As it feels like Spring has sprung (at least in Cambridge), a recent trip to Canada prompted some reflection on the comparisons with the UK travel system in the snow a couple of months back.

First, in Canada there is a huge investment in path and road clearing (see picture).  So much so that one much-travelled colleague says he has only been cancelled twice when flying from Ottawa. There, as here, freezing rain is the biggest disruption.

Second, there is more use of concrete in pavements and roads (though there are still some pot holes!).

Third, and the most striking difference, when the pavements are slippery (and they were) and the roads icy, people simply get on with moving about – not because trips to work or social events are easy, but because they just go slowly.

Tags: safety, travel