May long weekend marks busiest travel weekend in years for British Columbians
It’s expected to be the busiest travel weekend in nearly two years, as British Columbians mark the May long weekend without strict pandemic measures.
BC Ferries, Vancouver International Airport and the border crossings are expected to see a surge in traffic over the next several days.
BC FERRIES
The majority of reservations during peak hours on the major routes were sold out days in advance.
BC Ferries says, historically, the most popular travel times are Thursday and Friday afternoon, as well as Saturday morning heading to Vancouver Island.
Victoria Day Monday and the following Tuesday morning are typically the most popular times for people to return to Metro Vancouver.
More than 100 additional sailings were added over the May long weekend to deal with the surge in demand.
BC Ferries has been hampered by staff shortages in recent months, leading to cancelled sailings.
Fortunately, it recently hired approximately 500 employees in time for the start of the busy summer travel season.
“B.C. residents and visitors have places to go and people to see over the May long weekend, and BC Ferries wants the journey to be as enjoyable as possible,” said BC Ferries in a news release.
Over 300,000 passengers and 100,000 vehicles are expected to be transported from Thursday through Monday.
“Over the course of this weekend, BC Ferries will operate approximately 2,400 sailings to get travellers to their destination; that’s approximately 19,200 nautical miles, the driving distance from Vancouver to Halifax and back twice,” wrote BC Ferries.
Travellers are urged to travel at off-peak times to avoid the rush.
“Customers with advance bookings should plan to arrive at the terminal 45 to 60 minutes before their scheduled departure. Walk-on passengers should arrive 45 minutes early for their anticipated sailing,” wrote BC Ferries.
Walking on as a foot passenger can often lessen wait times, but BC Ferries is warning that parking at major terminals fill up quickly on long weekends.
It’s encouraging travellers to use transit or ride sharing services.
Updates about full parking lots will be posted to its website.
BORDER CROSSINGS
Surrey RCMP are urging travellers to plan ahead, monitor border line ups and be prepared for lengthy wait times at border crossings over the next several days.
It says police received more than 100 calls over the Easter long weekend, including people calling 911 to complain about border wait times and traffic congestion near the Pacific Highway Border Crossing.
“These calls significantly tied up police resources, and is not an appropriate use of 911,” wrote RCMP in a release.
It’s encouraging travellers to plan their travel for off peak days and times and be prepared to wait for long periods of time.
Drivers taking the Pacific Highway Border Crossing are being reminded to stay on main roads and highways, specifically 176 Street and 8 Avenue to access the crossing.
“Be courteous and do not attempt to take short cuts through residential neighborhoods or block access to side streets while waiting in line,” said RCMP in a release.
Surrey RCMP says it’s working with the City of Surrey and Surrey bylaw officers and has recommended increased signage and traffic flaggers in the area to help mitigate the traffic congestion.
“We recognize the frustrations of community members who reside near the border crossing who had access to their own homes or businesses limited by border traffic over the last long weekend,” said Cpl. Vanessa Munn in a release.
The Canada Border Services Agency says it’s working to mitigate long border wait times, but says there are also things that travellers can do to make the process easier for themselves and others.
“This summer, travellers are returning to a border that is managed differently, with evolving COVID-19 requirements, which can mean delays during peak periods,” wrote the CBSA in a release.
It’s urging travellers to arrive prepared by completing their mandatory ArriveCAN submission within 72 hours before arriving at the border.
“The CBSA invests significant effort annually to plan and prepare for peak periods, such as the summer months.
The agency says it’s working with bridge and tunnel operators, airport authorities and travel industry groups to anticipate surges in traffic.
It’s reminding all travellers to ensure they have the proper documents for entry, understand rules around COVID-19, declare all goods and know exemption limits.
CBSA also urges drivers to know the contents of their vehicles.
VANCOUVER INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT
YVR is anticipating one of its busiest travel weekends in years with upwards of 50,000 passengers from Friday to the holiday Monday.
“This marks our busiest travel weekend since the pandemic with the highest volume of passengers expected on Friday,” said YVR in a news release.
It’s urging passengers to arrive early for their flights.
“YVR strongly encourages all travellers flying from YVR to arrive at the airport early—at least two hours ahead of domestic flights and at least three hours for U.S. and international,” it wrote.
Drivers are urged to have a parking plan as many of the main lots are expected to fill up quickly.
Travellers must have their travel documents ready before their check in for their flight.
U.S. and international travellers should pre-book any required testing for entry ahead of time.
Masks continue to be required in the terminal and onboard flights.
Travellers across Canada have had to wait in massive lines in recent weeks because of a staffing shortage of security screeners.
“Please be patient as (Canadian Air Transport Security Authority) staff are doing their best under very busy and challenging circumstances and be prepared to help agents move you through screening as efficiently as possible,” wrote YVR.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
NEW What Canada is doing about the toxic forever chemicals in drinking water
As the United States sets its first national limits on toxic forever chemicals in drinking water, researchers say Canada is lagging when it comes to regulations.
Arrest made, manslaughter charge pending in 2022 death of Calgary toddler
Calgary police have arrested a man and a charge is pending in connection with the death of a toddler in 2022.
'A living nightmare': Winnipeg woman sentenced following campaign of harassment against man after online date
A Winnipeg woman was sentenced to house arrest after a single date with a man she met online culminated in her harassing him for years, and spurred false allegations which resulted in the innocent man being arrested three times.
Where did the gold go? Crime expert weighs in on unfolding Pearson Airport heist investigation
Almost 7,000 bars of pure gold were stolen from Pearson International Airport exactly one year ago during an elaborate heist, but so far only a tiny fraction of that stolen loot has been found.
Why drivers in Eastern Canada could see big gas price spikes, and other Canadians won't
Drivers in Eastern Canada face a big increase in gas prices because of various factors, especially the higher cost of the summer blend, industry analysts say.
'They needed people inside Air Canada:' Police announce arrests in Pearson gold heist
Police say one former and one current employee of Air Canada are among the nine suspects that are facing charges in connection with the gold heist at Pearson International Airport last year.
House admonishes ArriveCan contractor in rare parliamentary show of power
MPs enacted an extraordinary, rarely used parliamentary power on Wednesday, summonsing an ArriveCan contractor to appear before the House of Commons where he was admonished publicly and forced to provide answers to the questions MPs said he'd previously evaded.
Here's why experts don't think cloud seeding played a role in Dubai's downpour
Scientists say it's highly unlikely cloud seeding is responsible for the heavy rains that have caused flooding in the United Arab Emirates this month, and that climate change is the more likely culprit.
Doug Ford calls on Ontario Speaker to reverse Queen's Park keffiyeh ban
Ontario Premier Doug Ford is calling on Speaker Ted Arnott to reverse a ban on keffiyehs at Queen's Park, describing the move as “needlessly” divisive.