Ottawa police are urging drivers to exercise caution as snow-covered and slippery roads continue to affect the city Tuesday morning. Over 10 cm of snow fell overnight, leading to a spring snowstorm and keeping a snowfall warning in effect.
Between midnight and 9:30 a.m., Ottawa police reported 52 crashes, with all but one occurring after 6 a.m. These figures don’t include incidents reported to collision centres or those in the jurisdiction of OPP and RCMP, such as on Highway 417 or NCC parkways.
The Ottawa OPP responded to 18 collisions between 5 and 11 a.m. Some of these accidents required fire services to help extricate people trapped in vehicles. Notably, a crash involving a school bus occurred on Boundary Road between Thunder and Mitch Owens roads. No children were aboard, and the road was closed briefly before reopening around 8:45 a.m.
Another incident near the Transitway in the west end caused significant OC Transpo detours. A bus traveling on the Kichi Zibi Mikan was involved in a multi-vehicle collision around 6:40 a.m., but no injuries were reported. The 8 passengers were transferred to another bus, and service in the area was detoured until approximately 8:30 a.m.
OC Transpo warned commuters that the Kichi Zibi Mikan and surrounding areas were experiencing heavy traffic and delays, with detours affecting a dozen routes. The agency advised passengers to allow extra time and exercise caution while boarding, exiting, and waiting at station platforms.