91 crashes in Calgary reported as snow turns streets into slippery mess

A vehicle rolled over at 14th Street and 11th Avenue NW Sunday afternoon as a snowstorm turned city streets into a slippery mess.

The incident took place shortly after noon. The city said to expect delays in the area.

The driver sustained minor injuries, according to police.

That was just one incident of many as snow fell relentlessly throughout Sunday morning.

There were traffic incidents reported on southbound Deerfoot Trail by the Douglasdale exit, on Highway 1 west of Stoney Trail, and eastbound at 210 Avenue and Macleod Trail SW, where a two-vehicle collision was disrupting traffic.

Police say there were 91 crashes between Saturday night when the snow started and late Sunday afternoon. Twelve of which resulted in minor injuries.

The city said in a release that it has a full complement of snow-clearing crews out responding to the overnight snowfall.

Up to four more centimetres were expected to fall throughout Sunday in addition to low overnight temperatures, which could create new ice underneath the fresh snow.

The city is plowing and applying materials on the highest volume roads, including Crowchild Trail, Glenmore Trail and Memorial Drive.

Chris McGeachy, the mobility spokesperson for the City of Calgary, urges drivers to be extra careful.

“There could be ice formation in trouble spots such as hills, bridge decks and intersections, so the advice to Calgarians is to leave plenty of time to get to where you need to go, leave plenty of space between your vehicle and the vehicle in front,” he told CTV News.

Walkers and wheelchair users are advised to plan ahead, as continued snowfall may create unanticipated challenges.

You can also refer to the City of Calgary’s Pathways and Bikeways map to keep updated on which routes are snow cleared.

Calgary Transit advised riders that the Victoria Park/Stampede Station will be using the southbound track only for both directions of CTrain travel between 5 a.m. and 7 p.m. Sunday.

Around 6:30 p.m. RCMP advised that road conditions on Highway 2 were poor between Airdrie and Red Deer. Mounties said travel was not recommended and asked drivers to stay home if possible.

Fun in the snow

Chinook Blast’s celebrity curling event at Olympic Plaza on Sunday was cancelled due to snow safety concerns.

Tourism Calgary says the snow was falling too fast to keep the ice surface clear.

However, the snow didn’t stop dozens from taking part in the Dead Cold Run at St. Patrick’s Island Park.

Some participants from Chile braved the conditions and ran 21K.

“I’m glad we finished it. It was so difficult with the snow, it make it so much harder,” said Sonia Bani.

Manuel Nena added, “It’s hard, it’s slippery, but it’s amazing experience.”

Jasline Tauro spent her day getting in on the winter fun too.

“Today I’m tobogganing … I never got to do this when I was growing up because I’m from a place where it never snows, so this is pretty exciting because I can be a child again,” she said.