Is Calgary doing a good job at clearing snowy roads? The reaction is mixed

With the snow tapering off, Calgaryroad crews have startedto plowand laydown traction or anti-icing materialon major routes like GlenmoreTrail and CrowchildTrail.

Crews will also focus on clearing pedestrian overpasses and sidewalks next to city-owned properties, along with high priority bus stopsand designated sections of pathways.

The department wants to remind Calgariansthey're required to clear their sidewalks within 24 hours after snowfall ends even though its snow clearing plan takes up to seven days to fully implement.

According to the city's snow clock on Thursday, roughly 32per cent of work hadbeen completed in the first 11hours since the snow stopped falling in Calgary.

Anyone who drove over the past couple of days can attest that roadshave beenpretty slick.

Calgary police say there were139 collisionson Thursday between midnight and 4 p.m. On Wednesday by 4 p.m., police had responded to 70 fender-benders.

So is snow removal better this year?

It's been a relatively slow year so far for thecity's snow-clearing crews, as Calgarydidn't see a significant amount of snowfall by the end of December.

That didn't stop Reddit usermant15-tob0ggantakingto the Calgary thread onlineto commend the city crews in dealing with this latest bout of winter weather.

"Credit where credit is due. Snow removal on our roads this year is so much better," said the post on Wednesday.

But not everyone agreed, and some even questioned the sincerity of the compliment.

• Check out the comments below for more reaction.

"Seriously? All the major roads have been an absolute joke this year. You can't see the lines, there's barely any gravel being laid down at intersections," saidFirestorm238.

"As an actual bus driver hell no!"ScotchMintsposted.

"The snow clearing here is ajoke compared to what I grew up with in Ontario," saidMartin0994.

Calgary complaints

It's not the first time Calgary has been compared to other cities.

Calgaryrelies on homeowners and businesses to keepthe sidewalks adjacent to their properties clear of snow and ice,and theyface big fines if they don't.In some Ontario municipalities, by contrast, the cityhandles most of that work.

Calgary also doesn't clear snow from every residential street, although the city does level ruts and puts down anti-icing materialwhen needed.One councillor told CBC News in 2018 it would cost $15 million every time to plow and then remove snow fromevery single road.

CBC traffic reporter Jenny Howe says she's heard plenty of complaints this year.

"Conditions are definitely less than ideal on the roads right now. I'm hearing that lane definition is poor on some of the major routes with a fair amount of snow building up between lanes," she said."Roads are also icy, not just at intersections and on bridge decks, but just in general. Commuting has been very challenging over the last couple of days, that's for sure. More challengingthanI would expect this far into the winter driving season."

But is that just because we haven't seen the need for a lot of snow clearing this year?

Deep freeze also seen on roads

Chris McGeachy with the City of Calgary says that might be part of it, but the extreme cold was also not great for ice buildup.

"We've obviously been dealing with consecutive winter events and both have looked quite different," he said, pointing to the cold snap followed by snowfall.

Calgary does add a pickle mix to the roads, and it's an exact science when it comes to the appropriate temperatures. They can't dump a ton of gravel on roadsbecause it can be a safety concern.

WATCH | Take a drive in a city plow:

Go for a ridealong with a Calgary snowplow driver

7 years ago

Duration 1:49

Samantha Kok shares some of the strangest winter driving she's seen and explains how the city tries to minimize snow and ice buildup

He says it's important to remember that Calgary is a winter city, and drivers should plan accordingly for icy roads and snow. But they are always looking for ways to improve the city snow-clearing response.

For now, they are focusing on priority routes.

"They're out there in full force. We do have afull complement of staff working through the winter, so we work rotating shifts through the winter 24/7," saidMcGeachy.

City didn't use full budget last year

The city promisedfaster snow clearing, particularly on major routes, in October 2022. Then in October last year, it announced a pilot project was coming to northwest Calgaryto focuson more of the Priority 2 routes immediately after a storm. They plan to evaluate that project after the season ends in spring.

The city has increased its equipment and now has 101 sanding trucks and 27 graders for this season, andsays it didsavebig money on snow and ice control costs in the final months of last year.

The lack of snow with the relatively mild start to the winter season meant the city under spent its budget by $10.4 million last year. City mobilitydirectorTroy McLeodsays that's about 20 per cent of the budget.

"We actually saved a significant amount of money when it came to not doing the regular snow and ice control operations, which include putting material down, blading and doing a number of other things with our equipment to keep it on the road and keep everyone safe, whether it's on a sidewalk, pathway or street. And so we have $10.4 millionfavourable from last year's budget," he said.

With little snow to clear in the final months of 2023, McLeod says city crews were able to get a jump on pothole repairs instead.

The city says a record number33,000potholes were filled last year.