Winter road maintenance is criminally negligent

[amphib]

Every winter many people die on BC's roads due to delayed and poor snow removal and painted lane dividers that are worn off. I often drive the sicamous-golden corridor and the kelowna-hope corridor and could site countless examples. This is on Canada's main cross country highway!! People are dying because of this negligence.

What do you think, and what can we do about it?

[Fancy]

Every winter many people die on BC's roads due to delayed and poor snow removal and painted lane dividers that are worn off. I often drive the sicamous-golden corridor and the kelowna-hope corridor and could site countless examples. This is on Canada's main cross country highway!! People are dying because of this negligence.

What do you think, and what can we do about it?

Have no idea what you are referring to. How many people? Is there a link to news item?

[1791]

Winter is pretty much over.

[Fancy]

Winter can happen past Easter - snowed today.

[GordonH]

Grant it been a number of years now, I have traveled to Calgary via the TransCanada in December a number of times. 1 thing I noticed its like night & day, snow removal in the National Parks compared to Provincial areas.

[bigtimeoperations]

Well, the main issue with Highway 1 through Rogers Pass, etc, is that most of it is only a 2 lane highway. The Government has been plugging away at widening it over the years, but at that rate, it wont be fully 4 lanes until after 2100. Its just a death trap of a highway.

[Urban Cowboy]

Well if you think it's a death trap now, you should have driven it back in the 70's during motorhome season.

Gravel in a lot of places, and not much in the way of concrete barriers to keep you from going over a cliff.

I think the road is wonderful compared to before, but far too many have it in their minds, that highway 1 should be a freeway with 120kph speed limit, and drive as if it does even in winter, with predictable results.

If people made more of an effort, to drive to conditions, there'd be far less carnage on the roads.

ETA: Case in point the other day I had to work up at Big White and the roads weren't that great going up there so I was in a procession of about 15 vehicles doing 60kph.

We come around a bend and there's a caution sign to warn of flag person ahead. I come around the next corner and see the flag person's truck and a tow vehicle in front of it. At first I didn't see anything and wondered what the fuss was about, then I looked up and saw a small pickup was upside down on top of the snowbank which has to be about 12' up.

No one can convince me that whoever was in that truck was driving to conditions, because were that the case, there's no way the vehicle could have wound up that far up.

[dirtybiker]

If people put as much effort and attention into their driving as they do toward
their attempt to be the best in their studied field,
There would be substantially less issue.

Criminal ?... that accusation is a loss traction straight off the line.!

Likely a DNF to boot !

[goalie]

The Sicamous to Revelstoke one is the worst. I don't mind single lane highway and 90km/h is fine but it's hard to see at night going any speed. Especially the the parts under construction (some had no temp lines or reflective markers )

[bob vernon]

Contracting out of road maintenance isn't about maintaining the roads. It's about doing as little as possible to maximize the profits for head office. The spokesperson for the contractor will apologize and promise to do better, but it's all just a ploy to get through the bad news and keep the trucks in the yard.

[Salistala]

I have to give the Public Works crew out of Sayward BC (on Vancouver Island) credit for the work they do. I drive down the Island once in a while in winter and the road between Port Hardy and Campbell River is the best section of the entire Island. And their section is the toughest part of the whole highway, 240km of twisty 2-lane mountain highway.

This is just a counter-point to the crews that suck, give the good guys their credit.

[christopher]

The problem with road maintenance being contracted out is that it is to save the province money. If we want more equipment out sooner it will cost more. The provincial contracts for road maintenance need to have changes made to address the amout of available equipment and operators after a given amount of snow fall. In the contractors defense will we want to pay full rate for more equipment and operators when its not snowing. Thats always been the problem with highway maintenance contracts.