The city is fielding sanding concerns as motorists deal with icy roadways.
Since Monday morning, Edmonton police have recorded more than 300 crashes.
While the city says sanding crews have been out, Ward 1 Councillor Andrew Knack has heard otherwise.
According to Knack, little sand has been put down in the last week because it’s ineffective at such low temperatures; after a dozen or so vehicles, it simply gets pushed aside.
“That’s why you haven’t seen a lot of that work right now, because you’d just be throwing that away,” he said.
“And you don’t want to see city crews spending time doing something that’s not going to be effective.”
But the infrastructure operations supervisor at the city’s main yard said a special mix for added traction has been put down since the start of February.
“We have been putting a lot of sand out, and we did add our chip in, and our trucks have been on the road 24 hours a day, seven days a week,” Andrew Grant told CTV News.
Knack and the city do agree on one thing, however.
“Drive slow… drive to those conditions,” Knack said.
“Stay safe out there. Leave a little room, and leave early,” echoed Grant.
With files from David Ewasuk
