Area resident Jeremy Fokkens said he felt like it was only a matter of time before something like this happened.
Snow and ice covered walkways in and around stations along the MAX Purple BRT line have been a problem in the area, he told LiveWire Calgary.
Last Monday (Jan. 4), a woman was running to catch a bus at the BRT platform at 17 Ave and 36 Street SE and she slipped and fell. The rear axle of the bus went over her.
Snow clearing has been a problem around the city since the Dec. 22 storm that saw 40 centimetres dumped on the city.
Fokkens, who lives a block off International Avenue (17 Avenue SE), said snow and ice are a problem around the area’s stops and stations. He didn’t witness this specific incident but walked by it a short time later.
“Many of these stops and sidewalks continue to have snow and ice on them,” he said.
“It was only a matter of time before an accident like this would happen due to snow and ice.”
The 31-year-old woman was taken to hospital with serious injuries.
The main platform was clear at the time of the incident, according to the Calgary Police Service.
“The end of the platform where the pedestrian was running and ended up was snow-covered and there was some snow build up, given that it was at the edge of the bus lane,” read a statement from CPS.
City of Calgary media relations responded to requests about the incident.
We were told Calgary Transit likely wouldn’t respond as the matter was still being investigated.
Problem worsened
Fokkens said that the issue with snow can be tricky with how buses pull into the station. Buses tend to whip through the platform location, stopping at the intersection lights rather than the platform, he said.
He said his wife, who uses the bus service to get to work in Inglewood, has ongoing problems with this.
“The buses on this route are constantly running either too late or early. When people run so they can make it to work on time on a snow-or-ice-covered platform, this can be the consequences,” he said.
