Freezing weather, dead cars puts pressure on AMA in Calgary

The Alberta Motor Association is having a hard time keeping up with demand in Calgary as more and more cars simply give up amidst a prolonged cold snap.

Stan Shanks, a service vehicle operator with the AMA, said the organization is experiencing about five times the regular volume of calls, meaning people are waiting hours for help. 

"We could be quoting 24 hours for a tow call," he said.

The AMA prioritizes calls based on risk, so someone sitting in a warm home with a dead car outside is going to be low down on the list. 

Frustrations

Shanks said most people understand the delays, but there are always some who let frustration get the better of them. 

"It's not a surprise that we're there late, they know that right up front," he said. "But there's a potential that they've been stewing on that for five hours and obviously that's an issue and we deal with that when we arrive."

The AMA is battling everything from frozen fuel lines, to frozen motors and dead batteries as temperatures continue to hover around –20 C.

Not all the calls take all day though, depending on breaks in the schedule. 

'We feel bad about it for sure'

Radoslav Lang was on his way to take his kids to school and his car just wouldn't start. He only had to wait three hours. 

"We were surprised that they came pretty early," he said. "Not too bad."

Shanks said the AMA is doing the best it can and urges people to keep up on car maintenance to avoid breakdowns. He also said he sympathizes with those stuck waiting to get moving. 

"We feel bad about it for sure," he said. "Obviously anytime that you're letting somebody down that's a negative thing for sure."

The weather is expected to warm up, a little, starting on Monday. The forecast is calling for a balmy high of –13 C.

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