15 collisions within an hour as first major snowfall hits Toronto
Police are urging drivers to slow down and drive with caution as the first big snowfall hits the Greater Toronto Area Monday night.
Toronto police Const. Allyson Douglas-Cook told CBC Toronto there were approximately 15 collisions between 5 p.m. and 6 p.m. in various parts of the city. Seven of the collisions occurred within 15 minutes, Cook said on Twitter.
The collisions varied from a TTC bus rear-ending a car, to pedestrians getting struck on the streets. Cook said none of the incidents have caused serious injuries so far.
In a addition to warning motorists to slow down, police are asking drivers to leave a lot of space for other vehicles. They are also asking pedestrians to do their part and obey traffic signals.
The city is under a special weather statement, with Environment Canada calling for five to 10 centimetres to fall before Tuesday morning, courtesy of a storm system called an Alberta Clipper moving through southern Ontario.
Cook says the spike in reported collisions Monday night is typical for the first snowfall of the year.
Salting has begun and will continue through the night, the city of Toronto says. Brine was applied to hills and bridges in the evening, with some 200 salt trucks at the ready.
The weather statement extends through much of the region including the city and surrounding regions of York, Durham, Peel and Halton.
Ten to 15 centimetres are possible in certain areas, the national weather agency says.
The city has a real-time map of all the salting and plowing action.
