Right when you thought spring was around the corner – bam – another big dump.
Friday saw, yet again, drivers spinning their wheels, careening down hills and bumping into each other like tots learning to skate at the local ice rink.
Yes, it made for some funny videos. But we all won’t be laughing when our ICBC rates go up following the increased accident costs.
We understand why folks in the Lower Mainland may be horrified by a couple of inches of snow, but what we just can’t understand is why people who either don’t have winter tires, or who just can’t drive in the snow, decide to go out.
Unless you are the emergency doctor or nurse on shift at the local hospital, there are scant reasons why you should drive in the snow.
Surely you can do without your latte for the day. And, if your workplace really needs you, there’s transit, or walking, and/or carpooling with someone who is going to work and can drive in the snow. Yes, it will take longer. Yes, it is a pain. But it’s a whole lot less painful than wrecking your car and possibly injuring yourself or someone else.
It appeared that after the first big snows, cities, including Burnaby, were out earlier and more frequently, brining and sanding and salting streets. Also, more folks were shovelling their sidewalks or their neighbours to avoid layers of icy accumulations. And that’s good.
The December storms not only drained the city’s 2016 annual $1.04 million snow-removal budget, but cost $2.7 million more.
With this latest storm, we’ll be well through 2019 before the snow books may balance – and that’s if we don’t get any more snow.
It’s a gamble in B.C. The last big snow storms were in 2008.
The city is in a no-win situation. Buying more snowplows would seem to be excessive if we only saw a big snow storm every eight years. Would taxpayers pay more taxes to have faster and better snow clearance? We think not.
The reality is that as soon as the snow melts and cherry blossoms appear, this winter will just be another great story to share with folks back east, who will sit back and roll their eyes at our snow innocence.
