Slippery Calgary roads lead to hundreds of collisions

Emergency crews were very busy Wednesday due to hundreds of collisions on slick Calgary roads.

From 6 a.m. to 6 p.m., Calgary police responded to more than 250 collisions. Of those, 16 resulted in injury and 26 were hit-and-run crashes.

City streets got a fresh dusting of snow overnight and city crews hit the streets early, plowing and sanding priority 1 roads – high volume roads like Crowchild Trail or MacLeod Trail.

“We anticipate later today we will be moving into those priority two major community transit routes. Those are basically the routes that your busses travel down, such as Kensington Road and Acadia Drive,” City of Calgary roads department spokesperson Chris McGeachy said.

“Right now we are applying pickle mix, so it’s more of a blend of abrasives, sanding chips.”

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He thanked drivers for their patience while snow plow and road crews were working in traffic.

Motorists waiting for a tow from the Alberta Motor Association are facing an 84-hour wait. Battery boosts, flat tire replacements or fuel deliveries have 61-hour waits, and battery tests or replacements are not currently available.

2:00 Warming tents and centres in Calgary provide critical relief from bitter cold

With weather expected to continue to be unseasonably cold through the week, McGeachy advises motorists drive to the conditions.

“Just make sure to leave plenty of time to get to where you need to go, and (leave) plenty of space between your vehicle and the vehicle in front.”

The AMA advises motorists always carry an emergency kit with items like a blanket, warm clothing, a flashlight, gloves and a folding shovel. Vehicles should also be plugged in for at least four hours before they need to be driven when temperatures dip below -15 C.

–with files from Elissa Carpenter, Global News