Snow v GDP

[Tricky Dicky]

You've commuted from Brighton to London for 22 years? Jesus.

No, don't be silly ......... I've done Shoreham to London for 22 years (albeit I had last year off).

 

[Herr Tubthumper]

No, don't be silly ......... I've done Shoreham to London for 22 years (albeit I had last year off).

I guess you must really like your job and really like Shoreham.

From time to time I get the commuter train and I must admit I do not find it a nice experience, not to mention a literal waste of time. But this is me, I also hate driving which so many people love.

 

[Gwylan]

Wherever possible, invest in technology to enable people to work from home more. I have to provide 24 hour on call and because of that I have full access to everything I need from home. When the weather is really bad, I simply don't even bother leaving the house, just work from home, especially as there is almost nothing I can do in the office that I can't do at home.

This is the most obvious thing that would help. The government could give tax concessions to companies that encourage home working - if the number of people travelling into London was reduced by just 20 percent, there would be less disruption.

We can't always beat bad weather but if we can work around it, do we need to?

 

[Mendoza]

To prepare fully for every extreme of weather on the basis of what we've experienced this year would cost a phenomenal amount. Fleets of snowploughs for every town, most of which would sit redundant all year every year but still require maintaining. Larger fleets of gritters and more roads gritted? How much would councils have to pay in wages, fuel and other costs for that?

It would cost less than sending David Beckham to Africa to get a cheesy photo with a load of poor Africans to be part of a 4 minute video to help bid for a World Cup

 

[Herr Tubthumper]

This is the most obvious thing that would help. The government could give tax concessions to companies that encourage home working - if the number of people travelling into London was reduced by just 20 percent, there would be less disruption.

We can't always beat bad weather but if we can work around it, do we need to?

Agree. I am self-employed and took the decision to develop the 'from-home' side of my work about 6 years ago as I was fed up with commuting and living away from time-to-time. I've not looked back.

 

[Tricky Dicky]

I guess you must really like your job and really like Shoreham.

From time to time I get the commuter train and I must admit I do not find it a nice experience, not to mention a literal waste of time. But this is me, I also hate driving which so many people love.

Well, I do like it, but I normally don't mind the commute either - when things are working. It's a long day for sure, I get up at 5 and get home after 7:30. Whilst I can work from home when the need arises, I write banking/financial software so the jobs are up there. I was made redundant at the beginning of last year, and looked for something local, but there was absolutely nothing. So, now I'm back up there for the foreseeable.

 

[Herr Tubthumper]

Well, I do like it, but I normally don't mind the commute either - when things are working. It's a long day for sure, I get up at 5 and get home after 7:30. Whilst I can work from home when the need arises, I write banking/financial software so the jobs are up there. I was made redundant at the beginning of last year, and looked for something local, but there was absolutely nothing. So, now I'm back up there for the foreseeable.

Fair enough. It's just a personal thing with me, I've commuted from time to time but hated it. In fact the only time I have enjoyed it was when I lived in the 'burbs of London and used to cycle the 12 miles to central London. That was brilliant. But my line of work cannot be found down here either so I decided to go down a working from home route which worked out for me.