from doing anything and that people should stop moaning and get on with their lives. People who live in Scotland, Canada, or anywhere else where snow is common, often take this attitude.
The other school of thought is one of more caution. Yes people could go out and about, buses could run, and all events could go ahead.
More Serious for Some
But bear in mind that this winter the Accident and Emergency wards at Derriford Hospital have seen uprecedented numbers of people treated for broken and fractured bones. What may be a mere inconvenience to a young person, can be much more serious in an elderly person, a percentage of whom may never recover from a fracture or a break. Although as someone who has suffered a broken arm as a child, I would call it a lot worse than an inconvenience!
In addition, whilst buses can run and cars can drive, especially when the main roads are gritted or salted, getting off the untreated side roads can be the real problem. Crashing into several of your neighbours cars as you attempt to leave your own road will not make you very popular. Also, if you have a high excess on your car insurance policy, then you could end up paying for any bumps or scrapes out of your own pocket. In addition should a pedestrian suddenly step out in front of your car, as they can be prone to do, then you may experience difficulty in stopping in time.
Finally, your event could go ahead as planned, but how many people will actually turn up? On a cold winter night people aren’t famously motivated to go out to an event. Add some snow or ice into the mix and your attendance could be very low indeed. And do you really want to risk your members or attendees having a slip, or a minor accident on their way there?
Worth the Risk?
I may seem over cautious to some, but it seems to me that if your journey isn’t particularly important, or if your event could be postponed, then maybe a rain check would be best. No we don’t want buses to be cancelled so that children miss school, or people can’t get to work, but if the journey could be dangerous, then is it worth the risk?
Plymouth is Not Accustomed to Snow
We should remember that as Britain, and Plymouth in particular, is not accustomed to snow then people are not used to driving in snow and haven’t developed those techniques which could avoid accidents. In addition, areas unused to snow will not have the same numbers of snow ploughs available, or sufficient quantities or the grit, sand, or salt which may be needed.
One last point, remember the people who were trapped overnight in their cars this year and last year because of bad weather? How many of them would have set off if they had predicted that that was going to happen?
