scottish transport minister

[+Feb82000]

the scottish transport minister have been shocking this year,people cant get from Edinburgh to Glasgow or Inverness should he quit his job

[Johnboy]

Should he?

Just because of an exceptionally heavy fall of snow?

[Charles Bannerman]

"Father Jack" got hiself into a right fankle on the radio this morning. He had tried to blame the weather forecasters but he was played three clips of forecasts and a forecaster which showed that the Met Office had predicted PRECISELY where and when the heavy snow would fall. Incredibly, he then appeared to try to blame some other unspecified source of information for the catastrophe but the top and bottom of it would appear to be that the road clearing services, for which the Scottish Executive is ultimately responsible, could not keep traffic flowing, despite having been told exactly how much snow would fall where and when.

But politicians, especially ones with a wafer thin mandate to govern and an election imminent, are of course never to blame. It's always somemone else's fault. I suppose poor Father Jack also felt all the more exposed on this occasion because he couldn't blame Westminster for the snow.

Edited December 7, 2010 by Charles Bannerman

[Johnboy]

Who's Father Jack?

[SMEE]

If people would invest in proper Snow Tyres....there wouldnt be so many people getting stuck!

[DALNEIGHCALEY]

Who's Father Jack?

Snow , feck feck feckin snow !!!

Edited December 8, 2010 by DALNEIGHCALEY

[+Gringo]

I very much doubt there would have been any great effect had the snow clearing folk been out all night. The biggest problem I think is folk making journeys that are totally unnecessary, getting stuck and abandoning vehicles. Maybe some motorists should take a look at themselves and ask the question "Did I really need to go out in this"...chances are, many would have said No. I heard one driver on the news saying it took him 3 hours to get home in his car and he went on to say he could walk it in 40 minutes...so, why the hell didn't he walk in the first place?

[Johnboy]

I very much doubt there would have been any great effect had the snow clearing folk been out all night. The biggest problem I think is folk making journeys that are totally unnecessary, getting stuck and abandoning vehicles. Maybe some motorists should take a look at themselves and ask the question "Did I really need to go out in this"...chances are, many would have said No. I heard one driver on the news saying it took him 3 hours to get home in his car and he went on to say he could walk it in 40 minutes...so, why the hell didn't he walk in the first place?

Exactly Gringo..... As soon as I hear the man on the radio saying that "police are urging motorists not to undertake any journeys that aren't absolutely necessary", I just pull the bed covers further up, disable the alarm clock, and then shout for the chief squaw to bring me some coffee along with my P&J.

[+DoofersDad]

It has been a bit of a strange one this week. It is the people who have quite a distance to travel or who, like me, live in a rural setting who have been in at work early whilst folk in the town have been having a lot of problems. Some of them have said it would have been quicker walking to which I reply "why didn't you, then?". But to be fair, they may not have realised the problems they faced - but what ever we have here, it is worse further South.

There was an interesting comment on the radio this morning from a guy complaining about all the problems caused by cars parked at the side of the road because the owner can't be *rsed to clear their driveways. (that's not actually the phrase that was used). This means that roads which normally would have traffic flowing in both directions can only accomodate single file traffic as they weave in and out between cars on either side of the road. How inconsiderate and lazy can people be? When I become First Minister I pledge to introduce a law requiring able bodied people to ensure their cars are kept on their driveways or in their garages if they have one. If they behave in this antisocial way they would be ordered to clear their drive before then being required to clear the driveways of the elderly and disabled and then clearing the pavements.

[SMEE]

It has been a bit of a strange one this week. It is the people who have quite a distance to travel or who, like me, live in a rural setting who have been in at work early whilst folk in the town have been having a lot of problems. Some of them have said it would have been quicker walking to which I reply "why didn't you, then?". But to be fair, they may not have realised the problems they faced - but what ever we have here, it is worse further South.

There was an interesting comment on the radio this morning from a guy complaining about all the problems caused by cars parked at the side of the road because the owner can't be *rsed to clear their driveways. (that's not actually the phrase that was used). This means that roads which normally would have traffic flowing in both directions can only accomodate single file traffic as they weave in and out between cars on either side of the road. How inconsiderate and lazy can people be? When I become First Minister I pledge to introduce a law requiring able bodied people to ensure their cars are kept on their driveways or in their garages if they have one. If they behave in this antisocial way they would be ordered to clear their drive before then being required to clear the driveways of the elderly and disabled and then clearing the pavements.

yeah...there were a few peeps saying on the news, who were stranded on the M8 at the start of the week that it was only when they got near Glasgow that all the problems started. It was probably a mixture of the weather and poor driving that lead to the log jams.

[The Mantis]

There was an interesting comment on the radio this morning from a guy complaining about all the problems caused by cars parked at the side of the road because the owner can't be *rsed to clear their driveways. (that's not actually the phrase that was used). This means that roads which normally would have traffic flowing in both directions can only accomodate single file traffic as they weave in and out between cars on either side of the road. How inconsiderate and lazy can people be?

That's easy said but you should have seen the amount of snow we had down here last week. I live in a typical housing estate. I started clearing the path and a bit of the pavement every day. A couple of hours later and there was another two inches. This went on all week till there was nowhere left to shovel the stuff. All the streets had piles of snow all over the place (and they're still here after 2 weeks).

At our place there's not enough room for everybody to park at the front door. The garage is in a narrow wee lane round the back, which never got a tractor till Thursday (and it snowed again that night).

I'm lucky I can walk to work, but I had to dig a path out for Mrs Mantis and the car every morning, which usually took the two of us the best part of an hour. One morning she didn't get out at all. Nothing to do with tyres or whatever, just the fact the snow was so deep the car just ploughed into it. Some people got round this by just parking on the main road every night so they could get away in the morning.

Add to that every house that's got more than one car and it was getting unworkable. Not to mention the huge council estate on the other side of the main road where the streets are tighter than our private estate.

[Charles Bannerman]

Radio Scotland news reporting at 4pm that the Minister has resigned.

[SMEE]

Radio Scotland news reporting at 4pm that the Minister has resigned.

What a woosey.....we need people made of sterner stuff leading this country!

[starchief]

Seems a bit ridiculous. It got down to levels that grit refuses to work, so what's he supposed to do? The announcement of 'stay at home unless it's absolutely necessary' was done, and as we don't use snow chains, I wonder what the possible solution can be?

[Croylo]

Isn't it wonderful to make one person responsible for the snow. Does that mean when the sun comes out it will be Alex Salmonds fault?

What could have been done, possibly closing the motorways that way at least people could have found hotels, community centres or some other warmth as opposed to being stuck on a motorway all night. Although if you are told not to travel and you still do, well?

Where he really fell down was going on television saying everything was fine! just set himself up for the abuse really.

[Heilandee]

Reckon it's just another case of "somebody must be to blame", those stuck for hours on the M8 need a target for their ire and "sh*t happens" just isn't an option.That said, you'll no find much sympathy from me when smug, self centered, politicians (of any hue) have to fall on their sword to placate the masses,sure he'll get a cosy wee position to see him alright from Alex.

[PaderbornCaley]

It seems he did not listen to the advice and take action. Other countries cope with more snow but our systems don't seem to work. I had to sleep in work last Monday! Hopefully the new TM implements the advice given which should help minimise damage with the expected snow.

The paths around Tynecastle are still really bad today. I nearly fell walking along Gorgie Road this morning Hopefully it's sorted for Saturday... the hill going down from Diggers is bad!

[Alex MacLeod]

We have become a nation of people who need to be rushing from place to place and who need somebody to blame if we cant. No matter who the transport minister was this setback would still have occurred. And it will occur again. I predict the same come february and next year and every other year.

Years of financial cutbacks and mis-government are to blame for this. Not the minister. I'm old enough to remember when areas of the highlands would get similar snows every year but we coped.

Yes some used winter tires. Some used chains (the modern aesthetic alloy wheel cant cope with either and / or the cost of having two sets of wheels to hand is way too much) but many just stuck a few bags of sand in the boot with a shovel and just went on their way.

My father worked on the roads in seventies and eighties with Lochaber council. Back then they had two snow blowers and six MAC snowploughs. These vehicles along with other tipper lorries fitted with grit spreaders and snow blades kept hundereds of miles of road open in area's such as Glencoe. GlenRoy, GlenSpean, Rannoch Moor, Fort to Sneck etc. And also the single track roads into the hills and glens of Lochaber and Ardnamurachan. Inverness district had a bigger fleet of similar vehicles and done great work as well. The MAC's could plough eight foot drifts with ease and what they couldn't do the blowers done for them. They all patrolled the roads, kept them black, salted and gritted and kept road users on the move.

Trouble was that the money counters came along and realised that we were in a period where the snows are not so heavy or long lasting and the vehicles lay in storage for nine months of the year. They also believed the scientists who spouted the global warming slogans and so chose to let the custom built machines go and prayed ever since that all would be right. What they failed to realise was that climate change, if indeed its happening, will take hundreds of years. Not days, as the urgency seems to suggest.

[Johnboy]

No matter who the transport minister was this setback would still have occurred.

Thanks Alex....Have a green dot.