Deltans woke up to the first blast of winter Monday morning that brought with it a mixture of snow, sleet and rain, causing treacherous driving conditions and numerous accidents.
And that could just be the start of it as more snow is in the forecast.
Delta police public relations coordinator Sharlene Brooks said officers were kept busy responding to numerous accidents in both South Delta and North Delta.
Particularly tricky areas were Nordel Way, Highway 17 at Deltaport and the 7200-block of Highway 17.
"We responded to nine collisions and seven of them were related directly to the weather, snowfall and slippery roads," said Brooks, adding no injuries were reported.
Tickets were issued to some drivers for speed relative to conditions and there were warnings given to drivers as well, she said.
In the afternoon, the patrol section shut down Highway 10 from the base of the hill west of Scott Road after several vehicles got stuck.
Brooks said there was also discussion of closing 72nd Avenue and Nordel Way, but that didn't materialize.
With more snow expected later in the week, Brooks is asking drivers to slow down.
The Corporation of Delta has put its winter road maintenance plans into full effect.
By early Monday morning, five trucks were putting out salt, sand and a brine mixture and by mid-morning another four trucks were added.
"Basically, it's all hands on deck, 24/7 for the rest of the week. All of our trucks will be out around the clock," said director of engineering Steve Lan. "We will monitor the weather and see what amount of snow is predicted and adjust from there. We just want to stay on top of this."
When it comes to clearing roads, Delta's first priority is public transit routes, major collectors, select school access roadways and some roads in hilly areas. The second priority is secondary through roads in residential areas and school bus routes, while third priority is minor residential streets and cul-de-sacs.
"I know some folks are on a local road and would like to see us in the area, but we just can't while we are going full bore like this because we have to keep the main roads clear and open," Lan added.
Not everyone is impressed with Delta's road clearing response.
Rob Welsh emailed the Optimist saying he was horrified at the traffic lines heading up 72nd Street, 64th Street and Highway 10 Monday afternoon.
"Many cars, granted, should not even be on the road without proper tires, but shame on Delta engineering at 3:30 in the afternoon at plus 2 Celsius that those roads were skating rinks," Welsh said.
Ladner resident Steve Munn, a regular commuter to Vancouver, said he's questioning the decision to put in the counterflow at the George Massey Tunnel given the treacherous road conditions. "I called BC Highways and they told me there was a board that had a meeting at 6 a.m. and they deemed it was safe," Munn told the Optimist. "I drove both ways on Monday through the tunnel because I didn't make it to work because it was so bad and when I turned around and came through the counterflow, I thought how can they deem this safe because all it takes is for someone to hit their brakes and they are sliding into oncoming traffic. With 22 accidents by 7 a.m. around the Lower Mainland, I'm just really shocked that no one thought this decision was a major safety risk."
As Monday was a professional development day, no school was in session, but the Delta School District has initiated its winter response procedures with more snow expected.
According to the district, all schools will remain open if at all possible during winter weather. Any district-wide closure will be decided by 7 a.m. at the latest and will be announced through the media and the district and school websites.
