Thousands of drivers commuting to work on eastbound Glenmore or southbound Crowchild Trails in Calgary Monday were late for work and appointments–and many weren’t impressed with the reason for the long delay.
A deer was hit and killed on eastbound Glenmore Trail near 14 Street S.W.
A police officer arrived and pulled the deer off the road, out of traffic and then left the scene.
However, other drivers called 911 claiming cars were swerving around the deer and causing a hazard. This prompted another CPS car to be dispatched, which blocked the left lane until the animal could be removed.
Calgary Roads was called at around 7:10 a.m. but got stuck in the backup caused by the lane closure, said city spokesperson Chris McGeachy.
“Due to the size of this animal, we needed a different piece of equipment and the closest was in Bowness,” he said. “So it took a little bit just to get down there. At about 7:30, the truck was on the road and then the driver kind of got caught in the same traffic mess that resulted in the animal being there.”
They didn’t arrive until 8:30 a.m.–90 minutes after the first call.
The reaction on Twitter from one driver: “2 hours on 22 and 8 and Glenmore to Crowchild because of a deer?”
The city says they have to deal with the same delays as other drivers during rush hour.
Calgary police say considering the way drivers were trying to avoid the deer, they had to block the lane to prevent a bigger problem.
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