The Imbalance Between British Summer And Winter Time

[AndiFlatland]

Sadly, it won't be too long before we return to the horrid gloom of early dark afternoons.

Ask people the question 'How many months are we in BST, and how many in GMT?', and most will answer something along the lines of 'Well of course, it's 6 months of each, isn't it'. But it isn't - BST lasts from late March to late October, which is 7 months, and so by the same reckoning, GMT only lasts 5 months - although it seems longer.

But the question I always have in my mind is, 'Why is there this imbalance? Why is it not an even 6 months each way?'

Anybody know the reason for this?

[jim360]

Looks like it's this:

http://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/en/TXT/?uri=CELEX:32000L0084

[Hypognosis]

The shift in sunrise times and sunset times is assymetric in both the amount they shift each day and the rates of shift.

Accident statistics for morning and evening commutes differ.

Put all the factors together and you have the reasons used to justify the current arrangements.

WWI era factory workers would have had to walk and blackout rules would have meant no streetlights, hence they had to invent BST (and double ST), so that they could arrive by daylight. Going home in the evenings is not a time-critical activity (as far as the factory is concerned).

[Jomlett]

^GPWM^

[mikey4444]

The only good consequence of the Scots voting YES is that we in the South can at last do away with this daft clock changing twice a year.

[naomi24]

I didn't realise we only change the clocks for the Scots, but if that's true it would be good to stop.

[mikey4444]

Well naomi, the argument has always been that if we didn't faff about with the clock, it wouldn't get light until about 10:00 to 10:30 every morning in the depths of Winter north of the border, and hoards of Scots would have to go work in the dark. As somebody that spent nearly 15 years starting work at 05:50, I seem to have come through the ordeal without much harm !

[naomi24]

As have many others.

[AndiFlatland]

Thanks all of you for your answers - but I still don't see anywhere here any specific reason why it is that we have 7 months in BST and 5 months in GMT, rather than a straight 6 months either way. It just seems quite arbitrary - although the longer BST lasts, the better, in my view. It's always depressing to get to the already darkening afternoons at the end of October, only to have the gradual downslide suddenly accelerated by a further hour. The briefly lighter part of the mornings at that time barely seems any compensation. On the other hand, the sudden relief of the pressure of darkness is extremely welcome at the end of March, and summer seems mere moments away - depending on the weather, of course!

[jim360]

Well ultimately pretty much everything about how we keep time is entirely arbitrary, so perhaps there is no reason and it's just a reflection of the consensus reached on the issue by the EU, rather than something deeper.

[jno]

it depends whether you want light in the morning or the evening. Also when you need light - the traffic accident factor that Hypognosis refers to.

[jno]

mikey's problems could of course be solved by Wales moving into its own time zone

[ludwig]

Obviously the solution is to change it on a daily basis, putting the clocks back in the morning and then forward again just after lunchtime.

This would have the dual benefit of allowing us to travel to and from work in the light, and also giving everyone an extra hours kip every day.

[reinganum]

It used to be slightly less than six months - from mid-April till early October. But in 1960 the tourist industry - under threat from increasingly cheap continental holidays - asked the government to extend the summer time period, which it did, by three weeks in each direction so that the period was now roughly seven months. Permanent summer time was tried from 1968-71 but it was unpopular, so we went back the the current arrangement.

A very good answer to the question was once given in the weather column of - The Times I think? - which explained that the dates had to be chosen so that the mornings did not become too dark (as it is, I think we put the clocks back too late as by late October darkness encroaches into the rush hour, and this is compounded by frost and fog).
Therefore seven months is about the maximum period when real savings in light and heat may be achieved without creating undue difficulty, particularly to outdoor workers of various types.

[A1Dan]

It's not just the imbalance, but the asymmetry that confuses me... we get 2 months of GMT before the winter solstice, then 3 months after.
reinganum's answer compounds this even further - BST only starting in April would mean 4 months of GMT after the solstice.
Was really hoping this thread would have an answer... it's about the only thing I can find even asking the question!