Winter Cycling

There's an old joke in England about how the Scandinavians and the Canadians laugh at the British because a little bit of snow here brings the country to a halt. The British laugh at ourselves about trains not being able to run because of the wrong kind of snow on the tracks. I have to smile because each winter, when snow brings chaos to our transport systems, the stock excuse is that we're not used to it, and we say this every year. In Beverley recently I've heard conversations between people who cycle about either being determined to keep riding despite all the bad weather we've had recently, ice, rain, cold, rain and more rain; and other people who say they've (temporarily) stopped riding because of having skidded off their bikes on the ice.

Unfortunately, our local council, rightly or wrongly, receives criticism every year about roads and footpaths not being gritted. In Holland and Denmark (whose climates are similar to most of the British Isles), people put on an overcoat or anorak and keep on cycling. Some fit studded tyres to the wheels of the same bike they ride the rest of the year, but councils there regularly clear snow on, and grit, urban cycle paths, lanes, and streets so that people can get to work, shopping etc, the same as they do in summer. No one there seems to bat an eyelid. No drama. No jokes. They Just ride.