Supporting Information

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This section provides evidence and other relevant information for the improvements

recommended in the paper submitted to the Public Weather Service

Customer Group titled ‘Recommendations for improvements in MET Office Ice

predictions’

 

Contents

 

1 Introduction  

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2 Call to the MET Office to make improvements in ice forecasting to support

the Government Active Travel Initiative

 

3 Principal points

 

4 Government policy

 

5 Evidence demonstrating that MET Office ice predictions need to improve

 

5.1 Serious injury statistics for cyclists compared with other road users

 

5.2 Extent of cyclist hospital admissions caused by slipping on  ice

 

5.3 How common is icy weather

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5.4 Contributory factors to numbers of serious casualties for all road users

 

5.5 MET Office ice forecast quality control

 

5.5.1 How accurate are MET Office forecasts

 

5.5.2 MET Office evaluation of the accuracy of its Public Weather Service ice forecasts

 

5.5.3 Omissions from MET Office forecasting

 

          5.5.3.1 Forecasting ice as a result of water run-off onto frozen roads

         

          5.5.3.2 Road surface temperatures (RST’s)

 

6 Severe Weather Warnings

 

7 Easy Wins available to MET Office

 

8 Weather stations

 

9 Ice Forecasting for individual locations in the UK

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10 MET Office links to salting and gritting information

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11 Support from the BBC

 

12 Vision