The Road Condition Warning thread

Alek

Patches of compacted, freezing slush in the city centre were quite treacherous even for winter tyres @ 30psi.

Watch yourself out there, if you need to cycle, go down on the tyre pressure and ideally follow car tracks in the lane, as they are least likely to have ice underneath.

helimachoptor

C3PO wrote: »

Cycled from Shankill to Ballsbridge on the MTB - N11 and Clonkeen Rd etc. Used the cycle paths and footpaths in places. A bit slower than usual but not too bad! Think I'll go home via Anglesea Road and then the cycle path on the N11.

I was going to start same commute but from Clonkeen road, but we got the nod to work from home

LennoxR

Yeah working from home. But anyway there's no way I could cycle in that with anything short of a fat bike.

Harrybelafonte

Went out on the bike this morning. D9 and D11. Swords Road from Whitehall up past Omni pure slush. Lesser roads snow packed ice. Collins Avenue is a mix of the two. Ballymun Road slush, but the edges are super icy.

Cars are having problems stopping but most are taking it easy.

Lambay island

Harrybelafonte wrote: »

Went out on the bike this morning. D9 and D11. Swords Road from Whitehall up past Omni pure slush. Lesser roads snow packed ice. Collins Avenue is a mix of the two. Ballymun Road slush, but the edges are super icy.

Cars are having problems stopping but most are taking it easy.

I bottled it and got a bus.. saw a van driver break lights on dame street as several pedestrians crossing - Phone to ear too. shocking at best of times but in those conditions.....

gmacww

Just to let you know that up here in the Wicklow mountains we got hit hard. It's probably best to stay off the gaps today lads

mr spuckler

I assumed looking out the window in D5 earlier that the estate would be bad but the main roads would be fine. just headed out in the car to drop my boy into creche and even the main roads are in a bad way.

irishrover99

I haven't seen that many people walking with bikes since the annual push the bike up Slieve Mann contest during the W200.

LennoxR

Did people who cycled today cycle home too? Genuinely curious.

magicbastarder

conditions around here (dublin 9) were much better this afternoon than this morning. i worked from home though.

CramCycle

LennoxR wrote: »

Did people who cycled today cycle home too? Genuinely curious.

Yep, it was grand. Tomorrow is when the bad weather hits I am told.

LennoxR

Yeah looks like the whole place is shutting down tomorrow.

C3PO

LennoxR wrote: »

Did people who cycled today cycle home too? Genuinely curious.

Yep - roads almost completely clear ... cycle lanes less so!
Surprisingly little vehicular traffic at 4.00pm out our way!

magicbastarder

LennoxR wrote: »

Did people who cycled today cycle home too? Genuinely curious.

just saw someone cycle past the house - i live on a busy, well gritted main road and it's completely white. doesn't stop some cars from going past at normal speed though (i.e. a little above the speed limit)

mr spuckler

I was out in the car at about 4:30 and just as I was thinking that the roads and cycle lanes were surprisingly clear I saw a guy sweeping snow from the footpath outside his house...into the cycle lane.

Johann.

Felt like I was in a rally car this morning, around 5am. Heading on the M1 towards the city - It was pure ****e. For a main road that was 'gritted', it was dreadful.*


*I also have RWD

magicbastarder

my father in law was - as of 4pm today - planning to drive to westport tomorrow, in a RWD mercedes estate.

Wishbone Ash

magicbastarder wrote: »

my father in law was - as of 4pm today - planning to drive to westport tomorrow, in a RWD mercedes estate.

During the snow of 2010, I had 10 concrete blocks in the boot of my beamer. Didn't get stuck anywhere. :pac:

detones

Did 30k each way into town from North County Dublin on cyclocross bike today. I felt it would be ok as snow was fresh and still sift. Few hairy moments but grip on muck tyres was surprisingly good. I'm an average enough cx racer and no expert technically but experience on correcting front wheel slip saved me twice today. Very similar to wet thick muck. If you haven't done it before you'd be on your ear before you know it. Tomorrow, today's soft snow will be compacted and hard and frozen solid. I wouldn't risk goung out. On my way home today i was far more concerned getting clipped by a car than loosing control myself. Parks tomorrow and off road with right gear will be grand but roads lethal. Take care all.

magicbastarder

yeah, my brother in law had four bags of gravel he used to have to put in the back of his car. now he's driving a boxster, which at least has more weight over the rear axle.

John_Rambo

I drove today and had to do a bit of running around as I'm the only one in work and family that has a traditional 4x4 designed for this weather. So I was on the road a good bit dropping people and stuff off around the North bay area of Dublin.

Came across four capable cyclists with capable tyres, capable abilities, capable clothing, capable lighting and gear cycling on the roads today, all avoiding dedicated cycling lanes that were unusable. All four (two were together) got blown off the road by motorists and two were punished passed.

The roads were empty, acres of room. In one case the road was clear of sludge but the driver drove chose to drive through the sludge instead of the naturally cleared part of the road to close pass the pair of cyclists (coast road heading from Raheny to Clontarf).

In this case, it's clear the problem isn't with the cyclists.

Johann.

Wishbone Ash wrote: »

During the snow of 2010, I had 10 concrete blocks in the boot of my beamer. Didn't get stuck anywhere. :pac:

I've a 3 series & I found it really, really bad. Saw loads of people online suggesting adding weight to the boot!

John_Rambo

Letting a bit of air out of your tyres (cars and bikes) can afford a bit more grip in these conditions. Only a small bit with the low profile tyres on 3 series BMW ones though!! Some of them are more a veneer than tyre!

Rogue-Trooper

LennoxR wrote: »

Did people who cycled today cycle home too? Genuinely curious.

I did. Was on the hardtail with Schwalbe Marathon Winter studded tyres. The conditions at 5pm had changed and the snow was turning icy on the Clontarf cycle path. Had reduced pressure in the tyres and they gripped well. The wind was an absolute pig though!

Met a girl walking her hybrid (on regular tyres) along the cycle path. She told me she had just creamed herself on the main road which was starting to look very glassy. She was ok but very shaken.

Unless you have studs and no skills (like me) or CX tyres (with reduced pressure) and skills to go with them, give it a miss.

eeeee

The Rock road is icy and slippy now, very unsafe come the morning I'd say.

C3PO

nee wrote: »

The Rock road is icy and slippy now, very unsafe come the morning I'd say.

Came in on the MTB again (Shankill to Ballsbridge) - actually not to bad at all! Left home at 5.45am and hardly saw a car the whole way in. The edges of the road are a bit dodgy with lumps of frozen ice but fine apart from that! My hands have never been so cold though despite winter gloves + liners! Followed bicycle tyre tracks most of the way in ... narrow road tyres ... not sure when brave ends and stupid starts!!

LennoxR

C3PO wrote: »

Came in on the MTB again (Shankill to Ballsbridge) - actually not to bad at all! Left home at 5.45am and hardly saw a car the whole way in. The edges of the road are a bit dodgy with lumps of frozen ice but fine apart from that! My hands have never been so cold though despite winter gloves + liners! Followed bicycle tyre tracks most of the way in ... narrow road tyres ... not sure when brave ends and stupid starts!!

Do you not have the day off? I thought everything was shut today.

Fair play to you and all, but make sure you get home before the actual storm starts at 4pm or so. My mate has taken his cyclocross bike to the local park. I declined his offer to join him!

mvt

Out on mtb around inchicore/kilmainham earlier.
Not too bad,very little traffic but wind starting to pick up now so happy to be off it.
Wouldn't fancy it later.

Wishbone Ash

LennoxR wrote: »

Do you not have the day off? I thought everything was shut today...

Hundreds of thousands of people work in essential services. Mrs WA battled her way across 3 counties early this morning. Kudos to the lad in a 4x4 who towed her for 12k. I'm on annual leave but I'm expecting to be asked to come in this evening to cover a night shift. We had to get the defence forces to bring some of our staff to work in isolated areas.

Annie get your Run

Wishbone Ash wrote: »

Hundreds of thousands of people work in essential services. Mrs WA battled her way across 3 counties early this morning. Kudos to the lad in a 4x4 who towed her for 12k. I'm on annual leave but I'm expecting to be asked to come in this evening to cover a night shift. We had to get the defence forces to bring some of our staff to work in isolated areas.

I've no idea what she does but Kudos to Mrs WA and probably a thank you deserved too if she's essential services.