Wednesday’s messy winter storm made for a tough commute across the region. A Texas low is dumping 10 to 15 centimetres of snow which prompted the cancelling of school buses.
The Tri-Boards CEO Gordon Taylor says current conditions, the forecast and road conditions are all factors when deciding if buses should be cancelled.
“It is going to snow — it’s going to start at drive time, it will persist through afternoon drive time, so it’s something we need to get up and watch and seriously, some of our roads aren’t fixed from the last weather.”
Taylor says the decision always comes down to safety for bus drivers and students, even before students get on the bus.
“One of the strategies in taking buses off the road is to protect those students who would otherwise be standing on the side of the road with limited visibility, other motorists with limited traction, stopping ability — a lot of danger that’s injected when the roads are bad.”
Snow days and cancelled buses leave parents in a bind to find care for their children. Not surprisingly, the students don’t seem to mind.
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At 17, Zoe Masters is a built-in babysitter for her younger brother Wyatt.
“Always looking forward to the snow days,” she said.
Nine-year-old Wyatt Masters shares a similar frame of mind with his sister as he gets ready for another tobogganing run down Fort Henry hill.
“I think I’d rather go sledding than doing math and language.”
For Bonnie Buccie, the day involves the constant battle of shovelling. She’s already clearing the driveway a second time before noon.
“You can’t keep up with it and if you don’t like the winter, you’re in trouble. I have a snow angel who lives across the street too, so we help each other.”
Running errands, Dwight Sheard says the snow is coming down so quickly he’s cleaned his vehicle six times already.
“You’re almost afraid to go shopping because every time you go in and you spend 10 or 15 minutes shopping, you come back out, you go through the routine again, another 15-minute routine to clean up.”
Just having fixed his snowblower in time for this latest snowfall, Todd Power is counting down to the end of winter.
“Another month is gone, I figure, so I can live with it.”
The current snowfall is expected to continue into the evening but should clear up overnight.
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