Nicknamed the Big Freeze, Britain is experiencing what looks like its harshest winter in 31 years. What’s more, with snow and ice causing serious problems, especially in northern England and Scotland, quad bikes have found a new and increasingly important role – as snow ploughs.
In the Welsh town of Wrexham, for example, specially adapted quad bikes have been helping to make pedestrian areas passable, particularly in the town centre, as part of a wider gritting operation. The quad bikes were especially fitted with ploughs.
As reported in other recent articles, quad bikes have been used to plough snow elsewhere in the UK, including Cambridgeshire, and the station forecourts of railway operator First Capital Connect.
The fact that quad bikes have been put to use during this especially harsh winter emphasises their incredible versatility and ability to reach parts that other vehicles cannot. Quad bikes come into their own as off-road vehicles, able to penetrate all sorts of terrain.
As UK airports have been forced to close and deliveries that were meant for Christmas are only just being delivered now, the government and local authorities are being asked why the UK seems to come to an almost complete stop when presented with just a few inches of snow when our foreign counterparts cope admirably with far worse conditions.
To date, the UK has had little need for large and expensive snow ploughs and facilities and for local snow clearing purposes, second hand or even new quad bikes could be a cheap alternative.