Prince Albert bus routes altered after more than a foot of snow

Public transport users in Prince Albert have been forced to adjust after heavy snowfall led to the closure of several bus routes. Jasmine Pelletier reports.

This week’s blizzard left Prince Albert blanketed by more than a foot of snow and left transit users with limited options.

On Wednesday afternoon the city announced it was shutting down bus operations.

On Thursday the city announced the West Hill, East Flat, All Day and Rush Hour routes were operating with reduced stops.

“We’ve had to make a decision about, you know, safety for our riders, safety for our drivers,” said city councillor Troy Parenteau. “Some of the streets just aren’t clear or safe enough right now for our buses to go through.”

The West Flat, East Hill and Core Express routes were not in operation Thursday.

In a news release, director of Public Works Jeff Da Silva said the “Roadways crew has been working long hours to keep up with the heavy snowfall, needing to return to emergency routes that had already cleared. They worked 16 hours yesterday and started again early this morning,”

• Get the latest news from Saskatoon, sent directly to you: Download the CTV News App

He said the crew will be working as many hours as safely possible to keep traffic moving.

Transit routes are cleared once all emergency routes are operational.

On Wednesday, Parkland Ambulance cautioned residents that while snow is being cleared, ambulance crews may need to park in the middle of residential streets to safely make stops.

Parenteau said snow removal is ongoing.

“We’re hoping by Monday that things should be operating as normal,” he told CTV. “We have a contractor that cleans out the bus stops. We’ve been in contact with them, so they’re also working to clear up the bus stops as we speak, as well.”

Parking on designated snow routes is prohibited, and the city’s snow route parking ban has been extended until 4 p.m. Saturday.

A downtown snow lift is planned for Sunday to address accumulation in the downtown business district.

Transit users can track active transit routes and snow clearing operations through the city website.