More snow tires may help, but that's not the problem at all here in Calgary. The problem here is there is zero preventative measures taken in advance of the storm. They do absolultely nothing, the snow/freezing rain hits and coats the ground, snow piles on top of it, cars start to drive on it. Voila, you have an ice field on every street that can last for weeks. The city sends their trucks out hours after the storm is done, and it's an absolute waste of time because the damage is already done.
I grew up in a town where a 40 cm snow storm a week was the norm. The night/day before every storm the trucks would be about coating the streets with salt and gravel for hours in advance. Snow hits, the first bit of it would melt because it it the salt/gravel solution, reducing the ice build up, they'd give the major roads a quick sweep in the morning before traffic hit packing it all down, and everyone went on their merry little way.
Now Calgary can't too this for all it's street, but it goddamn should be doing it for major roads used in the commute. This is the city dropping the ball, not a lack of snow tires. I kept saying to my wife last night, "Why the hell aren't the trucks out getting the roads ready". It's now almost 10 am and I have yet to see ONE salt truck, and haven't seen one plow on the road. This wasn't a freak storm, we knew about it for days in advance.
This city is completely F'ed when it comes to snow removal/maintenance. We can build a 25 million dollar bridge so the yuppies in Kensington can save themself a block on their way home, but we can't look after our roads. Idiocy at its finest.
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