Staying safe when you’re stranded
Monday’s storm highlights importance of having an emergency winter driving kit in your car
For six hours, Peter Harvey, his son Lucas and their dog Oliver were stuck in their truck heading west on highway 401 on Monday evening.
“We had seen vehicles that were just abandoned, a lot of transport, mid-sized trucks, cars … and there was no traffic on that (eastbound) side,” said Harvey. “So when we stopped it was like, ‘uh-oh,’ ” he said.
Harvey and his 22-year-old son Lucas had set out from the Annex neighbourhood at around 6:15 p.m. Monday for Pearson airport. Lucas’s girlfriend had landed and it would be a more than two-hour wait for a taxi, so they decided they’d pick her up.
The GPS said it would be a 33minute drive. Harvey thought there would be more problems on the side streets than the highway.
Twenty minutes into the drive, traffic stopped.
They ended up among hundreds of others who found themselves stranded for hours as a winter storm pummelled Toronto and the GTA, dumping about 36 cm on Monday.
The sheer amount of snow that fell early Monday morning and well into the afternoon led to the Don Valley Parkway and the Gardiner Expressway shutting down. Images flooded social media of cars and TTC buses trapped in the snow. Schools set to reopen remained closed and Toronto was still digging out on Tuesday.
Toronto police said they received about 250 weather-related calls for service Monday related to personal injury, property damage and overall hazards.
Harvey’s car was about a kilometre east of the 409 exit when they were stopped. Over the course of six hours, they travelled 500 metres, he said.
“We were fine, we were just tired. We didn’t have the car on for much of the time … (the gas) was getting a bit low,” he said.
Harvey said he knew there was nothing they could do but sit there and wait, as it was clear that any towing or emergency services were “under siege” due to the storm.
He and his son were bundled up and their dog was also being kept warm. They had to take him outside for bathroom breaks, but were otherwise fine.
“The one thing that bugged me was it would have been easy for the Minister of Transportation to say, they just know there are hundreds of cars that have been sitting for four to five hours, let them know what the plan is,” he said.
Maintenance crews were out during and after the storm yesterday, but were impeded by the stranded cars, said Kimberly Truong, a senior issues adviser at the ministry in a statement.
Updates on conditions for travellers on provincial highways are provided on the 511 Ontario app and their Twitter account, which included information on Monday’s closures, she said.
OPP Sgt. Kerry Schmidt told the Star that at 5 a.m. Monday, traffic was flowing, even with the snow. But then cars started getting stuck and “everybody” seemed to come out on the roads by 7:30 a.m.
“We asked people to stay home unless it was absolutely necessary,” he said. “There was so much traffic out there.”
Several vehicles went “sideways” and were blocking lanes and ramps. There was nothing else that could be done to start moving them as plows and tow trucks were also stuck in the backlog, some for upwards of 14 hours, said Schmidt.
There were few actual crashes as most people were just stuck, waiting in their cars, he said. By Tuesday, more crashes were occurring due to the snow still on the roads and traffic actually moving, he added.
Monday’s snowstorm shows it’s crucial to have an emergency winter driving kit in your car to be prepared for any scenario, said Kaitlynn Furse, director of corporate communications for CAA South Central Ontario.
These can be picked up at any major retailer and include basics like a first-aid kit, blankets, snacks, water and items to keep you visible on the side of the road, she said.
Preparation can also be done in advance by checking your battery, ensuring your windshield wiper fluid is topped up and keeping a more full tank of gas during the winter months, said Furse.
“We all hope that never happens but there’s always a chance that it could,” she said. “You need food during that time, water and to stay warm.”
Most important, stay in your car with the seatbelt on, she said. Venturing out of your car with poor visibility might mean that other drivers can’t see you and you could get hit.
“You also want to know your vehicle’s location, understanding where you are and letting someone know that,” she said. “If you are in a more rural environment, it’s even more important that you call for help.”
The car can be turned on and off, depending on how much gas is left, to stay warm. Check your tailpipe as well to make sure it’s not being blocked by snow, said Furse.
“It really does reinforce the importance of going out in a prepared state,” she said. “All of those things make a situation like yesterday a little easier to navigate.”
The Toronto way of doing things says a hundred times out of a hundred that you work out a co-operative arrangement with your neighbours. — Toronto Mayor John Tory
‘‘ We had seen vehicles that were just abandoned, a lot of transport, mid-sized trucks, cars.
PETER HARVEY STRANDED IN HIS CAR ON THE HIGHWAY FOR HOURS