Regina residents frustrated after vehicles buried by city snow plows
Some Regina residents woke up to find their vehicles buried in snow from city plow following recent snowfall events.
Breanna Smith, a resident of the Uplands neighbourhood, said when she went out to start her car on Monday morning she couldn’t access it.
“The driver’s side of my car was absolutely piled with snow up to the hood, crammed into the wheel wells, the snow was up to the windows on my driver’s side and the front and back of my car so there was no way to get it out,” Smith said.
Her car was parked on the street overnight but was not in a designated snow route. She said she did not receive a notice from the city to remove vehicles for snow clearing. She said some neighbours along her street were in a similar position.
“This is my fifth winter parking on the street here and I’ve never had a problem,” Smith said. “Typically they will pile the snow on the other side of the street where the park is instead of up against everybody’s cars, so I didn’t think it would be any different this time.”
Smith said her car does have some damage as a result of the snow pile.
“The front driver’s side bumper, which is where a lot of the snow was actually packed under the car, is all cracked. I’ve noticed some scratches too but that’s pretty minor,” she said.
Breanna Smith points to a crack in her bumper that she says was a result of her car being buried in snow by a city plow. (Stefanie Davis/CTV News Regina)
Smith said she has filed a claim with SGI and the City of Regina.
Since posting photos of her vehicle on social media, she said a number of other residents have said they had similar experiences this week.
Some vehicles could be seen plowed in on Halifax Street and in the Greens on Gardiner neighbourhood.
“It’s concerning that this is happening to other people and that other people might have different circumstances and not be able to get to work or get to medical appointments or have the capacity to dig their car out,” Smith said. “It’s just frustrating.”
Tyler Bien, the manager of roadway seasonal operations with the City of Regina, said when the city has a snowfall coupled with high winds, plows have to tackle major drifting. He said that is often the case with neighbourhoods on the outskirts of the city, or streets near city parks.
“I know in this specific location, there was major drifting issues that night. However, further measures could have been taken to try to minimize the ridge around the cars there,” Bien said.
He said snow plow operators always try to minimize the impact on parked cars, but it is not their first priority.
“The primary focus of our operators is to keep the roads passable so traffic can flow and emergency vehicles can get through,” Bien said. “Secondary, they worry about the parked cars.”
Bien said once the complaint was made to the city about Smith’s specific neighbourhood, crews were sent to clean up the street. Smith said she noticed further clearing had been done.
If residents find their vehicles plowed in after a snow event, they can call Service Regina for a crew to be dispatched to help with clearing. Bien said they will come as quickly as possible while still addressing other snow issues around the city.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Half of Canadians have negative opinion of latest Liberal budget: poll
A new poll suggests the Liberals have not won over voters with their latest budget, though there is broad support for their plan to build millions of homes.
opinion Why you should protect your investments by naming a trusted contact person
Appointing a trusted person to help with financial obligations can give you peace of mind. In his personal finance column for CTVNews.ca, Christopher Liew outlines the key benefits of naming a confidant to take over your financial responsibilities, if the need ever arises.
NEW 'One of the single most terrifying things ever': Canadian couple among tourists on sinking sailing boat tour abroad
A Toronto couple are speaking out about their “extremely dangerous” experience on board a sinking tour boat in the Dominican Republic last week.
'My stomach dropped': Winnipeg man speaks out after being criminally harassed following single online date
A Winnipeg man said a single date gone wrong led to years of criminal harassment, false arrests, stress and depression.
Ottawa injects another $36M into vaccine injury compensation fund
The federal government has added $36.4 million to a program designed to support people who have been seriously injured or killed by vaccines since the end of 2020.
Photographer alleges he was forced to watch Megan Thee Stallion have sex and was unfairly fired
A photographer who worked for Megan Thee Stallion said in a lawsuit filed Tuesday that he was forced to watch her have sex, was unfairly fired soon after and was abused as her employee.
An Ontario senior called Geek Squad for help with his printer. Instead, he got scammed out of $25,000
An Ontario senior’s attempt to get technical help online led him into a spoofing scam where he lost $25,000. Now, he’s sharing his story to warn others.
Accused of burglary at stepmother's home, U.S. senator says she wanted her father's ashes: charges
A Minnesota state senator and former broadcast meteorologist told police that she broke into her stepmother's home because her stepmother refused to give her items of sentimental value from her late father, including his ashes, according to burglary charges filed Tuesday.
Twins from Toronto were Canada's top two female finishers at this year's Boston Marathon
When identical twin sisters Kim and Michelle Krezonoski were invited to compete against some of the world’s most elite female runners at last week’s Boston Marathon, they were in disbelief.