Cars and cyclists are travelling on dangerously slippery roads in the early morning.
© dpa
The roads in Berlin are currently extremely slippery. This is already causing restrictions on local transport. Motorists, cyclists and pedestrians should exercise extreme caution.
According to an official severe weather warning issued by the German Weather Service (DWD), there was a high risk of black ice during the night (warning level 3 out of 4). Rain and wet conditions could freeze suddenly, it said. This posed a danger to life and limb. In the morning, however, the DWD only warned of extreme slipperiness in the far north-east of Germany. Northern Brandenburg is also affected.
Ice and slippery conditions are causing restrictions on all Berlin transport this morning. According to the Traffic Information Centre (VIZ), trams are currently not running in Berlin due to icy overhead lines. "Please use the S-Bahn, U-Bahn and buses if possible," said the Berlin Transport Authority (BVG) website. There are also restrictions on underground services: according to the BVG, the U2 is currently suspended between Alexanderplatz and Pankow, and the U3 between Breitenbachplatz and Krumme Lanke. Buses are largely running without disruption, but delays due to slippery conditions are possible.
For motorists, the southern A100 between Grenzallee and Buschkrugallee is currently closed in both directions due to icy conditions, the VIZ added.
There are also disruptions on the Ringbahn. Due to track damage, lines S41 and S42 are currently interrupted between Südkreuz and Hermannstraße. However, the disruption is not related to the weather, said a railway spokesperson. There are currently no known weather-related restrictions on the S-Bahn network.
According to the police, there have been no major accidents in the capital so far. However, rush hour traffic is just beginning. The police and Berliner Stadtreinigung (BSR) are warning of extremely slippery conditions. The BSR's winter service is gritting important routes, including cycle lanes, the company said. However, heavy rain has washed away some of the wet salt from the roads. In addition, no de-icing agents are being used on side streets or on many cycle paths and pavements. This means that these areas are extremely slippery. "Please adapt your behaviour to the road conditions," the police said on social media. Motorists should increase their distance from other vehicles and drive carefully. Unnecessary journeys and cycling should be avoided. No major or unusually high number of accidents in the capital have been reported so far.
According to a spokesperson, take-offs and landings are proceeding as normal at Berlin's BER airport, but are currently only being handled by one of the two runways. The second runway is being treated for icing. There have been isolated weather-related flight cancellations and delays.