EDMONTON – The City of Edmonton deployed its road equipment Monday as heavy snow began falling on the Capital Region. A seasonal parking ban on priority routes was put in place beginning Tuesday at 11 p.m.
“Due to the amount of snowfall received, we will dedicate our efforts to the arterial roads, bus routes and collector roads so that driving lanes are clear,” said Eduardo Sosa, director of Roadway Maintenance. “We ask that residents on those routes find alternate parking so we can clear the roads quickly and efficiently.”
Vehicles still parked on routes could be tagged and towed while the ban is in place.
The city said sanders and plows would be working mainly on priority routes, including the main arterial roads and bus routes. Plowing starts when three centimetres of snow have accumulated on the main roads. There were more than 200 pieces of equipment on the road overnight Monday and 178 were on the roads as of Tuesday morning.
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Additional equipment and operators would be contracted for snow clearing if it’s needed, the city said Monday afternoon.
Between 6 a.m. and 10:30 a.m. Tuesday, Edmonton police responded to 10 property damage collisions, two injury collisions and seven hit-and-run collisions.
Between 10:30 a.m. and 4 p.m. Tuesday, Edmonton police responded to 16 collisions; seven of those were property damage collisions, two were injury collisions and the other seven were hit and runs.
Around supper time Monday, Edmonton Transit said delays of 30 to 45 minutes would be expected for those taking city buses. Alberta RCMP had one message for drivers during Monday’s heavy snowfall: be careful.
READ MORE: Snowfall warning for Edmonton region, central Alberta
Early Monday afternoon, RCMP said eight separate accidents had been reported on the QEII between Ponoka and Didsbury.
One of those crashed claimed the life of a popular young Alberta MLA. Progressive Conservative MLA Manmeet Bhullar was killed in a car crash Monday afternoon, after stopping to help a motorist who rolled into the median near Red Deer.
WATCH: Alberta PC MLA Manmeet Bhullar killed in highway crash
Other crashes and spinouts were reported across Edmonton and the surrounding area, including on Highway 15 near Fort Saskatchewan and on Yellowhead Trail between 127 Street and 142 Street.
Severe traffic delays on Highway 16 west of Edmonton, on Anthony Henday Drive and on the east side of Yellowhead Trail were reported.
READ MORE: 5 things to remember when driving in winter conditions
Along with the bad weather, several roads have either been partially or completely closed. Ponoka RCMP said Monday that a travel and tow ban was in effect for the area between Highway 11A and Highway 611.
In addition, Highway 2 near Blackfalds has been closed due to the snowfall.
The Edmonton Police Service advises drivers to stay calm and be vigilant while driving.
“Probably one of the best things you can do is leave a little earlier, drive a little slower,” said Const. Myles Stromner from the EPS Major Collision Investigation Unit. “Things like leaving room between your car and the car in front of you.
“And for heaven’s sakes, stay off your phone.”
READ MORE: Skiff of snow causes commuter chaos on Edmonton streets
Edmonton’s first major snowfall this winter has come later in the season than normal. Stromner said this may hurt drivers in poor conditions.
“With the late arrival of snow, I think we’ve all been used to driving on clear and dry roads for quite a while.”
With files from Caley Ramsay, Global News
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