Big freeze lessons - 'Authorities must do better if it returns'

One week ago today, Edinburgh and the Lothians were caught in a blizzard which choked the Central Belt.

Seven days on, it is worth pausing for thought and recording that the crisis brought out both the worst and the best of modern Scotland.

The worst? Easy - the inadequate response of the authorities as hundreds of stranded motorists shivered in their cars overnight on the M8, a huge section of which was shut for two days.

As the man ultimately responsible, Transport Minister Stewart Stevenson had to go, and he belatedly did on Saturday. But questions remain about the wider reponse to the weather crisis.

The pages of the News have been a forum for complaint about the city council though the authority insists its own efforts were unprecedented, as was calling in the army for help.

The best? The good neighbours who knocked on OAPs' doors to check they were OK, or who cleared the paths of those less able. Also, the emergency service workers who battled to do their duty every day and, yes, the individual council staff who gritted roads and (some) pavements.

The News, too, struggled to reach all its readers, though thanks to our staff, distributors and retailers we defied the odds to get out every day. Our message throughout last week was that lessons had to be learned and we were heartened the First Minister took up the theme with a call for a national debate on our state of readiness for worsening winters.

The problem, though, is that the forecasters are warning that the weekend thaw will be followed by the return of colder weather towards the end of this week.

We are confident that, if needed, the good neighbours will be active again, digging out here and pushing cars there. But the authorities, too, must rise to the challenge better next time round.

Parking mad

Many will be furious that the city council has abandoned free car parking this Christmas.

Drivers will be annoyed at having to pay, while city centre retailers will see it as yet another blow in their struggle to lure customers.

But, at the end of the day, this is not a long-standing tradition that has been abandoned, and at a time of massive cuts this seasonal treat was always vulnerable.

See our free bus travel offer on page 38 for a cheaper option.