Living in a beautiful green city with a river running through it has its advantages of course, but streets and avenues built on hills, with sets of lights at the bottom, with no winter maintenance has been a definite disadvantage to me and other people in Red Deer.
Snow had been forecasted for two weeks, Red Deer Residents have been preparing their homes and vehicles for the winter. But, what has the City done to prepare?
Tuesday morning, Oct. 23, the streets were glare ice everywhere — and not a sander to be seen. Traffic was inching along, myself included, and the only signs of city work were the “lane ending” signs you saw down Gaetz Ave as you headed South.
At 8:30 am, the intersection at 43 Street and 55 Avenue was so slippery I couldn’t stop for a red light. My car was hit and written off. The other vehicle also had damages. Stories like mine were far too common that Tuesday. Because of the lack of planning for winter on the City’s part, auto insurance companies made millions, and as a result the cost to Red Deer residents has been in the millions.
My insurance will go up $1,266.00 per year, I have to pay a $1,000 deductible, and my car was written off. This accident will cost me thousands. It would be easy to blame the insurance companies, but in fact the whole accident would have been prevented if the City took care of business in a timely fashion.
I suggest marking the streets and avenues that are on hills, and getting the sanders and plows out and ready before the streets turn so slippery. When a bridge goes out, there are signs put out to warn drivers. If the City cannot get sand on the roads, maybe detour signs would be appropriate. Another idea would be to set the lights to 4-way stop flashers when ice is expected. Perhaps a good use for all the money collected from photo radar would be on something productive like sanding slippery intersections. Let’s make our city safe!
Julie Hardes
Red Deer