The free paper showed up early today. As I headed out for work it shouted

GRIDLOCKED

at me. Underneath was a picture of three cars waiting at a junction for another car to pass. It was quite evocative, but the photographer had failed to conceal that the road in the opposite direction was completely clear. In any case, I wait in queues worse than that at 3 to 5 points on my regular commute.

The Inquest began today into … gritters were out but could not prevent queues and a few accidents

WHAT A PILE OF OLD DONKEY DOOS

Nobody can prevent queues in York while people want to get into, out of, through or around it. It has a city wall, many buildings in and around the centre are listed, the rest of the ground is boggy and/or floods regularly.

As to the accidents, well, it’s unlikely that a workable bill to get idiots and unlucky people off the road will be passed by parliament any time soon.

These problems were presented by nature. I don’t think it’s the Council’s job to guarantee protection from snowstorms of uncharacteristic strength and duration. I think it behoves each and every one of us to take responsibility for not crashing when the roads are icy. What? There was snow everywhere but you assumed the council would have made sure there was not a single patch of ice on the road? Grow up.

Sometimes I half expect mankind’s parents to come down here and bang our heads together.