With the mercury dipping into the minus 20s during the overnight hours over the past few days, the city has been laying down a mix of sanding chips and salt to keep drivers safe as they navigate chilly Calgary roads.
But what happens on the roads may also stain your vehicle’s paint, windshield, windows or sunroof.
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Oksana McKay is one of dozens of Calgarians whose vehicles were pelted with small gravel and sand, not once or twice, but at least four times as a sandblasting truck laid down the mixture in the early morning hours of Dec. 2.
She was unaware until she saw a video showing a city truck plowing a three-block stretch between 24th Street and Woodpark Boulevard SW
“All those sounds of the stone chips hitting – I think it’s quite frustrating. Like, if I had a cracked windshield or something like that — I’m in school. It’s something I can’t afford to replace,” said Oksana McKay.
At the time, 53 vehicles were parked on the side of the road, including McKay’s SUV.
With each passing of the truck, the video shows more tiny, sharp pebbles and sand hitting the vehicles at a rapid rate.
McKay and other residents were not happy when they saw the video and began to wonder if there was a way to sand the roads without pelting vehicles so forcefully.
“Oh, I’m sure there must be,” said McKay. “Even if they just tone it down so it doesn’t go as far because people don’t even drive where the vehicles are,” she continued.
Video of the incident was shared with the city, which is investigating, but says what was caught on tape is not the way things are supposed to be done.
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A statement from the Calgary Roads Department reads in part: “In areas where parked cars are present, our operators are able to adjust settings on our sanders to reduce application amounts and are trained to do so.”
The city said it would speak with the operator and check the vehicle involved to make sure there were no equipment malfunctions at the time.
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