There seems to be more vehicles parked in Newmarket driveways this morning signalling that, anecdotally at least, drivers are heeding advice to postpone travel until today’s freezing rain warning passes.
Student Transportation Services of York Region this morning announced that all school buses, vans and taxis servicing the York Catholic and York Region District school boards are cancelled due to hazardous road conditions caused by the inclement weather. All schools remain open and offer students a place to go even though transportation has been cancelled.
York Regional Police also noted at about 9 a.m. on its Twitter account that collisions appear lighter than usual, with four accidents reported on York Region roads at that time. The York force’s real-time collision map also shows officers on the scene of two accidents since 9:38 a.m., one in Vaughan and the other in Markham. Several other accidents followed later this morning, but were cleared quickly by York police. Accidents, heavy traffic and road and weather conditions often cause delays, so leave plenty of time to get where you need to be today.
The OPP GTA Traffic reported on its Twitter account that about 10 a.m., it responded to a two-vehicle collision on the Hwy. 400 northbound on ramp at Lloydtown-Aurora Road. The OPP reminds motorists to adjust driving to weather conditions.
Meanwhile, a weather travel advisory remains in effect for Newmarket for much of the day today. Ice pellets are expected throughout the day, with a risk of freezing rain or freezing drizzle mixed with ice pellets.
About 2 cm to 4 cm of ice could accumulate before the precipitation changes to freezing drizzle late this afternoon or evening. Untreated surfaces such as walkways and stairs could become icy.
The Town of Newmarket reported on Twitter that its winter crews have been at work since early morning, with road and sidewalk maintenance well underway and continuing throughout the day.
"Winter crews are extremely proactive when dealing with freezing rain events," the Town tweeted.
If you have to head out on the roads today, you can get the latest, up-to-date and crowd-sourced traffic and accident information at Ontario 511, Ontario’s traveller information website that has partnered with navigation app Waze.
Ontario 511 publishes crowd-sourced information from Waze such as collisions, congestion, and driving hazards, along with ministry-reported data on road conditions, construction, closures, and forecasted weather.
Waze provides real-time, anonymous, user- and app-generated incident and traffic information to its government partners through its Connected Citizen Program. In exchange, Ontario 511 provides Waze access to its public data on road construction, incidents and closures.
Here are some tips on driving in freezing rain conditions, courtesty of Young Drivers of Canada:
- Drive for the conditions with extreme caution. Avoid sudden acceleration which may cause a vehicle to skid;
- Avoid breaking where possible. Breaking, similar to sudden acceleration can cause a vehicle to skid, resulting in loss of control of the vehicle;
- Leave space. Space allows a driver to react to a situation with more time and avoids using the brakes. By leaving space and easing off the gas, a driver can increase the stopping distance. The greater the distance between you and the next car means the better opportunity to avoid a collision;
- Give yourself extra time. The commute will be longer so leave extra time to reach your destination. Don’t get stressed by being late to work or school. You will not be the only one and speedy to get there will only create more of a problem;
- Watch for snowplows. With freezing road conditions, the salt/sand trucks will be out in full force to ensure the roads are maintained. Avoid passing a snowplow. It is safer to stay behind them then trying to pass a large vehicle;
- Avoid engaging in distracted driving behaviours such as using your cellphone. Driving in freezing rain conditions require your full attention.
