SNOW SNARLS TRAFFIC
An RCMP officer checks on the occupants of a van after it slid down the embankment by the Trans-Canada Highway just east of Regina on Tuesday. Slippery roads were the order of the day no matter where you were driving.
Tuesday’s wet snow made for poor driving conditions in and around Regina.
The RCMP’s “F” Division reported late Tuesday afternoon that conditions in the square bounded by Milestone, Bethune, Pilot Butte and Belle Plaine were “very hazardous”.
On Highway 11 near Lumsden, the town’s RCMP detachment reported no fewer than seven vehicles had entered the ditch in a one-hour period due to poor road conditions.
As well, the RCMP’s Regina detachment reported “the highways east of Regina are ice-covered with poor visibility.
“Motorists are advised to slow down, leave extra stopping room between your vehicle and the vehicle ahead of yours,” the RCMP cautioned. “Expect delays when travelling around the Regina area and give extra time to reach your destination if you must travel.”
In Regina, the 16-hour period ending at 4 p.m. Tuesday saw 14 motor vehicle collisions with property damage reported to police. Eight of those were on edges of the city, like Lewvan Drive, Dewdney Avenue, the Trans-Canada Highway Bypass, the south end of Wascana Parkway and the northern stretches of the Ring Road, police said.
Fortunately, there was only one collision with an injury: In the 3200 block Eastgate Drive, in which a vehicle hit a fire hydrant, resulting in minor injuries. Collisions aren’t the only thing aplenty.
Because of poor weather so far this autumn, use of the highways ministry’s hotline has spiked, with the total number of inquiries rising by more than 200 per cent in only 12 months — to 659,601 last month from 214,144 the previous November.
This year’s numbers include 112,317 phone calls and 547,284 web visits.
As well, the number of followers of the Highway Hotline Twitter account rose to about 4,600 from 3,700 in November alone, and its hotline’s Facebook page saw its “likes” rise to 4,112 from 3,200 in the same period.
The Highway Hotline, which has the latest available Saskatchewan road conditions, can be accessed via hotline.gov.sk.ca, 306787-7623 in the Regina area, 306-933-8333 in the Saskatoon area or 1-888-335-7623 toll-free across Canada.
Spokesman Doug Wakabyashi said the ministry is aware of the trend toward a “5-1-1” number for highways information in many other North American jurisdictions, but added that its focus is on social media like Twitter and Facebook “for the time being”.
Before travelling, drivers are advised to check the highways ministry’s website at http://hotline.gov.sk.ca/map/en.html, its Twitter feed #SKGovHwyHotline or the Facebook page http://www.facebook.com/SaskatchewanHighwayHotline for advisories on road conditions.