Unprepared drivers contribute to Lower Mainland winter storm gridlock
The winter wallop that slammed into British Columbia’s south coast Tuesday hit right in the middle of the evening commute, creating a critical mass of gridlock that delayed plows and sanding trucks.
Part of the problem may have been a result of over-confident drivers trying to navigate the snowy streets without winter tires.
"If your vehicle's not ready for it but you feel you're ready for it, you're not ready for it because you're in your vehicle – and the vehicle is the key component in this,” said Josh Smythe, customer care manager for BCAA.
Mainroad Contracting, the company responsible for keeping most Lower Mainland highways and bridges clear, had 40 trucks on the road for plowing and salting.
But at the height of the storm, most of them were stuck in traffic at a standstill.
“It’s just unfortunate that the travelling public all kind of left at the same time even though we had ample enough warning to get out earlier, or work from home,” said the company’s general manager Darren Ell.
“Once that gridlock tied up that Delta/Richmond area, our trucks are out there trying to get through that as well, but they can’t go anywhere.”
Many commercial truckers also found themselves in trouble with some big rigs jack-knifed across multiple lanes of traffic and contributing to the significant delays in getting road clearing equipment where it needed to be.
Smythe says trucking companies and their drivers should consider parking their vehicles for a few hours if they are not well-equipped for and experienced in driving in winter conditions.
"At the end of the day, if they’re out in a situation like that, they're going to be stuck in traffic and shutting down the business anyway,” he said.
Before the storm, the Ministry of Transportation used its DriveBC social media accounts to warn the public about the impending snow.
A post on Twitter encouraged people to check their wiper blades, fill their windshield washing fluid, and carry a snow brush.
https://twitter.com/DriveBC/status/1597742447467311104
But it made no mention of proper snow tires and did not encourage people to stay home if they had any doubts about their vehicle, or driving skills, performing up to standard in winter weather.
"In terms of doing it better, I think there's always opportunities to take a look at what our public communication looked like in advance of the weather event and making sure we're exploring all avenues,” said Janelle Staite, a regional director of highway services.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Cargo ship had engine maintenance in port before Baltimore bridge collapse, officials say
The cargo ship that lost power and crashed into a bridge in Baltimore underwent 'routine engine maintenance' in port beforehand, the U.S. Coast Guard said Wednesday.
A Nigerian woman reviewed some tomato puree online. Now she faces jail
A Nigerian woman who wrote an online review of a can of tomato puree is facing imprisonment after its manufacturer accused her of making a “malicious allegation” that damaged its business.
Far North police 'dispatch' polar bear stalking schoolyard
Police and local hunters in an Ontario Far North First Nation community have “dispatched” a polar that was showing abnormal behaviour and treating the area as a hunting ground.
Donald Trump assails judge and his daughter after gag order in N.Y. hush-money criminal case
Donald Trump lashed out Wednesday at the New York judge who put him under a gag order that bars him from commenting publicly about witnesses, prosecutors, court staff and jurors in his upcoming hush-money criminal trial.
Families shocked after Niagara Falls hotel cancels bookings made year in advance of solar eclipse
After having the foresight to book their Niagara Falls hotel rooms more than a year in advance, several families planning to take in the solar eclipse next month were shocked to find out their reservations had been cancelled.
B.C. rescuers face 'high likelihood' of failure to reunite orphaned orca with pod
The race to reunite an orphaned orca calf that’s stuck in a shallow lagoon with a neighbouring pod has entered its fifth day, and a marine scientist says the clock is ticking.
Video shows police interrupting auto theft in progress outside Toronto home
New video footage obtained by CP24 shows the attempted theft of a vehicle in a North York driveway earlier this month that was ultimately interrupted by police.
Majority of Canadians believe in life after death: Angus Reid survey
A new survey from the Angus Reid Institute has found that a majority of Canadians believe in some form of life after death, a proportion that has held steady for decades.
MyPillow, owned by U.S. election denier Mike Lindell, formally evicted from Minnesota warehouse
A court ordered the eviction Wednesday of MyPillow from a suburban Minneapolis warehouse that it formerly used.