A motorcyclist was killed Saturday afternoon in a crash on the Malahat artery, closing the vital Vancouver Island traffic artery for the sixth time since September.
The victim, whose name has not been released, was driving a Harley Davidson towards Victoria when an oncoming PT Cruiser crossed the centre line, hitting him head-on at around 3:45 p.m.
He died at the scene. The two occupants of the PT Cruiser were taken to Victoria General Hospital by ambulance.
Traffic was stuck for six hours waiting for the highway, which provides a crucial link between the capital region and the rest of the island, to reopen.
Malahat Fire Chief Rob Patterson told CTV News more needs to be done to prevent further fatal crashes in the future.
"If we had more of a divided highway, if there was more of the concrete… it would most definitely save lives and keep the injury rate way down," Patterson said.
There is currently only one detour available if the highway closes, the Mill Bay Ferry, and it holds only two dozens vehicles.
The Malahat Highway was among the reasons Vancouver lost its spot at the top of The Economist magazine's most livable cities in the world. Vancouver dropped down to third place on the 2011 list.
With a report from CTV British Columbia's Brent Shearer
