I am now more able to enjoy the cold snap, because I am not obliged to go anywhere. There is no longer the uncertainty of roads being impassable and getting stranded, or it all being gone by 930, and me feeling like a fool for having made such a fuss.
My attitude to travelling in snow and ice has been largely shaped by my experiences. In 1994 I was living in Leek in the Staffordshire Moorlands and studying for PGCE in at Manchester Metropolitan University (which sounds excellent until I say Crewe Campus). I was on placement at a school on the outskirts of Stoke-on-Trent, and when the heavens opened and turned the world white with an unexpectedly heavy snowfall, I was sent home early. I lived 15 miles cross country from the school, although the first part of the journey was travelling across a large flyover. Traffic was heavy as everyone was trying to get home, there was compacted snow which had turned to ice in the freezing conditions, and the roads were like sheets of glass. The flyover was steep, traffic slow moving and every time I was able to edge the car forward, relying heavily on clutch control and handbrake, there was no traction, and I cried a bit more. It took 6 hours to make this 15 mile journey, and it was one of the most terrifying experiences of my life. I seriously considered crashing the car because I was convinced I couldn't do it any more, and the thought of being driven to safety in an ambulance was highly appealing. Almost at the end of my tether, I stopped at a petrol station and called my boyfriend when I was five miles from home, with just the really rural part of the journey ahead. The road ahead was hilly and isolated and I expected it to be virtually impassable. Everyone already thought I was a soft Southerner, and I tried very hard not to be, but I cried on the phone and he said his Mum would come and pick me up. I left my car in the petrol station and waited.
She arrived a few minutes later, declaring that the roads were fine and it wasn't even freezing. And the roads were clear, not icy at all, there was no traffic, and we were home in 15 minutes. The more I tried to convince them how treacherous it had been, the more they smirked and rolled their eyes at each other, so in the end, I gave up but resolved that even if I was hanging over a cliff, I would not ask for help again.
The second experience was when I worked at a school in Rothwell, and again was worried about travelling home during snowy weather. I was teased by hardy staff who could probably have driven up Everest without batting an eyelid. A sudden snowstorm resulted in us being sent home, and as I made my way down the slip road onto the A14, it was impossible to see where the hard shoulder ended and the grass verges began. Visibility was poor, and I was focussing so hard on the road, with sideways snowflakes coming at me, that I started to feel travel sick. The little slopes that I didn't usually notice became a massive hazard during the snowy conditions, and I slid helplessly across the exit road to the roundabout. Again, a 15 mile journey home, but this time it only took three hours. However, friends and family travelling from the town centre to the outskirts of Northampton were stuck for many hours on this occasion, due to the mass exodus that coincided with the sudden and persistent snowfall. If there was heavy snow for a couple of months each year, we would be prepared with snow tyres etc, but it's so rare that we always get stuck between over and underreaction, and end up looking like fools one way or the other.
This morning as I took a quick look at Facebook, it was full of people moaning about the country coming to a standstill because of a single snowflake, and pictures of 'proper winters back in the day', when the schools never shut, whatever the weather and everyone walked through 8 foot snowdrifts. This drives me crackers. As I found to my cost, the difference between treacherous conditions and business as usual can be a matter of miles or minutes. It doesn't mean that the treacherous conditions aren't treacherous. Just that you were fortunate not to have experienced them, but please don't negate the fear of those who did. They have been through enough without having to listen to you mocking.
There is still an element of guesswork involved in weather prediction, and no such thing as certainty. Decisions to close schools due to snow or ice are often based on weather forecasts, and are not taken lightly. Schools are never closed unless it is necessary, to safeguard the safety of the children and staff, and even families taking the children to school. They are certainly not closed with the intention of inconveniencing working parents.
What I would like to see, as well as drivers taking spare blankets and flasks of hot tea on long journeys, is for a bit of compassion and sympathy. We are all different, our experiences are all different, and they shape who we are and how we respond to circumstances. Don't add to anyone's burden by sneering and scoffing. JUST BE KIND.......
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