Changing GMT to match Mid Europe - opinions?

[ladylouise62]

BBC News - Could the UK work with two different time zones?

I have to admit that I am not too bothered either way, although do feel that if business wants more hours in the morning they should start earlier (as I once did in a job that required an early start)... and as a bonus that might help spread the rush hour traffic.

Anyway - what do you all feel?

[rolf]

I have no problem with it, will give lighter evenings, people like farmers who need to be up at dawn, will be able to start at whatever hour they need to, as they don't run by the clock anyway.

[ladylouise62]

Exactly.
Also, one of the big, emotive issues they have always brought up was children walking to school in the dark - well, when they changed the times back in the early 70s most kids walked to school - I now see very few children walking to school so that's not such a big issue.... apart from the fact that as the article says, more people died in traffic accidents in the earlier pm darkening than in the AM dark.

[Catherine]

Louise, I taught P3 children in Scotland then (6-7 year olds) and it was no joke for them to come to school in the dark! Extra road safety lectures were given and staff went out to meet children at the school gate in the morning - as it was so dark they needed to check that there were no strangers hanging around.

Parents were persuaded to buy reflective patches for school bags, reflective arm bands and reflective pedal stickers for bikes, etc., yet it was really scary seeing them crossing roads without the lollipop person, and when drivers were rushing to work and not wanting to slow down for children which they could hardly see in the dark!

It was only trialled for a few years, and parents were ever so careful during that time. In fact it was the start of 'the school run' cars with our school, as parents quite rightly didn't want their children to walking to school in the dark! Had the experiment lasted long enough for parents to get complacent, I'm sure there would have been many more accidents. A major problem for us was to persuade parents that parking near the crossing spots was wrong - even after 'zig-zags' were painted!

I know it's different down here with lighter mornings, so it might not be so easy for southerners to understand. Just think about it though - when was it you might have been in too much of a rush to check traffic when a primary school child? Going to, or coming from school? When would the traffic have been busier? Just before 9 in the morning, or between 3 and 4 in the afternoon?

I'm happy with Greenwich - and BST in summer! Why do we need to give up so many British things to please mainland Europe? Would mainland Europe ever WANT to change anything to please us? (Answers on back of postage stamp!)

[dig deep]

Swedish time is best ! At least during summer. As we have very looong days with the Sun (paying back during Winter)
Still I can´t understand why we change between winetr/summer time .

If You like GMT then keep it, we don´t care (lol)