The recovery hierarchy
| Mode | Snow behaviour | Recovery |
|---|---|---|
| Gritted main roads | Slow but moving | Hours — grit + traffic keeps them live |
| Residential side streets | Untreated, slowest to clear | The first & last 400m is the hard part |
| Rail & tube (surface) | Points & power failures | Often the last to normalise |
| Flights | De-icing queues, thinned schedules | Check before you leave — see below |
What changes in the driving seat
On snow mornings our dispatch changes three things. Routing: journeys are re-planned onto gritted primary corridors even when the side-street line is shorter — the motorway that’s moving beats the shortcut that isn’t. Timing: we quote honestly at 1.5–2× normal, and pickups shift earlier to protect flights and appointments. The last 400 metres: if your street is ungritted and steep, we agree a meeting point on the treated road — a two-minute walk that saves a stranded car.
Snow + a flight: the combined rule
Snow days at airports mean de-icing queues and pre-emptive cancellations. Check the flight’s live status before departure, then leave earlier than the snow maths alone suggests — a slow road plus a security surge is a stacked risk. If the flight does fall over, your next read is Flight Cancelled: What Now?