Whoever wrote that traditional Christmas song, "Let It Snow, Let It Snow, Let It Snow" never had to drive on GTA roads.
Motorists were singing a different tune on Wednesday after waking up to the first really significant snowfall of the year. At least eight centimetres fell locally, although folks in other parts of the province got more.
Many residents got up early, groaning to the sight of all those flakes outside and then groaning again as they went outdoors to shovel it off their driveways. Still, not everyone was complaining. "It's a labour of love," contends one woman. "Doing my sidewalks like a good citizen. Makes me feel like winter's here."
Actually it doesn't really arrive until Sunday but you can see it from here. Certainly drivers could. And it didn't take a lot to make a mess.
The OPP reported at least 250 accidents in the aftermath of the quick moving disturbance. A lot of them were fender benders, with tow trucks busy pulling people going too fast out of a range of ditches.
That's what the OPP thinks may have happened on the 403 westbound near Cawthra just after the noon hour. A minivan lost control on the slick surface and spun off the road. A man and a woman both suffered serious injuries.
Find out more here.
Among the other spots where reality came crashing in:
Wynford Dr. and Eglinton Ave. and
Simcoe St. on the 401 in Oshawa, where a truck took out a hydro pole and crashed into the guardrails. There were also problems on Highway 27, and farther out, cops were forced to close the westbound lanes of the 401 in Port Hope, after a car crash left one victim seriously hurt.
All of this is bringing up renewed calls for Ontario to follow Quebec's mandatory snow tire law, which went into effect this season. But despite some evidence that it does reduce accidents, Premier Dalton McGuinty doesn't think it's necessary here.
"A large proportion of our population is in the southerly part of the province," he points out. "It's arguable as to whether that's the kind of investment that a family might want to make. But notwithstanding that you've got to be careful, all right. When it snows, you've got to drive accordingly."
Many voters disagree. "It is actually safer," ventures one. "I find a difference. This is the first year I had it."
"My four tires are snow tires," adds another. "It's much better."
Snow tires or not, road crews did a mostly admirable job getting the main arteries clean in time for the morning drive, but not everyone was happy. As usual those on the side streets complained they never saw a plow, even though the city has previously stated the cleaning machines concentrate on the main routes first. Some back streets don't get cleared until up to 24 hours later, depending on how much fell.
But even when they do show up, there are problems. A frequent beef from homeowners who spent hours clearing off their driveways: the operators come and put it all back.
The city's response? "In the downtown core it's difficult to clear driveways because of lack of storage space for the plows," explains spokesman Myles Currie. There simply isn't room to put it anywhere else.
How much snow actually fell where you are? Here are the totals:
Toronto (Pearson Airport): 8cm
Downtown Toronto: 9cm
Markham: 9cm
Windsor: 11cm
London: 6cm
Barrie: 10cm
Kingston: 13cm
Ottawa: 8cm
And if you weren't crazy about the morning sojourn, prepare yourself for more transit troubles ahead. A new system heading this way for Friday could dump
between 5 and 15 more centimetres of snow on the city - with the possibility we could even see 20 - right in time for the afternoon rush.
Check the
current conditions in your area and the
7-day forecast.
Read Michael Kuss's blog here.
Do you have pictures or video of how the storm affected you?
Send them to us here.