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While skiers have been celebrating the large amounts of snowfall in the Bow Valley this winter, some Canmore residents say the same snow has made everyday commutes difficult.
Canmore local Hélène Richard said she’s surprised by how much snow remains on some residential roads, weeks after the heavy snowfall at Christmas.
“It’s stressful driving in my neighbourhood,” she said.
Earlier this month, Richard said she parallel parked her Honda Civic on a side street and later realized her car was stuck. After shovelling and trying to free it herself, she flagged down a passing vehicle and three men helped push her car out.
Richard said she was still having issues on the roads as recently as this Friday.
“I drove to my friend’s house and I could hear the snow underneath my car. I wasn’t even clearing it,” she said.
While she understands Canmore is a mountain town, she said it shouldn’t be this difficult to get around town for everyday errands like grocery shopping.
Environment Canada data shows total December precipitation in the region reached 69.4 millimetres this year, compared with 6.9 millimetres last December. In the past five years, December totals ranged between about 20 and 52 millimetres.
The conditions have also led to reports of vehicles, including buses, getting stuck.
Last Tuesday, a school bus for École Notre-Dame des Monts got stuck in the snow during its morning route. Students had to wait and then switch to a replacement bus to get to school.
Unusual weather led to ‘mashed potato’ snow
Andreas Comeau, Canmore’s manager of public works, said the weather made for an unusual challenge when it came to plowing the town’s streets.
He said the steady amounts of snow over the Christmas period first became compacted by vehicle traffic. This made it difficult for plows to remove the snow.
“We had to do more than one pass on almost all of the roads because of the way the snow was behaving underneath the wheel of the car,” Comeau said.
And then, a week or so after the initial snowfall, the weather took another turn.
“Then it got mild out, turning it into a mashed potato consistency and that’s what the bus got stuck in,” Comeau said.
Some neighbourhoods also pose additional challenges due to road design and limited space to store plowed snow.
In those areas, crews must haul snow away entirely rather than pushing it to the roadside.
After an increase in complaints last week, the town issued a public advisory outlining its snow removal plan.
Comeau said crews are now shifting from plowing to full snow removal in areas with limited snow storage.
According to a town update, crews are scheduled to work in the Peaks of Grassi neighbourhood on Jan. 12 and 13 followed by Cougar Creek Drive on Jan. 14.
Comeau said he understands the conditions were frustrating for residents and asked for patience as crews continue clearing problem areas.
“This was a more challenging set of conditions than usual,” Comeau said. “We’re working through it to make the roads safe.”