Re: Blizzard leaves Rocky View roads treacherous, Jan. 18.
Dear editor,
When I drive in the cities during a snowstorm, I see snowplows out grading at all hours. Even while the snow is falling, the plows are out keeping ahead of the accumulation.
Yet I don’t ever recall seeing a county grader working either after dark or during a snowstorm. It is not until days after the last flake has fallen that graders are at work. By then, most rural residents have pushed, pulled, or plowed (which may violate a bylaw) or otherwise managed to get through snow drifts. Rocky View County should have a pretty good idea of where the big drifts will be, based on wind direction and resident phone calls. Yet I see no evidence of tackling the big drifts first.
The County should consider contracting out road maintenance. Contracting out plowing and grading would have the county hire independent contractors or local residents with plowing equipment to make the roads passable quickly after a heavy snowfall. If a hundred plows could be available the morning after a storm, each one would only have to plow about three kilometres of roads and the job would be done very quickly.
Over a longer time period, contracting allows the county to have many plows available in years with a lot of snow and yet taxpayers would not be paying for idle graders in years when there is little snow. It would also be more efficient as the same graders could plow County, oilfield, and resident’s roads. Lastly, the County would not have to have buildings, yard space, and staff to house and care for equipment.
John McMurray, RR 2, Airdrie
