We like to poke fun at the chaos the Lower Mainland delves into every time they get even the slightest bit of snow.
The past little while has made it very clear that we’re not as prepared as we like to think. Sure, when it comes to a light snowfall we do better but those are much more common here than in the Lower Mainland.
On average, the number of snowfall days in Vancouver can be counted on your hands. Around here that’s closer to 30.
The heavier snowfall days are a more apt comparison in terms of frequency. Looking at in that light, how we’ve responded to the recent heavier snowfalls, we’re not much different. Just like the Lower Mainland is somewhat poorly prepared for any snow, we’re somewhat poorly prepared for heavy snow.
Driving home in recent weeks, traffic on Highway 97 has on numerous occasions (justifiably) crawled to 50-60 km/h, Facebook groups filled up with requests for snow clearing and school buses stopped running, sparking debates as to whether the schools should be open at all.
I’m not excluding myself from this; when I got stuck in the snow, yes I had all wheel drive and studded tires but I wasn’t carrying a shovel in the car and had left the appropriate footwear in the office.
During the snowfall, garbage pickup in the 108 was delayed; although this in itself is relatively insignificant, it’s exactly the type of thing we would make fun of if it happened in the Lower Mainland.
It also points to a potentially much bigger problem.
We have a large senior population. Statistically, seniors are more likely to need medical help than younger populations; if the garbage truck can’t make it into much of the 108, that’s got to be somewhat worrying for those who might need medical assistance such as from an ambulance.
Luckily, there are lots of helpful people around offering snow clearing, help when someone gets stuck or whatever else is needed but realistically we should be planning better.
I should really have a shovel in the car, those who don’t live on one of the main roads should plan for the eventuality that it could be a little while before tax-funded plows can make it can make it to the side roads and even for schools there are alternatives to simply cancelling the buses.
Until we are well prepared for proper snowfalls, it’s a little hypocritical to make fun of those places where snow is far less common.