Snow Chaos

What a wonderful sight from my windows yesterday. Snow everywhere and the whole place looking like a winter wonderland. An eerie silence lay around as cars, buses and lorries avoided our roads. As the morning started I was able to hear the laughter and chatter as complete families braved the outside world to enjoy this spectacular. Snowball fights aplenty and an increase in our city population as snowmen appeared from no-where. Children who had never experienced this before delighted in their escapades with no thought to their wet-through gloves and scarves. Dogs scampered around, tails wagging delightedly as their romped through this unknown weather condition.

An ideal world indeed – people cheerfully interacted with neighbours they had never spoken to before and a peaceful outlook spread across our city.

But reality has to rear its ugly head. Our city is grounded to a halt by the extreme conditions. Trains, buses and airplanes are stranded as chaos descends on over 6 million commuters who have to decide to take a duvet day or struggle to find any possible means of getting to their workplaces. Skis would definitely have been the order of the day but many just took to their feet. It is estimated that this breakdown in our vital infrastructures will cost the economy £3 billion

Could our local authorities have done more? Possibly.

Should our Government provide better infrastructure systems to ensure that a complete melt-down does not occur? Definitely.

I, unfortunately, do not have the answers to solve the problems but I am sure over the coming days and months there will be much discussion as to who is to blame. Maybe we should put it down to Mr Frost and his merriment and laugh at ourselves but in our culture of blame someone will be held accountable.

As a wheelchair user weather conditions leave me frustrated and I am currently unable to leave my home. I am completely snowed in. The immediate pavements around my home are still completely frozen and the very idea of venturing out would be madness. A simple trip to the shops to get bread and milk are an impossibility and like many disabled people I am reliant on the kindness of family and friends to keep me stocked up.

Please do not think I am whinging about the weather just merely pointing out that inconveniences to some are far more apparent to disabled people all over the country and the hidden barriers that many do not consider the whole year through come to light at times like this.