Calgary commuters frustrated as icy conditions plague streets

CALGARY - Brace for it: More snow is expected to blanket the city over the next five days.

And if the Twitterverse is any indication, Calgarians are spending a lot of time this morning stuck in traffic, trying to stay warm, and in some cases giving up and going home.

Today, about five centimetres of snow is forecast, with the mercury staying steady around -14 C, and north winds reaching 20 kilometres an hour this evening.

Be careful on the roads if you're heading out this morning. Inner-city driving appears to be fair, but there are a number of major roadways and highways that are slick with ice, including Highway 22X to Highway 2A, Highway 1 East and Country Hills Boulevard, as well as sections of the Deerfoot Trail North, Stoney Trail, Beddington Trail and the Crowfoot.

Make sure you bundle up on Thursday and Friday as temperatures are expected to drop as low as -21 C with north winds and a 60 per cent chance of snow to end the work week.

It's expected to warm up ever so slightly on Saturday and Sunday, with highs of -14 C and up to a 70 per cent chance of more snow.

As people adjust to winter driving conditions, the City is trying out a new system hoping to keep traffic moving.

Beginning this morning, the City is putting up message boards along Deerfoot Trail with estimated travel times. Officials hope motorists will take not of the times and take other routes if traffic is backed up.

The real time travel information can been along the Deerfoot at several locations from 6:00a.m. to 7:00p.m. during the week and from 9:00a.m. to 5:00p.m. on weekends.

The trial project will last for a week.

With files from Global News