Transit stops low priority for Calgary snow removal crews

It’s been a slow go around Calgary this past week as crews work to get roads and sidewalks clear of snow.

One area which seems to have received less attention is transit, specifically bus stops.

The roads department acts as the snow removal contractor for Calgary Transit, but roads spokesperson Tara Norton-Merrin admitted clearing the transit routes is the priority for the first three days after a snow event.

“That unfortunately will create windrows on the side of the road and oftentimes those are in front of bus stops,” she explained.

Those can take up to seven days to clear.

“Days five through seven we go back and we clear that out, either our hand crews will clear the snow or we’ll come back in with equipment and we’ll remove it,” said Norton-Merrin.

Councillor Druh Farrell said if the city expects residents to clear sidewalks in 24 hours, it needs to lead by example.

“The one upside to the big snow that we had is that it’s really showing the flaws in our system,” she said.

A report is coming to council and she expects changes to the city’s snow clearing standards will be made during the next budget period, in the spring.

“There is a recognition by all members of council that we need to do better,” said Farrell.

In the meantime, anyone who sees a problem spot can call 311.

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