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TomTom the satnav company have named Nottingham the most congested in the world! They have data from 416 cities spread across 57 countries and even Bangalore ( the most congested city in India) only recorded 71%. Nottingham scored 200% and as the index only goes that high it may well have been more.

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It all started last week and the city has been in gridlock every weekday since.

 

This is when you discover the benefits of being old and not having to go to work. It's a nightmare for everyone trying to travel anywhere, either by car or public transport.

 

 

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Clifton Bridge closure has been the main issue but on Monday afternoon the sudden but brief snowfall added to the problems on the other side of the city.  As the snow started to fall I foolishly decided to drive from Mapperley Park to Arnold. It was no problem getting there but my return at about 4pm was an utter nightmare.  All roads leading up (from Mansfield Road)  to Mapperley Top ...... Somersby Road, Breckhill, Woodthorpe Drive and Winchester Street were impassable but folk were still queuing to get onto those roads.  It took me almost an hour to drive a mile in the slush.   

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As soon as the first few flakes fall that's it, car parked up and use the Fiesta. Despite all it's fancy doo dahs my car is useless in the snow.

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Winter tyres are the thing now apparently. Some say they out perform 4x4’s on 2WD cars.The problem is that nowadays we don’t get really bad winters and it’s a bit of a performance to do an annual changeover. There’s also the expense of 4 tyres and possibly 4 wheels. Even in the old days, when we used to get heavy snowfalls, I was never late for work on my 15 mile commute. I just got up earlier! There were of course fewer cars on the roads.

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Also, as we don't seem to have such bad winters these days, there's an increasingly large number of people who've never driven in prolonged, heavy, deep snow. They don't have the skills or the experience, and they just go to pieces if it snows for more than 2 minutes. They are the kind who automatically resort to technology - in this case believing that a different set of tyres will solve all their problems. 

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Had S+M , (Snow + Mud), tyres on vehicles for years, when I worked for a living, some of my mates used to have a spare set of tyres for winter driving in the garage.

Mind, last Monday I got well and truly stuck in the mud trying to get out of my place, and that was with S+M tyres, 4wd plus my truck isn't light either, put the missus behind the wheel and hauled it up the hill with my tractor. The soil here is waterlogged with all the rain we have been getting.

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S and M usually have a more ‘rugged’ tread pattern. I believe winter tyres are fairly conventional looking but have a different rubber compound. I’ve not researched the technology as I have no intention of fitting them and spring is just around the corner! Just waiting for the S and M jokes.

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The tread compound is different, the pattern is different, there is more tread depth and one they forget to mention they are a damn site noisier on the road.

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Used to see a few fancy trucks on the highway in Canada.  They'd go flying past you in a blizzard leaving you in a cloud of snow.  You'd find 'em  in a wreck a few miles down the road.  They were so proud of all the 4wd tech etc,  they tended to forget that  stopping in such conditions is pretty much the same for all of us. :Shock:

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My very first car, a 1959 mk2 zodiac, reg no VVO767 that I acquired from my father had 'Firestone ' town and country tyres on the rear, they were really noisy on the road, but great when you pulled into a field for a kiss and cuddle, if you know what I mean. Nudge nudge,wink wink!!. That also had 'keep fit windows'!! And a manual overdrive.

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6 hours ago, philmayfield said:

Just waiting for the S and M jokes.

I say "give sado masochists a fair crack of the whip"

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My first car was a 1947 MG TC. You could recline the seats but they were held in place by two large wing nuts which you had to loosen by hitting with a mallet. Imagine my girlfriend's horror when I appeared with a large lump hammer to put the seats into a reclining position!

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Just shows ya Waddo, these young uns don't know they're born. What's wind up windows indeed. Next thing they'll want is windscreens.

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