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Winter drawers on!


cooperlola2
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My clear recollection of recent years in the UK was that every time it snowed, and transport links got strained, if not breached, we were told by the meejah that this was gross incompetence on the part of UK plc, and that other countries in Europe were much smarter with their winter precautions. Hooey. Baloney. Load of tosh. At least in this part of France.

We had about 2 inches of snow during Monday - the grass is still peeping through on my lawn. No drifting, or other worsening factor. Yet the headline in today's local paper says "Snow and ice paralyse la Sarthe". Pics and story of huge traffic jams, abandoned cars, public transport disrupted, a city of 200,000 on its knees - all the good things we beat our breasts about in the UK. Today, at midday, as I approached cooperlola's hospital, doing about 20 mph, I needed to brake for a car turning off. The ABS went mad under my foot. Sounds of cracking ice - and this on a well-used stretch of road which was until recently a Route Nationale! I saw no evidence anywhere of salt or grit being used, yet temperatures have still not approached freezing - that is, they're still well below! -5 at 15.30.

Rather like the Continental Sunday, which we were assured was the model for opening the shops in Britain 7 days a week, the European answer to winter has not yet been found in Le Mans!

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We first started having snow yesterday evening.

By about midnight, the snow lorries were out salting.  This morning snow on grass verges, hedges, everywhere but the actual road outside our house was perfectly clear.

I think it's yet another one of those very VARIABLE things in France

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They do salt in some Depts, certainly in Creuse, but not around Paris.

I was bought up on top of a hill near Buxton. I thought I was pretty good at driving in snow. The missus is Breton, she's brilliant in snow and ice, I reckon it's because the roads were never touched there. She has a 3 litre, manual, rear wheel drive sports car, drifting it around corners is a breeze for her.

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[quote user="Anton Redman"]They do not salt in France. That is why you still see 30 years old Renaults in regular use.[/quote]

Vraiment!!
Chaque année, les municipalités, les DDE (Directions départementales de l’équipement) et les sociétés d’autoroutes déversent entre 500 000 et 1 000 000 de tonnes de sel provenant de mines ou de nappes souterraines.

This morning in the village, here in Deux-Sèvres the tracteur -pelle belonging to the Commune, 973 habitants, assisted in the throwing BY HAND SHOVEL salt on the main drag through the Bourg.

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[quote user="Anton Redman"]Sorry - must vary by Department they only grit round us.[/quote]

Some of it comes from evaporation lagoons around the Marseille area and used principally in Rhone valley. The main users are the AutoRoutes especially in the north east. The rural roads rarely get treated so cars owned by peasants last forever. By the way the term used in french is "salage" a popular term on TV news. Tonite La Météo is threatening minus 7° C for La Rochelle...the mind boggles; here in mid DS it is already minus 3°C and the sun has just gone in!!!!

TF1 report at lunch time:


http://tf1.lci.fr/infos/france/0,,4215276,00-neige-l-indispensable-salage-des-routes-.html

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dégagée = cleared (not clear on if it is before the event though)

See here: http://www.lot.fr/cg_routes_suite.php?newsid=66

(in Google English HERE)

A few weeks ago, it had started snowing a few hours before I was due to drive home at 5 am.

The main road all the way from St Céré to the village was totally clear but as soon as I turned onto the road leading to the hamlet, I realised how much snow had been falling. The car was skidding all over the place and I cannot tell you of how tightly I was squeezing my cheeks driving up the steep hill to the house!! [:-))]

PS: the car currently is fitted with 4 winter tyres.

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