LETTER OF THE WEEK: Amazed by actions of the drivers and pedestrians

On lifting my kitchen blinds on Sunday morning, I cast my eyes upon a winter wonderland in my garden, a picture postcard image that was topped off by my resident robin redbreast, who was bobbing to and from the trees that surround my pergola to get at the bird feeders that hang in the middle of it.

With it’s intensity and depth, the snow for once was actually more or less as forecasted by the Met Office.

Gazing through the heavy snow I could clearly see that the roads either hadn’t been treated with grit, or it simply hadn’t started to work its magic?

Though it must have been the former, as the gritting lorry made an appearance at 11.45am, some eight hours after the snow started to fall.

In between all that time, cars were gingerly trying to negotiate their way around Northfield Avenue’s roundabout, rear ends moving about like the wagging tail of a dog.

Then to my total and complete amazement, a motorcyclist actually came into view.

If four wheels were having difficulty in negotiating the treacherous conditions, how an earth could two fare any better?

However, at least he eventually came to his senses, got off his motorcycle, and decided that pushing it up Rothwell Road might be the safest course of action.

But even the pedestrians that were about at that time of the morning weren’t immune from acts of complete stupidity and reckless endangerment.

With some deciding to walk on the road inside the safety crash barriers and directly across the roundabout to get from Rothwell Road to Lower Street, instead of using one of the many crossings that are there for their safety and convenience, creating yet another hazard for the cars to avoid which were already having extreme difficulty in just being able to stay on the road.

With the exception of my resident robin redbreast, there was an almost complete absence of any other form of wildlife out and about in the snow.

Perhaps they have more sense than we give them credit for, and actually bothered to heed the advice of the weathermen, by staying indoors!

Ivan Humphrey

Kettering