City of Regina, residents dealing with aftermath of snowstorm

The official start of spring may not be too far away, but that doesn’t mean Regina residents are free from winter elements just yet.

Reginians woke up to about 12 cm of fresh snow on Friday morning, with the snowflakes continuing to come down throughout the day.

Tyler Bien, manager of Roadways Seasonal Operations with the City of Regina said crews will keep monitoring the snow as it falls, adding they are addressing any concerns on the roads.

“All available units out in storm response mode right now,” Bien said.

“We typically answer with about 50 pieces of equipment. We’re in storm response mode; when we move into systematic mode, that’s when we start systematically addressing any category 1s, 2s, and so forth,” he explained.

Bien said clearing of Category 1-3 roadways is expected to be completed within a timeframe of 48 hours.

Residents should be able to see a “vast improvement” within the main road network by the end of the weekend, Bien said.

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He reminds drivers to give themselves extra time to get where they are going and that three and a half car lengths should be left between motorists and city crews out on the streets.

Bien also said the city can only move into systematic mode once the snow stops falling, which the city anticipates will happen by the end of the day.

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Some residents told Global News the city is simply not doing not enough to clear snow.

“They could do more residential, you know, they spend more money on the downtown area and they leave the side streets alone and they come and they just skim it,” said Butch Orell.

“So, I just do my own block and everybody’s happy on my block,” he added.

Orell, who’s in his 70s, uses a tractor to clear his neighbourhood. He says it takes him hours to do but makes life a lot easier for others on the street, especially those who are elderly, disabled, have pets or strollers.

Just a couple of feet away from Orell’s residence, another senior is also going the extra mile with his snowblower to help others.

“In my history of doing this for the past 20 years, I did 18 kilometres in one day, in blowing snow,” said 78-year-old Doug Bussey.

“This is my third snowblower, I’ve worn the other two out,” he said.

However, Bussey feels like the city is doing the best with what it’s got.

Regina residents will want to keep their shovels nearby, with another round of snow showers expected for Saturday.