The roadside rest area

[DanielFigFoz]

There's an extra 0.5 cm now

[Pansori]

What's happening in Britain:

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/arti...=feeds-newsxml

It may look like an ordinary winter weather in relevant parts of continental Europe but here it's totally unusual and most people and enterprises are unprepared for that starting with railways and ending with ordinary streets in the suburbs. Even more scary is that now I see snow falling outside the window like there's no tomorrow... and it's 0 -1C which means it won't just melt instantly. In fact, even now everything is covered in white. I bet tomorrow is going to be a hard day for London.

[keber]

Maybe winter tires should be obligatory in UK? Then sentences like "There's an extra 0.5 cm now" wouldn't have much importance.

[ChrisZwolle]

I don't think winter tires would really improve congestion. Yesterday there was extreme congestion in Switzerland and southeastern Germany, places where you'd expect a high winter-tire usage. It has to do with the saturation of the road network. People drive more careful, traffic lights handle only a fraction of what they normally handle, hence extra congestion.

[CNGL]

It started to snow a few minutes ago here in Huesca... But it has stopped.

[Suburbanist]

Originally Posted by CNGL

It started to snow a few minutes ago here in Huesca... But it has stopped.

Do you know about the conditions of A-136 to France? Is it open or does it close in case of snowstorms?

[keber]

Originally Posted by ChrisZwolle

I don't think winter tires would really improve congestion.

Imagine: just one truck with summer tires blocking one half of motorway with stopping all the traffic for hour or more or just slow traffic.

It is quite a difference, if whole country is in halt just because of 5 cm of snow or it is moving slowly in rush hour because of 20 cm of snow.

[CNGL]

Originally Posted by Suburbanist

Do you know about the conditions of A-136 to France? Is it open or does it close in case of snowstorms?

The A-136 right now is open. When there's some snow is closed, not the A-136 (You can reach the summit of Portalet since there's a ski station or whatever is called), but French RD934.

[seem]

Originally Posted by keber

Maybe winter tires should be obligatory in UK? Then sentences like "There's an extra 0.5 cm now" wouldn't have much importance.

I know one girl here who is going to buy winter tyres.

[Rebasepoiss]

Actually, the winter tyres sold in Central and Western Europe are different from Nordic(and Baltic) winter tyres. Nordic tyres have a different mixture which is suitable for temperatures as low as -30C whereas Central European winter tyres are not suitable for temperatures below -5C.

[seem]

Originally Posted by Rebasepoiss

Actually, the winter tyres sold in Central and Western Europe are different from Nordic(and Baltic) winter tyres. Nordic tyres have a different mixture which is suitable for temperatures as low as -30C whereas Central European winter tyres are not suitable for temperatures below -5C.

So what about people living in the valleys and moutains?

[ChrisZwolle]

Originally Posted by keber

Imagine: just one truck with summer tires blocking one half of motorway with stopping all the traffic for hour or more or just slow traffic.

It is quite a difference, if whole country is in halt just because of 5 cm of snow or it is moving slowly in rush hour because of 20 cm of snow.

True, but we don't have any significant hills in the Netherlands. The impact of precipitation that cannot be mitigated by porous asphalt (like snow) on the already saturated motorway network is much larger. Winter tires won't change that.

[BND]

in Budapest it has started snowing like crazy a few minutes ago, a snowflake is about as big as a 2€ coin...

[Rebasepoiss]

Originally Posted by ChrisZwolle

Winter tires won't change that.

True. We have traffic jams because of snow in Tallinn as well, even though winter tyres are obligatory over here.

[x-type]

winter tyres are more the safety issue. sooner i was one of those who were saying "there is no huge difference", but after i bought first set of winter tyres in my life few years ago, i would never again dare to drive on snowy road on summer tyres. no way!

[joshsam]

There is 8 cm of snow in Flanders today... The whole moring rushhour was like hell. We had over 600km of traffic jams on highways only. Our counrty is only like 250km across from longest ends

[keber]

Originally Posted by Rebasepoiss

Central European winter tyres are not suitable for temperatures below -5C.

Not true even a bit. Where do you pick such misinformation?

[Rebasepoiss]

Originally Posted by keber

Not true even a bit. Where do you pick such misinformation?

I'm not saying that they stop working completely. Just the rubber mixture loses a lot of its efficiency below that temperature. This information comes from the Estonian Tyre Association, more exactly from this article: http://www.ap3.ee/?PublicationId=315..._uudidx_482701 (in Estonian)

By the way, what makes you think this is misinformation? It's quite logical that Central European winter tyres are meant to work in temperatures around freezing point since it very rarely gets below that in Central/Western Europe(excluding the mountains but chains can be used there so it's not a problem).

Nordic winter tyres are rather bad on dry and wet asphalt, for example. The priorities are different.

[Rebasepoiss]

Don't you just hate when you make a huge effort to clean a parking space from snow in front of your apartment building and when you come home in the evening, some a**hole has taken your place? I guess you don't because most of you guys are from places where it rarely snows. But anyways, some clever people in Tallinn have found a solution:

[Tin_Can]

Heh,like few sticks would stop some bastard from stealing your parking space.

Meanwhile in Russia: