Black ice the biggest danger as temperatures remain at freezing

FOR the most part they survived the whiteout but now it’s the black stuff that’s posing the biggest hazard for road users as the cold spell continues to cause trouble throughout the country.

Black ice is the current concern, with the Road Safety Authority (RSA) warning motorists to be extra cautious of the invisible enemy that’s making roads treacherous in almost all parts of the country.

“The current conditions are the most dangerous to date because they can catch us off guard,” said RSA chief executive Noel Brett.

“A thaw may have cleared snow from some roads but they are still lethal.

“Don’t get lulled into a false sense of security — we are still experiencing freezing temperatures and roads remain extremely dangerous.”

Black ice often appears as a seemingly innocent wet surface — where it is visible at all — but a telltale sign is often the muffling effect it has on the roads which can be much quieter to drive on.

“If the road looks polished or glossy it could be black ice but it’s difficult to see” Mr Brett said.

With temperatures still lingering around zero much of the day and only short increases in the afternoons, he added that the past week’s warnings to limit outings to essential trips still applied.

However, traffic volumes are expected to increase significantly from today as hundreds of schools and colleges which were forced to close for some or all of last week are due to reopen.

Bus Éireann and Dublin Bus both reported close to full services yesterday but some restrictions still applied, particularly in estates and in the north-east, while Luas and Irish Rail intercity, suburban and Dart services were back to normal apart from the M3 Parkway to Clonsilla route in Dublin.

The National Roads Authority (NRA) said yesterday it was confident it had enough gritting supplies to see it through the current icy spell. The authority has used about half its 55,000 tonne store but it said fresh supplies were due to arrive in the middle of this month and more again in January.

It added that there were over 200 trucks out each day gritting national routes and all had snow plough attachments available to them if needed. However, many secondary and local roads still remained snowbound over the weekend, causing frustration for many communities.