Calgary weather: Dangerous road conditions after blizzard

Calgarianscontinue to deal with dangerous commutes after ablizzardhammered the city and region.

• Blizzard conditions to stick around in southern Alberta
• CBC Weather

Despite overnight work from road crews,officials saytravel around the city is still challenging.

All blizzard warnings for southern Alberta were lifted Tuesdayat 12:30 p.m. MT.

Most Calgary schools were open but there was no school bus service today, which forced parents to find alternate transportation in an already difficult commute.

Both the public and Catholic school buses will be running on Wednesday, but there could be delays because of the road conditions. Officials are advising parents not to leave their children unattended at bus stops.

Travel in and out of the city was also crippled, with at least 50 WestJet and Air Canada flights cancelled Tuesday at Calgary International Airport.

• 10 winter driving tips
• 5 helpful tips if you get stranded this winter

The city has issued a snow route parking ban advisory that will begin at9 a.m. MT Wednesday.

Under the policy, parking is restricted on designated routesfor 72 hours, or until the city announces the ban hasbeen lifted.

Calgarians can check the city`s website to find out if their street has been designated a snow route.

Over 200 crashes reported

Calgary police said by Tuesday afternoon they had responded to 219crashes25that involved injuries since the storm started.

"Our units were responding all night to people that were stranded, as well as helping them out when they ended up having accidents, said DutyInsp. Guy Baker.

Police are recommending people stay off the roads.

Canada Post said with many streets and highways impassableit hasn't been able to deliver mail to nearly 90,000addresses.

The post office isremindingpeople that it's important to clear their driveways and walkways.

Transit woes

Calgary Transit was also warning about detours and delayed service. Itrecommends commuters check their website before heading out.

'We have employees from our office staff, training officers, maintenance all kinds of staff out there digging buses out.' Theresa Schroder, Calgary Transit

Student Emma Bulloch curled up on a transit bench for at least 25 minutes Tuesday, checking the status of her buson her phone.

"It's so cold, I wish I could have dressed up better but I don't have anything warmer," said Bulloch.

"I'm just very, very cold and angry and I just want to get to school."

Buses arestruggling to navigate the snowy streets andsome are even getting stuck, said transit spokeswoman Theresa Schroder.

"We're definitely working hard right now to get out there," she said. "We have employees from our office staff, training officers, maintenanceall kinds of staff out there digging buses out."

C-Trains are running at areduced speed as crews work to clear the tracks.

They are maintaining them, as much as possible, just ice and all that.We do have a slow order in effect, which means the trains have to go slower than normal, just due to the blizzard to make sure they remain safe.

Highway drivers stranded overnight

The Trans-Canada Highway has been reopened, but RCMP are still advising against travel. The highway had been shut down between Calgary and Brooks on Monday because of a multi-vehicle crash and poor road conditions.

Volunteer firefighters from Strathmore spent the rest of the evening rescuing stranded motorists caught in the whiteout conditions.

Valerie Fraser and her husband were on their way to see Pearl Jam in Calgary on Monday night when they got stuck on the highway.

The pair, who live in Medicine Hat, Alta., spent a sleepless night inside their car, said Fraser.

"It was a little nerve-racking because you don't know what's going on, are you going to move. You want to make sure you're awake. You don't want to miss the call to move forward."

They came to a stop at 5 p.m. MT Mondayand were only able to move again at 11:30 a.m. MT.Fraser saysthey passed the time by listening to Pearl Jam and talking with family and friends.

Officials are reminding motorists to have winter driving kits in their vehicles. Those kits should include first aid supplies,ice scraper,shovel, blankets, fully-charged cellphone, windshield washer fluid and booster cables.

• For more tips on winter driving kits, listen to the following Homestretch interview:

A small section of Highway 40 near Bragg Creek and Highway 21 north of Strathmore remain closed because of dangerous road conditions.

Crews around the province worked through the night to clear roads deemed inaccessible to emergency vehicles.

In central Alberta, Red Deer opened an Emergency Operations Centre. It was activated to co-ordinate a response to the storm.