Black ice and slushy roads are making the commute around the Lower Mainland more difficult. (CBC)

Emergency crews around Metro Vancouver were busy dealing with calls about road accidents overnight Monday, as black ice sent cars slipping all over the Lower Mainland.

"Drive extremely slower than the speed limit," Insp. Dave Walsh of the RCMP said Monday night. "You're going to rear-end somebody or slide right through an intersection."

Snow and slush, which turned into black ice after high winds set in late Monday afternoon, wreaked havoc for commuters Tuesday morning.

Police closed Blenheim Street at 16th Avenue because of black ice. Ice was also reported on Kingsway and Fraser Streets in Vancouver and all around the South Surrey area.

Police are warning commuters to assume there is black ice everywhere.

Those hoping municipalities will clear the ice and snow-clogged side streets are also being warned it's not in their plans.

"We're hoping that the weather will clear those side roads," Jennifer Young of the City of Vancouver said.

TransLink delays

Earlier on Monday, Vancouver municipal crews plowed remaining snow on city streets back into the curb, covering catch basins, which will increase the risk of flooding when the snow melts.

Public transportation users had no easier time getting around.

Officials with TransLink, the Lower Mainland transit authority, said compact snow on Skytrain tracks tends to trip the automatic sensors, so they've been temporarily turned off.

"When we turn that off, then the trains have to run slower with an attendant onboard," Ken Hardie of TransLink said.

"That means people will wait a little longer between trains at stations."

More rain, wind and possibly snow are expected later this week.