ROAD CONDITIONS:WARNING

bcmf

The road conditions, especially back roads, around Nth County are getting to the point of being undriveable.
From Balbriggan to Skerries to Lusk to Naul and everywhere in between..
Many roads are have compacted snow and ice.I was out for a short period and came across 2 cars simply losing it at slow speed

Balrothery to Cross of the Cage (Ardgillan). That Hill is almost impossible to ascend in a car.I had to turn back halfway up and have been told that 2 other cars and a jeep got into difficulty on it.

Coast road from Balbriggan to Skerries ,although gritted, still felt slippy in many parts.
Skerries railway bridge to Milverton is gonna catch someone out badly. Has the potential to turn very nasty.
The main roads arent far behind and I would imagine as the night wears on and less and less traffic is about and temps drop even further it wont improve. Thats not too mention if more snow falls.
PLEASE BE VERY CAREFUL AND DRIVE SLOWLY.TAKE IT THAT THE ROADS ARE EXTREMLY ICY/SLIPPY.

wow sierra

Yeah I should have started this thread earlier. Drove from Balbriggan to Ardgillan today and came back a few hours later 4.30 and it was scary - shocked at how quick the snow compacted on the back roads. Even main road from Skerries to Balbriggan was very bad, I had a skid. Conditions in Balbriggan were fine at that stage.

Be very careful as the conditions change in the space of a mile or two - especially on back roads.

valz08

I am supposed to be bringing my daughter to Belvedere house in Mullingar tomorrow to see santa. she is so excited as she is telling everyone that she is gonna see Santa in Narnia. The only problem is i live in Athlone/Roscommon and not to sure of the condition of the road.
I was planning on going on the motorway from athlone to Kilbeggan and then taking the N52 heading for Mullingar, I was hoping someone would be able to tell me what this stretch of road is like. really appreciate any info on this.

Stheno

valz08 wrote: »

I am supposed to be bringing my daughter to Belvedere house in Mullingar tomorrow to see santa. she is so excited as she is telling everyone that she is gonna see Santa in Narnia. The only problem is i live in Athlone/Roscommon and not to sure of the condition of the road.
I was planning on going on the motorway from athlone to Kilbeggan and then taking the N52 heading for Mullingar, I was hoping someone would be able to tell me what this stretch of road is like. really appreciate any info on this.

Valz08 you'd be best off posting in the motors forum thread on roads, it's http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2056103773 Also check out aaroadwatch.ie and the regional forums Westmeath.

Was out in Swords tonight on Rathbeale Road, Glenn Ellan and Applewood, the roads were ok, but starting to get slippy. Seatown Road in Swords was lethal during the last bad spell, so if you are driving around there be careful

The Hill Billy

Roads from airport to Lusk were OK as of 11pm. Lusk/Skerries road getting slippy. Roads in The Hills remain untreated and are difficult. Take care folks.

Beasty

Minus 5 when I set-off this morning - the R127 from Skerries through Lusk and down to Blakes Cross had a dusting, but you could still see the white lines in places. There was not much traffic about, and the road was fine if you took it carefully

The R132 down to Swords had been gritted, and was pretty clear

celticbest

-4 when leaving Applewood this morning @ 7:30, the Glen Ellen road was clear, (looked like it was gritted as there was good grip), Balheary Road from Swords Business park was also good apart from the new potholes that have appeared over the last few weeks.

The R132 was good from the Estuary R/A to the Airport.

I hope the roads are as good this evening when I'm on my way home from work.

dubsontour

Take care on the roads in Rush and Skerries ,snow has been falling on and off since about 10.30am this morning. Rush road Skerries R128 very icy when I travelled on it at about 12.30pm.

Pimp Ninja

Great idea for a thread!

Left lusk at about 9 this morhing. Once outside the estate all was slow but grand to the M1.

Dubsontour's post is more recent than mine so I wouldn't expect it to be the same.

I will be leaving Citywest at 18.00 heading back via Clare Hall so would appreciate if anyone can update conditions around that time.

bcmf

Had to drag a 2010 car outta of hedge last night. He said he came round a bend and kept going straight. ouch!
A quick tip that I was taught 2 weeks ago.
If you find yourself in the situation where you are some way up a hill and cant go any further forward but cant go back...

To go downhill backwards......put the car in 1st gear and slowly let the car roll backwards and to control the speed slowly release the clutch to the 'biting' point and it will slow/stop you and if you need the brakes just tip them a few times in a row and you should be able to control the car. Its slow but its better then being stuck.

I needed to do this twice last night

dubmick

how is the coast road from Balbriggan to Skerries now?

Supposed to go out for dinner there later but will cancel if the roads are bad.

Martron

saw a car on its roof on the lusk bypass this morning.

We all need to slow down!!! leave big gaps and be patient!

dcr22B

Martron wrote: »

saw a car on its roof on the lusk bypass this morning.

Being a local, that takes some doing!

cathy01

Coming out of Fancourt Heights today at 1.30. Skidded accross the road.Heart was in my mouth.I felt sick, got to Skerries took the kids off school early.OH, Seen a Garda talking to a guy that parked over the white line, and was in a disabled spot , but only a little . Garda made him move.How anyone could make out the line was beyond me.Thanks for the thread.Cathy

Beasty

2 hours to get back from Clare Hall to Skerries - setting off at 4pm it was reasonably clear until just past the M1 roundabout - took another 20 minutes to Blakes Cross, then a crawl to Lusk.

There was a report of a jackknifed lorry on the Rush road, and I was hopeful the Skerries Road would be clear. Unfortunately a car got stuck on the hill just outside Lusk, which caused another 30 minute delay.

It wasn't too bad when the car cleared - you need to keep the momentum up. However the snow was compacting, and I guess it could be quite slippery in the morning with the sub-zero overnight temperatures forecast

Hauk

Bucketin' down out there. Looks class.

The Hill Billy

10cm approx in the Blackhills in the past 2 hours. Still coming down. Balrothery to Ardgillan was treacherous earlier, I wouldn't like to think what it is like now.

Hauk

Yup. I've about a good inch in the back garden. It's great.

Sparkles78

I got stuck going up a hill at the Man O'War pub today, thank god a lovely man stopped to help me. After a few failed attempts at reversing down the hill and trying to get back up again himself and another kind man ended up having to push my car up the hill!

Dread to think what the roads will be like in the morning...

Auvers

four hours on the 33x to Lusk from town , the roads are madness

The Black Oil

Ouch, Auvers.

Left Drumcondra at 5:30, just got home shortly after 9. Blakes Cross seems pretty hairy, we went on towards the Round Towers petrol station direction instead.

Was listening to national radio for ages, then we found Dublin City 103.2 (I think) which gave more detailed info on various areas.

Pimp Ninja

103.2 is a complete life saver. Pretty tough out there at the moment. Ended up taking me 3 hours from Citywest.

Got out the ruler 4 inches of snow on the ground in Lusk.

Spidermany

3 inches in my front garden in Rush - surprisingly it's pretty sheltered!!

Stheno

The snowplough is out in Swords the past hour.

The roads are fairly hairy though

LeoB

How was Curkeen Hill? I will be driving to Balbriggan at 5.15 in the morning but have a feeling there will not be much post. It was a little slippy this morning but as we drove on it got worse in a few places.
I dread the thoughts of tomorrow morning. I finished work at at 8.20 tonight and the roads were lethal. I drove down Palmer Rd at 5.30 this morning and van took on a life of its own

Its going to be mayhem if it freezes tonight as has been forecast. It looked to me like we had about 3 or 4 inchs of snow between 4 and 7 this evening it is also compacting and loads of cars were finding the smallest gradient too much.

I would say, unless its essential. STAY PUT

Spidermany

Leo, thank you, not many people will be going into work and we appreciate it. Be safe!!

LeoB

Spidermany wrote: »

Leo, thank you, not many people will be going into work and we appreciate it. Be safe!!

Thankyou, Have to say it was hard going today but well worth it as I am 100% positive I delivered a few "very important parcels" today.

One or two roads were impassable today but most of us like to treat these conditions as a bit of a challenge and its great to clear a van of parcels.

sNarah

School not closed so far... GAH.

Ah well, at least once I hit Garristown it's sort of okay...

No more hitting ditches for me thank you very much

indie armada

took over two hours to get from finglas to rush, went on down to the roundtower turn as there was a bus sideways on the road outside the industrial units on the lusk road, not sure if he spun or was trying to turn.
the snow in the estate here is the deepest ive ever seen it.

The Hill Billy

I'm staying put & going sledging in Ardgillan

Take care everyone.

Corsendonk

LeoB wrote: »

How was Curkeen Hill? I will be driving to Balbriggan at 5.15 in the morning but have a feeling there will not be much post. It was a little slippy this morning but as we drove on it got worse in a few places.
I dread the thoughts of tomorrow morning. I finished work at at 8.20 tonight and the roads were lethal. I drove down Palmer Rd at 5.30 this morning and van took on a life of its own

Its going to be mayhem if it freezes tonight as has been forecast. It looked to me like we had about 3 or 4 inchs of snow between 4 and 7 this evening it is also compacting and loads of cars were finding the smallest gradient too much.

I would say, unless its essential. STAY PUT

I heard on the grapevine the Garda closed the Hill tonight because traffic couldn't get up it. Hopefully the council will clear it overnight tonight.

The government has issued tenders in the last month for at least 8 saltbarns around the country so they must think colder winters are here to stay.

Beasty

Skerries to Airside took 35 minutes this morning. Roads are untreated but passable with care. I passed a dozen or so abandoned cars, and I suspect there will be long delays as the rush hour progresses

dcr22B

Wife got the 6pm 33X last night and had to abandon it at Blakes Cross due to the jacknifed truck. Thankfully, her Dad was behind her and she got home for 9.35pm or so

I left the city centre at 8pm and went up the Ballymun Road and drove out the M1 as far as Balbriggan South exit and doubled back to Lusk on the R132. Took me approximately 2 hours or so.

Got the train in this morning, no problems to report thankfully!

Stheno

Roads in Swords are fairly bad this evening, cars appear to be having problems getting up the little hill from Bridge St to Rathbeale road, and it's very slippy on Rathbeale Road.

Main Street is covered in compacted slush and snow, and is also slippy.

Turning from Bridge St to Main St is very slippy also.

Larianne

Yeah, no buses going up Rathbeale Road tonight. That's a first as far as I know. Hopefully they'll be back on tomorrow. I need to get into town.

Stheno

Larianne wrote: »

Yeah, no buses going up Rathbeale Road tonight. That's a first as far as I know. Hopefully they'll be back on tomorrow. I need to get into town.

They were running fine when I went out to dinner at about 7pm, then after that the road got bad, and there were a few after 8pm but they stopped then.

All the busses stopped at 10 anyway, hopefully they will treat the road properly for the morning!

Could you walk down to get the Swords Express?

Larianne

I always forget about the Swords Express! That running normally? Never got it before.

Stheno

Larianne wrote: »

I always forget about the Swords Express! That running normally? Never got it before.

Seems to be, it was a godsend for me in the last snow, I was doing a course in town, and it was great. Expensive, but good.

Larianne

Will check out the website and see what way DB is in the morning. Cheers!

dan_d

I keep hearing "roads completely treacherous around Rush, Lusk, Skerries" on a Dublin radio station.

Is this actually true, or is it just the media being hysterical based on one text as usual??My OH headed out around 7.00am to the city from Rush and said that they're not too bad, just slow.I have to go out this morning (have serious cabin fever anyway), so any thoughts???

nosnagaoithe

dan_d : how did you get on going to Swords? I have to make that trip myself tonight after work from Lusk to the Pavillions to get some shopping done....

Dizzyblonde

Last night my husband was four and a half hours on the M50. It took four hours just to get from Tallaght to Blanchardstown because it was blocked by cars that couldn't get up the hill at the Blanchardstown exit. Eventually the Gardai got a truck to pull the cars up one by one.

The Rooster

nosnagaoithe wrote: »

dan_d : how did you get on going to Swords? I have to make that trip myself tonight after work from Lusk to the Pavillions to get some shopping done....

No problems getting to and from the Pavillions from Rush this morning. It'll get busier and slower later.

dan_d

Just reading your posts now, sorry.

No problems going to Swords, though the Pavilions was really starting to fill up around 1pm.

Drove home from the airport around 3pm, no problems at all. Roads are fairly clear at this stage. Probably just need to watch out for black ice on them later, where the surface is wet. Most the slush has gone by now.

Stheno

nosnagaoithe wrote: »

dan_d : how did you get on going to Swords? I have to make that trip myself tonight after work from Lusk to the Pavillions to get some shopping done....

Pavillions was jammers at 5 o'clock, most car parks full, but the traffic was ok, just very very slow.

johnc24

Hey all, due to travel on the M50/N11 tomorrow. Any clues to the condition of those roads?

Anyone travel on them today?

Davy

johnc24 wrote: »

Hey all, due to travel on the M50/N11 tomorrow. Any clues to the condition of those roads?

Anyone travel on them today?

M50 fine, N11 down to one lane for most part but moving ok.

PWEI

I wish idiots would stop parking in the bus stops in front of the pavilions.
It's hard enough for the buses in this weather without some <snip> blocking up the bus stop. Coming home today on the Swords Express the driver couldn't get in to the stop in front of the Pavilions because of some guy in a Merc. There's room for two buses but there was a 41 also parked there. Eventually the 41 moved and the Swords Express was able to pull in.
To my delight when we get off the bus a Garda car pulled over and told your man to move. He even had the gall to argue with the guard but you could see the guard losing his temper so the Merc knew he was in trouble and moved on.

Stheno

Not done it myself, and not likely to, the guards fair play to them constantly monitor that area.

But having seen the "traffic control" around the Pavillions today, I'm not surprised people chance their arm stopping there tbh.

lily lou

It's been snowing again in Swords:( does anyone know what the roads from Swords to Lusk are like this morning?

Beasty

Coming in the other direction around 7.15 this morning was fine - traffic was not having a problem, and a snow-plough was clearing the road between Blakes Cross and Lusk