The wind may only be pushing 20 kilometers per hour, but along Highway 400 in Bradford that was enough wind to cause a safety concern for drivers.
That’s something truck driver Brian Parker sees a lot of. What it can lead to is potentially deadly.
“The snow is blowing across, the sun is melting it on the roadway, and with the cooler temperatures it's turning it into black ice,” says Const. Kelly Daniels with the Nottawasaga OPP. “Drivers are not aware of that.”
The Ministry of Transportation will wrap up a study in 2016 that will determine what precautions can be taken to lessen the effects of blowing snow on drivers. Paul Wagner says common sense works best for him.
“Drive very slow and careful,” he says.
The County of Simcoe is aware that rural roads pose a problem too.
“The county does use snow fences where we know there’s a problem,” says Debbie Korolnek with the county. “You might not notice them as you drive by because they are back from the road, that's the way they have to be to form a drift in front of the snow fence.”
The county has also planted trees to create a natural snow barrier and even pays some farmers to leave a row of corn near the road to help catch the snow. But with almost 1,700 kilometers of roads to service there's a logistical problem.
And Korolnek says it could get expensive.
The dangers of blowing snow can kick up in an instant and police want to remind drivers that when a warning is in place and roads are closed and posted; ignoring that posting can result in you waiving your insurance and risking a $110 fine.
You could also be inviting danger, police say.
