RE: Beware: the gritters are back
Tuesday 28th February 2006
They're out there, somewhere...Consider your front-end paintwork and stay away from the motorways and main roads this week. The gritters will be out, as the Met Office forecasts more wintry weather for the UK, according to the Highways Agency.
Beware: the gritters are back
HA warns of bad weather and gritting lorries
They're out there, somewhere...
From today, snow showers are likely to affect many areas - those at greatest risk include parts of north-east and north-west England, East Anglia, Lincolnshire and the south west of England. Drivers are warned that visibility could reduce sharply in heavy snow showers.
The Met Office said that the weather would also see widespread severe frosts this week, with an increased risk of icy conditions, especially on untreated minor roads.
Drivers are advised to slow down and leave plenty of room between vehicles, as it can take up to ten times longer to slow down or stop in wet or icy conditions.
The Highways Agency works closely with Met Office to give drivers up-to-date information about road conditions, and where snow and ice are forecast will be treating motorways and other strategic roads.
Highways Agency gritters will be treating motorways and other strategic roads this afternoon and overnight.
Discussion
I've always wondered what the best strategy for passing gritters is.
Do you 1) overtake as quickly as possible therefore reducing your exposure time yet increasing the rock salt/bonnet impact speed.
or
2) overtake slowly, minimising the rock salt/bonnet impact speed yet incresing the no. of bits of salt hitting your car?
Have usually opted for no.1 as it is more fun.
What do you think?
Do you 1) overtake as quickly as possible therefore reducing your exposure time yet increasing the rock salt/bonnet impact speed.
or
2) overtake slowly, minimising the rock salt/bonnet impact speed yet incresing the no. of bits of salt hitting your car?
Have usually opted for no.1 as it is more fun.
What do you think?
DamnWiseguy said:
I've always wondered what the best strategy for passing gritters is.
Do you 1) overtake as quickly as possible therefore reducing your exposure time yet increasing the rock salt/bonnet impact speed.
or
2) overtake slowly, minimising the rock salt/bonnet impact speed yet incresing the no. of bits of salt hitting your car?
Have usually opted for no.1 as it is more fun.
What do you think?
Either hang back or get past the thing ASAP! The last one I passed tanked up behind me, revved his engine and wound his window down to listen to the reply. It seemed rude not to oblige!
Ian A.
Sounds familiar...
www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?t=239537
Amazingly there was no noticable damage. Flooring it does seem to be the best option.
www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?t=239537
Amazingly there was no noticable damage. Flooring it does seem to be the best option.
DevelopedBug said:
or 3. Stay behind the gritter a safe distance and allow them to clear the road of ice for you...
Gritters normally go out upon forecast of ice, and plus if there is ice on the road staying behind the gritter isn't gonna instantly melt all the ice for you so dont waste your time - floor it!
)it seems that the met office werent lying. i was outside about 20 mins ago walking back from a very nice pub lunch with the sun on my back. i looked outside 2 minutes ago and to my great surprise i find that it is snowing!
look:
but it means that i did notice the name of the building company, which i otherwise wouldnt have
look:
but it means that i did notice the name of the building company, which i otherwise wouldnt have
www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?t=247359&f=23&h=0&hw=gritter
Just washed, waxed and fabsealed the chim so hopefully should help against snow etc.
Saying that though I had so much fun over christmas when it snowed!
Just washed, waxed and fabsealed the chim so hopefully should help against snow etc.
Saying that though I had so much fun over christmas when it snowed!
article said:
Drivers are advised to slow down and leave plenty of room between vehicles, as it can take up to ten times longer to slow down or stop in wet or icy conditions.
Who is doing the advising? How are they broadcasting the advice? I know this sort of advice is common sense to any motorist with an ounce of common sense, but advice like this (particularly when they quote figures like "ten times longer"
is more useful than the usual simple speed kills advice. How about information ads on television or radio during winter. You often see comments that begin "drivers are being advised...", but if they are only appearing in publications that are seen by motoring enthusiasts who perhaps better appreciate the vehicle's dynamics anyway, then they are missing the people who most need the advice.
On the subject of gritters, I'm pretty sure the ones that I've passed recently in the Essex area have actually been spreading the grit on the road surface, rather than flinging it out into the air where it peppers the whole of your car.
It must be snowing in England as Scotland and Wales don't get a mention in the HA bulletin, probably because here in Scotland we're more use to the white stuff.I bet the BBC cover it on the 10 o'clock news tonight because it snowed in the south east, they'll have 100's of reporters out on every street corner reporting the latest snowflake!
Fair comment, Dominic. The fact the good folks of Aberdeen are up to their rear ends in snow today doesn't appear to register with the HA..
The threat posed by gritters is one thing but what about the idiot I witnessed the other evening? He was on the back of a private contractor's pick-up throwing bucketloads of rock salt around the car park of a 24-hour supermarket. He was hurling it over parked vehicles towards footpaths, apparently unconcerned most of it was bouncing off the roofs of the cars. Chips with everything!
>> Edited by jetoid on Tuesday 28th February 19:33
>> Edited by jetoid on Tuesday 28th February 19:34
>> Edited by jetoid on Tuesday 28th February 19:35
The threat posed by gritters is one thing but what about the idiot I witnessed the other evening? He was on the back of a private contractor's pick-up throwing bucketloads of rock salt around the car park of a 24-hour supermarket. He was hurling it over parked vehicles towards footpaths, apparently unconcerned most of it was bouncing off the roofs of the cars. Chips with everything!
>> Edited by jetoid on Tuesday 28th February 19:33
>> Edited by jetoid on Tuesday 28th February 19:34
>> Edited by jetoid on Tuesday 28th February 19:35
Gritting about - sound serious, but not to the good folk at the rockall times - www.therockalltimes.co.uk/2004/02/02/gritting-lorries.html
It was our best effort yet," beamed Agency Director Hilary Chipping. "Admittedly we had a lucky break when one of the lads managed to catch something on the radio about incoming cold weather, but it was still a professional performance. Working twelve or sometimes thirteen minute days, we had at least two gritting lorries full and ready to roll."
Unfortunately, despite their stirling efforts, the Agency fell at the final hurdle — that of actually getting vehicles out of the depot.
Sounds like the HA.
It was our best effort yet," beamed Agency Director Hilary Chipping. "Admittedly we had a lucky break when one of the lads managed to catch something on the radio about incoming cold weather, but it was still a professional performance. Working twelve or sometimes thirteen minute days, we had at least two gritting lorries full and ready to roll."
Unfortunately, despite their stirling efforts, the Agency fell at the final hurdle — that of actually getting vehicles out of the depot.
Sounds like the HA.
Who was it washed and waxed their car - must be you that's responsible for the down turn in the weather!!]
But seriously I approached a gritter from the opposite direction a few days ago and had my windscreen showered by what appeared to be a whole handful of grit and salt. Despite slowing and trying to get as far a way as I could I still had my windscreen damaged
My car a brand new - 700 mile old Smart Fortwo, not a low level car by any means
I would quake to think of the effects on pedestrians with stuff coming out at head height!!!
I could not ID the offending vehicle - it was pitch dark
But yesterday I was in the council yard on another matter and guess what there was a gritter in for repair to a faulty auto gritter - coincidence or what
Happy motoring (not) John
But seriously I approached a gritter from the opposite direction a few days ago and had my windscreen showered by what appeared to be a whole handful of grit and salt. Despite slowing and trying to get as far a way as I could I still had my windscreen damaged
My car a brand new - 700 mile old Smart Fortwo, not a low level car by any means
I would quake to think of the effects on pedestrians with stuff coming out at head height!!!
I could not ID the offending vehicle - it was pitch dark
But yesterday I was in the council yard on another matter and guess what there was a gritter in for repair to a faulty auto gritter - coincidence or what
Happy motoring (not) John
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