Daylight Saving Time - is it needed anymore?
Daylight Saving Time - is it needed anymore?
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Discussion

Cobnapint

Original Poster:

10,078 posts

181 months

Sunday 25th March 2018
quotequote all
Now that farming technology has presumably moved on, what is the point of cocking up our body clocks twice a year?

In fact, why don't we just stick with BST to get the lighter evenings all year round?

Don

28,378 posts

314 months

Sunday 25th March 2018
quotequote all
Cobnapint said:
Now that farming technology has presumably moved on, what is the point of cocking up our body clocks twice a year?

In fact, why don't we just stick with BST to get the lighter evenings all year round?
I'd stick with BST year round personally.

But apparently this is to do with kids going to school in the light and coming home in the light - or some such business.

Rospa for years has advocated sticking with BST as apparently it would reduce accidents.

https://www.rospa.com/road-safety/advice/road-user...

gazapc

1,394 posts

190 months

Sunday 25th March 2018
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Some in far north of Scotland will moan about it otherwise.

Compromise would be to move the clocks forward at the end of February. That would put the solstice more equal distance between when they go back and forward. You gain an extra month with lighter evenings.


TurboHatchback

4,238 posts

183 months

Sunday 25th March 2018
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I wish we'd stick with BST all year round too.

davhill

5,263 posts

214 months

Sunday 25th March 2018
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I vote we lobby for a new system, PH time. The clocks change every months just to confuse.

When it causes fury, just call it PMT.

eldar

25,291 posts

226 months

Sunday 25th March 2018
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gazapc said:
Some in far north of Scotland will moan about it otherwise.

Compromise would be to move the clocks forward at the end of February. That would put the solstice more equal distance between when they go back and forward. You gain an extra month with lighter evenings.
Scotland could have their own time zone, with all this devolved stuff they can do. GMT -2,762.3 seconds would be good.

alorotom

12,787 posts

217 months

Sunday 25th March 2018
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Amazes me that other areas of the world use it too. Was totally confused when it we lost an hour when in Vegas recently - hadn’t anticipated that at all!

Atomic12C

5,180 posts

247 months

Sunday 25th March 2018
quotequote all
Cobnapint said:
Now that farming technology has presumably moved on, what is the point of cocking up our body clocks twice a year?

In fact, why don't we just stick with BST to get the lighter evenings all year round?
That's where the premise would fall apart, as if anything, the argument would be to stick to GMT all year round.
The UK is unlikely to 'give up' GMT. wink

One modification to the time changes I would like to see happen is that clocks going forward (spring time) should be moved to end of February (much sooner) and not end of March.
ie. 4 months GMT and 8 months BST.

Shortest day of the year is December 21st.... that is around the mid point between start of Nov and end of Feb.
If end of Oct is fine for BST then so should beginning of Mar.
(IMO of course)

bloomen

10,107 posts

189 months

Sunday 25th March 2018
quotequote all
Newfoundland has its own timezone 30 minutes behind or beyond or whatever the rest of Canada.

If it narks Scotland they can do they same. Time to junk clock changes for everyone else.

Moonhawk

10,730 posts

249 months

Sunday 25th March 2018
quotequote all
gazapc said:
Some in far north of Scotland will moan about it otherwise.

Compromise would be to move the clocks forward at the end of February. That would put the solstice more equal distance between when they go back and forward. You gain an extra month with lighter evenings.
That would make sense. Based on how close to the winter solstice we put the clocks back - we should in theory put them forward again on ~11th Feb to equalise it out.

One question - how do other countries cope? Do people in those countries bh and moan about clock changes like some people in the UK seem to?

bloomen

10,107 posts

189 months

Sunday 25th March 2018
quotequote all
Moonhawk said:
That would make sense. Based on how close to the winter solstice we put the clocks back - we should in theory put them forward again on ~11th Feb to equalise it out.

One question - how do other countries cope? Do people in those countries bh and moan about clock changes like some people in the UK seem to?
It's easy to forget how far north we are compared to many other a place. Their lives aren't impacted to the same extent by curtailed daylight as ours can be. Obviously the inverse applies too but we naturally think of them as being cloaked in eternal darkness.

Moonhawk

10,730 posts

249 months

Sunday 25th March 2018
quotequote all
Don said:
I'd stick with BST year round personally.

But apparently this is to do with kids going to school in the light and coming home in the light - or some such business.

Rospa for years has advocated sticking with BST as apparently it would reduce accidents.

https://www.rospa.com/road-safety/advice/road-user...
One thing I don't get.

"Most of Europe follows Central European Time, which is one hour ahead of GMT in winter and 2 hours ahead of GMT in summer – always one hour ahead of the UK."

Whilst that is true - it makes no difference once you offset your longitude by 15 degrees. For example Berlin on CET is similar in terms of sunrise and sunset times as London is on GMT. Similarly Hamburg will be similar to Manchester, Copenhagen similar to Edinburgh etc.

Saleen836

12,507 posts

239 months

Sunday 25th March 2018
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bloomen said:
Newfoundland has its own timezone 30 minutes behind or beyond or whatever the rest of Canada.

If it narks Scotland they can do they same. Time to junk clock changes for everyone else.
North Korea also has it's own and are also 30mins out with the rest

GroundEffect

13,864 posts

186 months

Sunday 25th March 2018
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Even in Central Scotland (home to >3 million people) the sun wouldn't rise until 0942 if we stayed on BST for winter. That's just ridiculous.


Cupramax

11,006 posts

282 months

Sunday 25th March 2018
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Saleen836 said:
North Korea also has it's own and are also 30 years behind the rest
Sorted biggrin

paulrockliffe

16,586 posts

257 months

Sunday 25th March 2018
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The farming argument is nonesense, farmers get up with the sun and work until they're done or it goes dark, what time the rest of us say it is is irrelevant.

I'd happily sack it off, we don't need to change the time.

bomb

3,795 posts

314 months

Sunday 25th March 2018
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alorotom said:
Was totally confused when it we lost an hour when in Vegas recently
If you only lost an hour whilst in Vegas, you weren't doing it properly.

Cobnapint

Original Poster:

10,078 posts

181 months

Sunday 25th March 2018
quotequote all
GroundEffect said:
Even in Central Scotland (home to >3 million people) the sun wouldn't rise until 0942 if we stayed on BST for winter. That's just ridiculous.
Yes but you'd get it back in the afternoon.

And it'd be bright anyway, with all the snow and frost......biggrin


Edited by Cobnapint on Sunday 25th March 19:54

CoolHands

23,527 posts

225 months

Sunday 25th March 2018
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I like it. Everything’s so boring these days, this quirk makes a change in modern life.

boxst

3,806 posts

175 months

Sunday 25th March 2018
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bomb said:
alorotom said:
Was totally confused when it we lost an hour when in Vegas recently
If you only lost an hour whilst in Vegas, you weren't doing it properly.
America just to confuse everybody a few years ago decided to move the date they change the clocks by two weeks. It messes up my meetings for those two weeks as I time them to coincide with not picking up children from school etc.