Snow gates in Scotland (2023 Update)

[The Natural Philosopher]

No sign to steal. Just some 'friendly advice' from some locals on motorcycles...

[Commander Kinsey]

Oh, he could have been. But he's shot himself in the foot by making himself ambiguous.

Well you get ice restaurants.

I'm surprised nobody knows what snow gates are. Big red gates across the road, there's about 10 in Scotland. Forbidding you from driving on "dangerous" roads in snowy (as in about an inch of it) weather. Everybody's gone all girly. I wrote a rude message on Traffic Scotland's twitter account.

[Commander Kinsey]

About which of the three sentences?

[Commander Kinsey]

My choice is use the same tyres all year.

And surely you can find the right size of tyre for your wheels?! If not, just get summer tyres to fit the winter wheels.

More effort for you to take it to the tyre centre, wait around, then take it back.

[Tim+]

In countries where such things are mandated there are tyre storage facilities.

Tim

[Commander Kinsey]

Yeah a whole inch of it. What's wrong with a snowplough?

[Commander Kinsey]

It is you who is confused.

[Commander Kinsey]

That's absurd. You pay someone to store tyres? 4 wheels doesn't take up much room, put them in your house.

[Colin Bignell]

They are the right size. The manufacturer specifies a narrow winter tyre, so that the higher load on the tyre footprint bites into snow.

Why? It is much easier to change wheels than tyres.

They are in the town centre, so I can do it as part of a shopping trip.

[Colin Bignell]

I know of somebody who keeps them in the kitchen.

[Commander Kinsey]

Ignore the specification and get the ones which fit your wheels.

But more expensive.

You still have to hang around watching the mechanic.

[Commander Kinsey]

I gave away some tyres to a woman using them as flowerpots. A garage will knock money off the price of a new tyre if you take the old one away. For some reason they're charged for "disposal", which is actually recycling, so the recycling company makes money twice.

[Tim+]

Lives alone does he? ;-)

Tim

[Commander Kinsey]

Coal in the bathtub?

[Colin Bignell]

Which won't work as well in snow.

Nope. Drop the car off with the wheels in the back. Go shopping. Come back to finished car with other wheels in the back.

[Colin Bignell]

She.

[Commander Kinsey]

But would keep the law happy.

Must be a different kind of shopping to what I'm thinking of. I go shopping to fill the car, not two carrier bags. Are you talking female shopping? As in 5 hours to buy one pair of jeans?

[Commander Kinsey]

Javelin thrower?

[Colin Bignell]

I have 2,000 litres of space in the back, with the back seats down, more than enough for four tyres and the shopping.

[Commander Kinsey]

Not my point. You are carrying all that shopping from the shop to the car. How many arms do you have?

And who measures boot space in litres?