Quote:
Originally Posted by Mister F
I said culture, not politics. The majority of people in Montreal and Quebec City live in the suburbs, which have wide, truck friendly roads just like the suburbs of Winnipeg and Calgary. But they still tend to drive smaller cars. Toronto gets just as much snow as Calgary but it doesn't have the same predominance of 4x4s. Is snow removal really that much worse in the Prairies than Ontario and Quebec relative to the amount of snowfall? Is there any evidence of this?
My point is that people aren't buying these cars to fit their needs or the weather, they're buying them to fit their wants. Big difference.
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Snow removal is worse in the prairies in general and Calgary in particular for a couple of reasons:
1) greater length of roads relative to population so less available funds
2) more unpredictable weather. For example, planning snow removal in Calgary is a challenge given that the city will experience a more variable number of major snowfall events overs a greater period of time than would Toronto. Making up numbers to illustrate the point...Calgary might get 1-8 major snowfalls between September and May while Toronto might get 6-8 between November and March. Which is easier to plan, reserve equipment and staff?
Big vehicles are easier to accommodate in boat of the west because the parking lots, driveways and garages tend to be larger. Part of it is also cultural....the whole do it yourself mentality.
I stand by my earlier point. SUV’s and AWD are of limited value in an urban area as the roads will gridlock during large snowfalls. No one gets around any faster than anyone else.