Let it Snow! Let it Snow! Let it Snow!

When I hear the word snow storm I picture snow falling so heavy you can barely see out your window, accumulating to 1.5 feet and the city/county busy plowing roads.  People still go to work, kids go to school, and life as usual carries on. 

Imagine my surprise when less than three inches of snow over three days causes a complete shut down of public transport and news stories broadcast about hundreds of people stuck on the road in their cars because roads have been shut down (military was dispatched to save the stranded drivers).  They called the storm the "beast from the east".   A I said trains were delayed and cancelled, school was closed for 3 days, people worked from home because of the "severe" weather. 

Does this look severe to you?

To be honest I found the whole situation laughable, how can the UK be so inept to handle such a small amount of snow?  Yes I know its a Victorian infrastructure and they say there isn't anything they can do but really?  Letting 2.5 inches of snow bring a city to a standstill for days seems a bit over dramatic doesn't it?

I guess people from London and people from Idaho are like "chaulk and cheese" (a wonderful British term for very different).  When the infrastructure in Idaho can't keep up with the plowing of roads, etc locals step in to lend a hand.  Those with plows attached to their pickup trucks drive the side roads and clear the snow.  They clear car parks, and if they see someone stuck in the snow they lend a hand.

There wasn't even enough snow here to deem any of these things necessary, but what I want to know is how to do people not know how to handle snow? I mean that little of snow doesn't even go up over your shoes for the most part. Yes it will make roads slippery and pavement a bit more treacherous to walk on, but thats nothing a pair of snow boots won't fix.  As for driving, yes drive more cautiously, but you have all season tires right?  

I know there isn't a simple answer, because to be prepared with the proper infrastructure and equipment takes money.  But how much are these snow days costing in comparison to the investment that would be needed to avoid this chaos?  Snow is supposed rare for the UK (not including Scotland who does get their fair share), and so the cost of being prepared is more than the government is willing to spend.