Extreme cold warnings causing transportation problems for university students
Regina has had to face challenging winter temperatures recently, with Environment and Climate Change Canada saying it reached down to -33°C, with wind chills pushing -50°C, which caused problems for University of Regina students.
Commuting under extreme cold warnings, some students have to get creative about how they attend in-person classes. With countless buses going off the road this winter alone, public transit may not be the best answer. The U of R News team reached out to a few students who have been facing these daily challenges.
“I’ve had to start my truck a lot earlier in the mornings and make sure it’ll even start before I go to school,” said Carter Girodat, a third-year business student at the U of R. “Just yesterday, the cold made all three of my tire pressure sensors give out… My transfer case was also leaking, but I’m unsure if that’s because of the cold or just because I’ve spent a long time with that truck.”
Due to long mechanic wait times, Girodat will be in suspense for over a week about his vehicle’s health, and the expenses that may come with the diagnosis.
These maintenance issues aren’t the only expenses that have Girodat concerned, as he considers the extra gas costs for running his vehicle longer to be financially challenging as well. He mentioned that he will have to rely on public transportation for the period his truck is being repaired but fears the reliability of the City’s bus network.
“I’ve seen videos online of them crashing or hitting the ditch when it’s icy,” Carter Girodat said. “Even when I’m driving around, I’ve had them drift in front of me, so it’s scary.”
Students who don’t live in the city deal with more large-scale issues, including smaller centres having worse snow clearance, as well as complete road closures and poor visibility.
“I’ll always play it safe; if roads are bad, I won’t come in… If the roads are decent, I’ll drive in myself,” said Connolly Gamble, a first-year U of R journalism student who resides in Wilcox, SK.
“I think it could affect anyone that lives out of town for exams, because if the roads are closed you can’t drive in and you automatically fail the exam, which is quite unfortunate. If you contact your professor though, and ask ‘Hey, can I do the exam on a different day? Roads are closed and I can’t get in,’ there are always ways to work around it, but it’s definitely a huge factor.”
Another issue brought forward by students interviewed was the expense of parking passes at the university, and the lack of charging ports available on campus. One student stated they feared they wouldn’t be able to get home after a long day of classes, as their car would cool to the point of not starting.
