A Little Respite from the Snow

Submitted by actionman on Sun, 5 Dec '10 11.08am

Edinburgh awoke today (Sunday 5th December) to another cold , wintry day - but thank goodness there has been no more snow overnight, which is some relief for us all in the capital city.

The main roads are passable and have been well cleared, so for the bulk of traffic this is fine, but the trouble is still with the side roads which have not been as well gtitted as the main routes.

We dug our car out yesterday morning as it was nice and sunny and got ourselves into Stockbridge which was pretty busy, doubtless much to the relief of the traders.

There does not seem to be any great shortages in the supermarkets, which is contrary to the headlines in some newspapers predicting that "food is running out". It is stupid and irresponsible of newspapers to do this as it only creates panic and is not necessary.

Don't think the concern was totally unwarranted, given the concerns about deliveries from the Grangemounth refinery.

The Scottish government obviously thought conditions were bad enough to suspend regulations about how long hauliers can be behind the wheel earlier last week.

To quote First Minister Alex Salmond: "Scotland is in the grip of the worst snow and ice conditions at this time of year since the 1960s and this is having serious knock on effects on our roads..."

"By temporarily suspending time limits on driving time for gritters, we can ensure more roads are kept clear and give local authorities greater flexibility to deal with these difficult conditions and keep Scotland moving."

"The winter months are always a challenging time for the farming industry and there has been an unexpected impact on poultry farmers. By securing a relaxation in driver time regulations, we will help ensure these companies receive essential supplies and remain in business, in spite of ongoing difficult weather conditions."