Freak storm hits during rush hour

Morning rush-hour commuters were in for a surprise snowstorm yesterday which gripped the city for hours.
By 10 a.m. there was up to 20 centimetres of snow in some parts of the city. Conditions led to more than 200 accidents and left drivers stuck in snow, including about 50 city buses.
Transit spokesman Ron Collins told Metro there were several city buses involved in accidents, some with cars, and some with parking meters.
“Buses were delayed all over town, especially in areas with hills. We were a bit surprised, but you can’t really compete with Mother Nature,” Collins said.
There are normally about 700 buses operating around the city, but Collins said a significant amount were grounded yesterday due to the conditions.
“Just like everyone else, it was hard to get around in the snow. But we were trying to get them unstuck as fast as we could.”
Police responded to dozens of minor accidents across the city, but no major injuries were reported prompting a warning to slow down.
Additional city road crews were called in to help plow roads, which city spokesperson Tina Garstad told Metro was a challenge because of the timing.
“Because it happened during rush hour, there was a high volume of cars on the road and the plows couldn’t plow the roads with cars on them,” she said.
It took Nancy Jones two and a half hours to get from her inner-city home to the city’s south end, a drive that normally takes less than a half hour.
“I just couldn’t believe it, I kept taking different roads and it just got worse and worse. There was no escaping it,” she said.
-krista.sylvester@metronews.ca