Snow catch 22

Dec 22 2010 Buckinghamshire Examiner

HEAVY snow has again caused traffic chaos, with cars grinding to a halt and having to be abandoned.

However, after similar scenes last winter, we have to ask ourselves if Bucks County Council (BCC) should have been better prepared this year.

For many drivers, the feeling of being stuck in their cars in heavy snowfall was a terrible case of deja vu.

This year, we were promised that action plans had been drawn up and gritting lorries were ready to roll, but when the snow came, there was no improvement.

BCC is in a Catch 22 situation. If it spends money on more snow clearing equipment and we have a succession of mild winters it will be deemed a waste, while if it continues as now and we get heavy snow, more drivers will get stuck.

However, perhaps it is time to accept that, after the weather of the last few years, heavy snowfall during the winter in Bucks is likely, and more needs to be done if we are to see an end to the traffic chaos.