Posted By Graham Bullough
Here are some other aspects to think about regarding this thread: As well as having a known order of priorities for treating paths and other areas (like highway authorities do for roads) it's important to check the arrangements for the people who actually spread the salt/grit, often alone and during freezing cold and dark conditions in the early morning: As well as having suitable trolleys to carry and spread salt, especially if they have significant areas to treat, have they got warm clothing, headtorches (so as to leave both hands free) and suitable footwear? By suitable footwear I mean boots or shoes with a rugged tread so as to minimise the likelihood of injury through slipping. Ideally, such footwear should have metal studs so as to gain some bite on icy surfaces. This begs a further question: Does anyone know of any sources of such footwear? Given that postal delivery workers have to negotiate all sorts of surfaces, including icy or mossy drives and paths, what sort of footwear are they given?
Another option is to use over-shoes with such studs, but they do not appear to be readily available in the UK. However, I hope others can enlighten us about studded footwear and studded over-shoes, preferably ones which can be worn indoors without gouging carpets and damaging fancy floors. Therefore, please don’t bother telling us about football boots with long studs or spiked running shoes. As for instep crampons (i.e. small devices which fit under the arches of walking boots and intended for intermittent use by hillwalkers) the spikes are too long and there’s too much hassle and time spent putting them on and taking them off – which is why they were never successful for people operating mowers on steep slopes.
In Northern Europe overshoes seem to be available and used for icy conditions, especially by older people, where routine removal of ice and snow from pavements, etc. is not reasonably practicable. One of the snags of being in the UK is that we have weather, while High Alpine areas and North European countries have a climate: snow and ice arrive in late Autumn and remain, topped up by additional snowfalls, until the Spring melt. Drivers put snow tyres on their vehicles for the winter period and also add snow chains when appropriate. People have and use footwear appropriate to the conditions, especially where routine clearing of snow and gritting is not practicable or has low priority. In short, they simply adapt to winter conditions with PPE (or vehicular equivalents) and don’t let winter significantly hinder their lives. To some extent this happens in the UK: People and organisations in Northern Scotland tend to have reasonable arrangements for coping with snowfalls and freezing conditions. By contrast, a light sprinkling of snow in South East England seems to paralyse people and transport systems.
Unlike in places with real winter climates, winter temperatures in the UK fluctuate considerably above and around freezing point. Also, the average UK winter now appears to be milder with fewer and shorter spells of freezing weather. This may partly explain why this thread has been raised. A further factor comprises the increasing compensation culture in the UK: Too many people now have the mistaken impression that if anything goes wrong in their lives, there is always someone else who can be blamed and sued. Furthermore, this impression reinforces their notion that they have no need to take any responsibility for themselves and adapt/prepare for adverse conditions or situations.
A final thought: Many people in the UK are perturbed by snow when it arrives. They should actually be more worried, whether as pedestrians or motorists, about subsequent conditions which involve partial melting of snow and ice followed by a freeze which then leaves untreated roads and other outdoor surfaces with a smooth and treacherous icy layer.