Vancouverites struggle through slippery hills, falling snow
Posted December 20, 2013 5:07 pm.
This article is more than 5 years old.
VANCOUVER (NEWS1130) – It was a messy Friday on Metro Vancouver roads. A blast of wintery weather caused chaos on the morning commute, and Vancouver City crews closed Oak and Alder Street below Broadway as both were a mess of ice, slush and snow.
City worker Garth Owens says it was a tense day for crews as even plows had difficulty getting around. “It’s amazing that we didn’t take out anything on this hill, but we got it salted and sanded,” says Owens.
Like the plows, cars struggled to get traction on hills and side streets, especially those with rear-wheel drive. One driver who had been parked on Oak Street overnight ended up sliding sideways down the hill trying to get his car out.
“We’re doing okay. There’s so much to do. You can’t save a city in one day,” Owens explains adding the busy day had crews’ heartrates rising.
It wasn’t just the weather at blame for bad road conditions. Many people complained about blowing snow coming off the back of cars that hadn’t been properly cleared, and some drivers tried to get out of slippery situations by applying more gas, causing them to spin out of control.
As the snow began to melt in the afternoon, the roads were faced with new problems. Around four inches of snow fell around Metro Vancouver, lining the ground, trees and rooftops. That snow became heavy, and fell off trees onto the roofts, windsheilds and hoods of cars. There was no reported damage, but it startled drivers.
On 33rd Avenue at Fraser Street, heavy snow caused branches to come down taking Transit trolley lines with them. The intersection was closed down for several hours as crews scrambled to contain live wires that could have delivered a fatal shock.
Abandoning their cars, many took to transit, and some people found alternative ways to get around the city. One man even strapped on a snowboard and headed downhill.
