Snow disruptions

http://www.midlothian.gov.uk/
Schools shut until at least Monday, no recycling or waste collections, Christmas light switch-on postponed for Saturday

http://www.lothianbuses.com/

Still no buses via Loanhead, Auchendinny and the Bush, no services to Straiton Park and Ride, Ladywood or Deanburn

I hear that some estates in Penicuik have had the gritters in. However, my car is still stuck in the driveway and is likely to stay there for a while yet. There's been no post either and our tumble drier packed in last night If they don't clear the road in the estate soon, I'll probably have to trek along to Tesco on Saturday to get some shopping though.

Post not being delivered to most parts of town since the roads and pavements are not safe enough.
You can collect you mail from the delivery office at the back of the Post Office up until 1pm which I did today for several houses at the end of my street. No word when deliveries will be back though - suppose it depends when the council manage to get the pavements cleared

From what I've seen and heard the council (plus contractors) have been digging out the footpaths along the main road and a number of them into housing areas, similarly the roads - I guess it all takes time! Had post today, I guess that the posties will be very selective about where they go i.e. where are the paths clear. Car has been dug out 3 times and then I gave up, the problem is its at the side of the road and each time a plough has gone along the snow has just built up again. One thing, the buses have been doing good business, I have never seen the 141 so busy but then I guess it's only way in / out of Loanhead..

Any word from people in Loanhead who have had no Lothian Buses for 5 days now? Must be making things rather difficult and losing the company a lot of money too.

For much of the week, no buses were making it up to Gorebridge, then when they finally it, only the First Buses were doing the whole route to Birkenside, not the Lothian Buses.

ah heared they wis clearing streets when they fund place to put the snaw oors got done the day

What on earth was wrong with the buses from Edinburgh tonight. When I arrived at the Scotsman building the 47 bus was due in 4 minutes. When it became due it suddenly turned into 19 minutes. The other buses were also going to be at least 20 minutes. At one point a bus that was supposed to be 5 minutes away was like that for 15 minutes. Eventually an X47 came and stopped behind a 31 which was letting on passengers. The queue was so big and I was too slow to get to it that I missed it because it was full up Eventually another 47 came and I managed to get on that but it was standing room only.

By the way I notice that there is no mention of the 37 avoiding Loanhead now.

Admin wrote:

What on earth was wrong with the buses from Edinburgh tonight. When I arrived at the Scotsman building the 47 bus was due in 4 minutes. When it became due it suddenly turned into 19 minutes. The other buses were also going to be at least 20 minutes. At one point a bus that was supposed to be 5 minutes away was like that for 15 minutes. Eventually an X47 came and stopped behind a 31 which was letting on passengers. The queue was so big and I was too slow to get to it that I missed it because it was full up Eventually another 47 came and I managed to get on that but it was standing room only.

Andy, that sounds like they are back to "normal service". It seems Loanhead and Deanburn are back on the bus routes now but not Ladywood yet - I was down that way yesterday and it is easy to see why they are not sending any buses down. One of the problems is the speed bumps which make it difficult to use diggers to clear the roads!!!

Buses off, airport shut, roads blocked and the Forth Bridge closed - what will happen next in the crazy world we call 21st Century Scotland?

http://edinburghnews.scotsman.com/topstories/Fresh-snow-brings-travel-chaos.6651418.jp

this is cried winter next up is spring

Glad to see that the council are now asking people to move their cars off roads so they can clear them properly - about time. Hope to see some of those dumped around the place getting towed away soon. I had to travel through Loanhead on Sunday by bus and it was horrendous as we had to stop every time something was coming the other way - time they stopped people parking on both sides as it is supposed to be a bus route!
http://www.midlothian.gov.uk/

I don't call it parking, I'd call it just abandoning cars! I know why, folk have dug them out and want to park on the main road but they should take a thought about other traffic actually needing to get past. Roslin single carriageway, Loanhead single carriageway, Bonnyrigg single carriageway, Dalkeith single carriageway - all due to abandoned cars, well some abandoned and others sensibly parked. This morning I was on the 141, how the bus actually managed through Loanhead I don't know and I reckon that most of the cars blocking the road in Dalkeith belong to the bus drivers, the very ones who then struggle to get past. I know it's exceptional circumstances but sometime people forget the phrase "use common sense"... Oh and that also applies to the folk that still persist in driving along with mobiles attached to their ears...

I see one school in Penicuik is closed today due to a burst pipe - which one you ask? The newest one of course, Cuiken Primary!!!

A photo of Bridge Street in Penicuik even made it down under, appearing on the Melbourne Herald Sun website

http://www.heraldsun.com.au/news/photo-gallery/gallery-e6frf94x-1225968235614?page=15

Well, the workers were in yesterday clearing the snow from the roads and pavements in our estate. They've made a good job and with this thaw it's starting to feel like the beginning of the end of the current disruption. Hopefully any further cold snaps won't be as bad as this one.

I wouldn't bet the farm on it, Andy.
http://climaterealists.com/index.php?tid=697.
Bastardi and Corbyn may be wrong, but not often.

After the snow comes the thaw and now the flooding with Mauricewood Road closed now (at the usual place) as there is water right across the road.
No doubt there will be more to come before the snow and ice returns next week!

im going to watch with interest were all the water goes from the melted snow piled up in the old jackson street school plot. Im sure the occupents of the houses around it will be to

If you think the roads / pavements here are in a bad way, then take a trip across the Forth to Fife where they seem to have done very little to remove the snow which has now changed to solid ice. Car parks, side streets and pavements on main routes are all the same - lethal to walk on. Any of these accident claims lawyers could make an absolute fortune - pity they don't sue the council bosses personally rather than the council.

cooncil disnae mek it snaw

Strange how one of the worst areas for cars being parked on both sides of the road narrowing a bus route down to a single lane just happens to be in Bog Road, right outside the police station. Obviously the council's plan to tow away cars obstructing bus routes is not really happening!

Looks like there could be a lot more cold weather to come over the next few decades.

http://www.express.co.uk/posts/view/218537/Dawn-of-a-new-ice-age

Now is the time to set up a thermal undies business!!!

Judging by this story, the city of New York have been taking lessons from councils over here in dealing with the snow (ie: not doing very much)

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-12090575