From Newsgroup: rec.bicycles.tech

Must be a slow news day in UK

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-15446357/Family-council-ungritted-pavement-schoolgirl-wrist-bike.html
--
Andrew Muzi
am@yellowjersey.org
Open every day since 1 April, 1971

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From Newsgroup: rec.bicycles.tech

AMuzi <am@yellowjersey.org> wrote:

Must be a slow news day in UK

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-15446357/Family-council-ungritted-pavement-schoolgirl-wrist-bike.html

South East England has had snow and ice, itrCOs also where the media is
based. Plenty of snow in wales for example and has been in Scotland and higher/northern England for a while now but thatrCOs not where the media are and with the death of local correspondents etcrCa

I also had a fall yesterday, as one of the side roads I use which is more direct route, was icy and when I had to brake locked up and have a sore
hip, i had assumed as it hadnrCOt snowed again, since Friday that would be
fine but it rained overnight, which I hadnrCOt noticed at 6AM when I was getting ready.

On the return I took a hybrid route, taking the old cycleway down and then along the main roads which were well gritted, the ice had to be fair gone
at that time but with the daylight hours being so short IrCOm commuting in
the dark which adds another level, ie difficulty in judging if itrCOs ice or just a bit of frost etc.

Slightly painful but such is life!

Roger Merriman
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From Newsgroup: rec.bicycles.tech

Am 09.01.2026 um 00:58 schrieb Roger Merriman:

AMuzi <am@yellowjersey.org> wrote:

Must be a slow news day in UK

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-15446357/Family-council-ungritted-pavement-schoolgirl-wrist-bike.html

South East England has had snow and ice, itrCOs also where the media is based.

you must take into account that this ("SE England", possibly Oxford as
well) is a region that sees winter once a decade. Neither the Council
nor the population have the basic skills to handle several inches of snow.

Similarly Northern Germany where everybody is still talking about the
1978 blizzard that ground the country to a stand-still (snow-moving
equipment had to be moved in several hundred miles from Bavaria);
A few inches (3-4 overnight?) of dry snow are relatively easy to handle
but adding a flat country and 60 mph gusts, you suddenly have a
landscape with 1-2in of snow cover but a 3 feet wall of snow on the
highway where the road passes a hedge or small wood that stopped the
drifting snow.
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From Newsgroup: rec.bicycles.tech

Am 09.01.2026 um 11:26 schrieb Rolf Mantel:

Am 09.01.2026 um 00:58 schrieb Roger Merriman:

AMuzi <am@yellowjersey.org> wrote:

Must be a slow news day in UK

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-15446357/Family-council-
ungritted-pavement-schoolgirl-wrist-bike.html

South East England has had snow and ice, itrCOs also where the media is
based.

you must take into account that this ("SE England", possibly Oxford as
well) is a region that sees winter once a decade.-a Neither the Council
nor the population have the basic skills to handle several inches of snow.

Similarly Northern Germany where everybody is still talking about the
1978 blizzard that ground the country to a stand-still (snow-moving equipment had to be moved in several hundred miles from Bavaria);
A few inches (3-4 overnight?) of dry snow are relatively easy to handle
but adding a flat country and 60 mph gusts, you suddenly have a
landscape with 1-2in of snow cover but a 3 feet wall of snow on the
highway where the road passes a hedge or small wood that stopped the drifting snow.

In case your're interested, here's a live blog in German about the
current blizzard (many browsers offer instant translation)

<https://www.zeit.de/gesellschaft/zeitgeschehen/2026-01/sturmtief-elli-schnee-norddeutschland-liveblog>
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From Newsgroup: rec.bicycles.tech

On 1/9/2026 5:26 AM, Rolf Mantel wrote:

Am 09.01.2026 um 00:58 schrieb Roger Merriman:

AMuzi <am@yellowjersey.org> wrote:

Must be a slow news day in UK

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-15446357/Family-council-
ungritted-pavement-schoolgirl-wrist-bike.html

South East England has had snow and ice, itrCOs also where the media is
based.

you must take into account that this ("SE England", possibly Oxford as
well) is a region that sees winter once a decade.-a Neither the Council
nor the population have the basic skills to handle several inches of snow.

Similarly Northern Germany where everybody is still talking about the
1978 blizzard that ground the country to a stand-still (snow-moving equipment had to be moved in several hundred miles from Bavaria);
A few inches (3-4 overnight?) of dry snow are relatively easy to handle
but adding a flat country and 60 mph gusts, you suddenly have a
landscape with 1-2in of snow cover but a 3 feet wall of snow on the
highway where the road passes a hedge or small wood that stopped the drifting snow.

We had a Blizzard of '78 too

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Northeastern_United_States_blizzard_of_1978

"Some 11,666 college-hockey fans in Boston Garden, then the site of the
26th edition of the annual "Beanpot" college ice hockey tournament, held
at the time of the blizzard's outbreak, found weather much different
from what they had expected. Some spectators spent the next few days
living at the arena, eating hot dogs, and sleeping in the bleachers and
locker rooms"

I was in high school in North/Central Mass at the time, about 50 miles northwest of Boston. We got just over 30" in that 24 hour period IIRC.
This was on top of two previously substantial storms that winter, so
there were already significant left-over snow piles. My school was
closed for three weeks, there were still piles of snow in late June.

There's even a (rather delightful) beer in commemoration. https://www.wormtownbrewery.com/blizzard-of-78

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From Newsgroup: rec.bicycles.tech

Rolf Mantel <news@hartig-mantel.de> wrote:

Am 09.01.2026 um 00:58 schrieb Roger Merriman:

AMuzi <am@yellowjersey.org> wrote:

Must be a slow news day in UK

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-15446357/Family-council-ungritted-pavement-schoolgirl-wrist-bike.html

South East England has had snow and ice, itrCOs also where the media is
based.

you must take into account that this ("SE England", possibly Oxford as
well) is a region that sees winter once a decade. Neither the Council
nor the population have the basic skills to handle several inches of snow.

Similarly Northern Germany where everybody is still talking about the
1978 blizzard that ground the country to a stand-still (snow-moving equipment had to be moved in several hundred miles from Bavaria);
A few inches (3-4 overnight?) of dry snow are relatively easy to handle
but adding a flat country and 60 mph gusts, you suddenly have a
landscape with 1-2in of snow cover but a 3 feet wall of snow on the
highway where the road passes a hedge or small wood that stopped the drifting snow.

To be fair itrCOs more ice, the snow that exists is there on the hills, the roads are clear though as ever itrCOs pavements that get overlooked by the gritters.

London hasnrCOt had snow proper since 2017 and even then wasnrCOt particularly difficult I rode though that without issue. For SE England itrCOs more the
ice thatrCOs the problem and pavements and lack of ability to get them
gritted, ie bodies on the ground.

Wales has had a decent amount of snow last night, but people are more used
to it though doesnrCOt always settle every year but itrCOs certainly still a common enough occurrence, and thus there are a team of snow gritters (which tend to have silly names) that one can track if one wishes Scotland does similar.

Roger Merriman

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From Newsgroup: rec.bicycles.tech

Am 09.01.2026 um 11:57 schrieb zen cycle:

On 1/9/2026 5:26 AM, Rolf Mantel wrote:

Am 09.01.2026 um 00:58 schrieb Roger Merriman:

AMuzi <am@yellowjersey.org> wrote:

Must be a slow news day in UK

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-15446357/Family-council-
ungritted-pavement-schoolgirl-wrist-bike.html

South East England has had snow and ice, itrCOs also where the media is
based.

you must take into account that this ("SE England", possibly Oxford as
well) is a region that sees winter once a decade.-a Neither the Council
nor the population have the basic skills to handle several inches of
snow.

Similarly Northern Germany where everybody is still talking about the
1978 blizzard that ground the country to a stand-still (snow-moving
equipment had to be moved in several hundred miles from Bavaria);
A few inches (3-4 overnight?) of dry snow are relatively easy to
handle but adding a flat country and 60 mph gusts, you suddenly have a
landscape with 1-2in of snow cover but a 3 feet wall of snow on the
highway where the road passes a hedge or small wood that stopped the
drifting snow.

We had a Blizzard of '78 too

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Northeastern_United_States_blizzard_of_1978

Interesting year for blizzards: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Blizzard_of_1978 https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Schneekatastrophe_1978/1979



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From Newsgroup: rec.bicycles.tech

On 1/9/2026 4:26 AM, Rolf Mantel wrote:

Am 09.01.2026 um 00:58 schrieb Roger Merriman:

AMuzi <am@yellowjersey.org> wrote:

Must be a slow news day in UK

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-15446357/Family-
council-ungritted-pavement-schoolgirl-wrist-bike.html

South East England has had snow and ice, itrCOs also where
the media is
based.

you must take into account that this ("SE England", possibly
Oxford as well) is a region that sees winter once a decade.
Neither the Council nor the population have the basic skills
to handle several inches of snow.

Similarly Northern Germany where everybody is still talking
about the 1978 blizzard that ground the country to a stand-
still (snow-moving equipment had to be moved in several
hundred miles from Bavaria);
A few inches (3-4 overnight?) of dry snow are relatively
easy to handle but adding a flat country and 60 mph gusts,
you suddenly have a landscape with 1-2in of snow cover but a
3 feet wall of snow on the highway where the road passes a
hedge or small wood that stopped the drifting snow.

+1

In my area, even a moderate snowfall becomes serious when
snow blowing across the fields makes drifts over the roads
downwind of a small rise or a building which changes the flow.

The change from drivable to impassible can be hard to see in
a blowing snowstorm.

https://s.w-x.co/aefc205d-7923-4e5a-90ad-4d838c3cd1e9.jpg?format=auto&optimize=medium&width=828
--
Andrew Muzi
am@yellowjersey.org
Open every day since 1 April, 1971
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From Newsgroup: rec.bicycles.tech

On 1/9/2026 4:57 AM, zen cycle wrote:

On 1/9/2026 5:26 AM, Rolf Mantel wrote:

Am 09.01.2026 um 00:58 schrieb Roger Merriman:

AMuzi <am@yellowjersey.org> wrote:

Must be a slow news day in UK

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-15446357/
Family-council- ungritted-pavement-schoolgirl-wrist-
bike.html

South East England has had snow and ice, itrCOs also where
the media is
based.

you must take into account that this ("SE England",
possibly Oxford as well) is a region that sees winter once
a decade.-a Neither the Council nor the population have the
basic skills to handle several inches of snow.

Similarly Northern Germany where everybody is still
talking about the 1978 blizzard that ground the country to
a stand-still (snow-moving equipment had to be moved in
several hundred miles from Bavaria);
A few inches (3-4 overnight?) of dry snow are relatively
easy to handle but adding a flat country and 60 mph gusts,
you suddenly have a landscape with 1-2in of snow cover but
a 3 feet wall of snow on the highway where the road passes
a hedge or small wood that stopped the drifting snow.

We had a Blizzard of '78 too

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/
Northeastern_United_States_blizzard_of_1978

"Some 11,666 college-hockey fans in Boston Garden, then the
site of the 26th edition of the annual "Beanpot" college ice
hockey tournament, held at the time of the blizzard's
outbreak, found weather much different from what they had
expected. Some spectators spent the next few days living at
the arena, eating hot dogs, and sleeping in the bleachers
and locker rooms"

I was in high school in North/Central Mass at the time,
about 50 miles northwest of Boston. We got just over 30" in
that 24 hour period IIRC. This was on top of two previously
substantial storms that winter, so there were already
significant left-over snow piles. My school was closed for
three weeks, there were still piles of snow in late June.

There's even a (rather delightful) beer in commemoration. https://www.wormtownbrewery.com/blizzard-of-78

Same here and I remember it very well:

Period photos including one cyclist:

https://www.courierpress.com/picture-gallery/life/2018/02/02/the-blizzard-of-78-images-from-around-the-tri-state/110051958/
--
Andrew Muzi
am@yellowjersey.org
Open every day since 1 April, 1971
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