From 7 a.m. this morning, the Met Office have upgraded their weather warning from yellow to amber in a number of areas in Scotland, with travellers being warned of a high risk of disruption.
Traffic Scotland is providing regular updates on social media, as well as through its website and radio broadcasts, with travellers being asked to check the latest information before they set off.
Transport Minister Humza Yousaf said:”An updated and upgraded Met Office warning for Amber for heavy snow covering the west and southwest has been issued this morning. This will impact on the AM and PM rush hour and throughout the day.
“SGoRR is up and running and colleagues are in close contact with TS Resilience and MART teams and the Police Scotland multi-agency response team in Glasgow, as we have been throughout the night.
“Motorists should consider avoiding peak journey times and whether they can delay or avoid travelling.
“Our winter maintenance teams are continuing to prepare the trunk road network and stand ready to react to changing conditions, treating roads and helping motorists where required.
“My advice, as always, is to take extra time to plan your journey, listen to police advice and drive to the conditions. Motorists can use the Traffic Scotland mobile website – my.trafficscotland.org – to get the latest information on the move, as well as check the @trafficscotland twitter page for updates.
“If you’re travelling by rail, ferry or air, please check with your operators to make sure your service has not been affected by the conditions.”
In line with this, Police Scotland has increased the stage of the travel advice from stage 2 to stage 3.
Superintendent Louise Blakelock, of Police Scotland’s Road Policing said:”Due to the upgraded warning from the Met Office it has been necessary to update our travel advice.
“We’ve been working closely with our colleagues at Transport Scotland, the Met Office and local councils to assess the conditions. Therfore for the duration of this updated warning, there is a high risk of disruption for road journeys and there is a high likelihood of the conditions for travel being very poor.
“Those heading out on the roads should be aware of these risks – ensure you have a fully charged phone, warm clothing, and leave extra time for your journey.
“Drive to the road conditions and make sure you check the most up to date information from Traffic Scotland and the Met Office before heading out. Our priority is to ensure the public are safe.”
Check @PoliceScotland, @TrafficScotland, @MetOffice for the latest information.
Photo by John Knox
John graduated from Telford College in 2010 with an HNC in Practical Journalism and since then he worked for the North Edinburgh News, The Southern Reporter, the Irish News Review and The Edinburgh Reporter. In addition he has been published in the Edinburgh Evening News and the Hibernian FC Programme.
