Four dead in a bus crash on Connector Hwy 97

[MAPearce]

News.

Yeah , yeah smartie pants ..LOL ! . What news site ??

I've been looking..

[Babba_not_Gump]

Some roads are just treacherous no matter how much maintenance goes into them. These are mountain passes, not your usual city roads. Weather can change in an hour. It's always been like that.

I'm really tired of people chanting "Things used to be different" to score some points for their agenda (privatization bad). No, they were not. Those highways were always dangerous and unpredictable in the winter.

Want to prove me wrong and prove yourself right? Posts the stats on crashes/casualties on these highways by year so we can see the spike after privatization.

I recall back in the 80s or 90s the government workers, including the Dept of Holidays went on strike one winter.
Typical comments were Well the roads arent any better or worse than when they were working.

And are things different?
As Urban Cowboy stated, the plethora of AWD, 4WD vehicles has added to this.

So really, road conditions and maintenance of public roads is really no different.

[Queen K]

Rest in Peace. All you wanted was a piece of the Canadian dream to live here in peace and raise your wonderful family. So sad for them right now.

https://www.castanet.net/news/West-Kelo ... -Connector

[Urban Cowboy]

One thing that I am curious about is whether buses ever use chains, or true winter tires?

I wonder because to my thinking, if you're going to insist on driving in such extreme conditions, particularly hauling humans, then at the very least you should be prepared for such conditions, but I can't say that I've ever noticed a bus with chains, or studded tires, in fact I could swear they run with the same tires year round. Am I wrong?

[django]

I get what you’re saying but you’re wrong, everyone has the right to refuse unsafe work without repercussions anywhere in this country. If they want to be difficult most drivers can find another probably better job in a couple hours. It’s ultimately on the driver to stand up and say no, it’s actually a lot easier to just say no than to have to deal with being in the ditch or worse. If the company doesn’t like it, too bad.

Real world doesn't work like that. You can't run a reliable transport business if your drivers are inexperienced or scared of rough conditions.
If that were the case the store shelves would be empty all winter. How long you been in the transport industry?

Twenty three years if it makes a difference and half those years as an owner operator, born and raised in BC. I know very well how “the real world” works, I’d rather have a driver I can trust to say the roads not good let’s wait, I’ve done it myself with employers and customers. No load or arrival time ever made me do anything I wasn’t comfortable doing, getting there late is better than never. Maybe there wouldn’t be so much carnage on the roads if the inexperienced ones knew they could say no, and the experienced would stop trying to be the hero that blew through the bad conditions at any cost to have bragging rights at the next stop.

[Fancy]

Rest in Peace. All you wanted was a piece of the Canadian dream to live here in peace and raise your wonderful family. So sad for them right now.

https://www.castanet.net/news/West-Kelo ... -Connector

Devastating for all concerned.

Sodhi was travelling to Surrey to stay with Singh over the holidays so he could take his test to become a permanent resident, scheduled for Jan. 2. His plan was to get his residency and move his family to Canada.

https://www.msn.com/en-ca/news/canada/b ... r-AA15GWYZ

[django]

One thing that I am curious about is whether buses ever use chains, or true winter tires?

I wonder because to my thinking, if you're going to insist on driving in such extreme conditions, particularly hauling humans, then at the very least you should be prepared for such conditions, but I can't say that I've ever noticed a bus with chains, or studded tires, in fact I could swear they run with the same tires year round. Am I wrong?

The buses are required to carry tire chains and put them on when needed, a set of singles if they aren’t pulling a trailer and triples if they are pulling a trailer. I’ve never seen an Ebus pulling a trailer. Generally the second axle on a bus is just a tag axle and there is a switch that allows the driver to lift it putting more pressure on the drive axle which is enough to get them up most hills, I’m not sure if all buses have this feature but I know Greyhound did. Just Google it, there are plenty of pictures and video of buses chained up. It’s a five minute job, even on a bus. As far as tires go they can run a winter or an M+S like a lot of trucks do, either way chains are still required to be carried. I don’t know which tires Ebus runs. I’ve had to run chains for over a hundred kilometres at times both on and off highway, they’re cheap insurance.

[Fancy]

Didn't realize these busses had seatbelts.

McClelland says he thinks his seatbelt saved his life. He says the road was "very slippery" and questions why anyone was out driving.

"I don't think any buses should have been on the road at all with people," he said, adding the road should have been closed. "Or the bus should have had chains on (the wheels)."

Both McClelland and Rathore think the bus was going too fast for the conditions. Rathore says the bus slid a couple of times before the crash.

https://www.msn.com/en-ca/news/world/it ... r-AA15GySP

[thesportinglife]

I cannot comment on whether Ebus drivers drive too fast, or speed. However, I will share an incident that I saw at the Kelowna airport, a few weeks ago. I saw a lineup of 30 or more people waiting to load into an Ebus. The driver, a fat, overweight man, was acting very rude and was yelling and shouting at his mostly young passengers and appeared to be explaining the rules to them ?

Yes, I "get" that rules need to be made clear to people, but is yelling and shouting at your passengers, helpful ?
I say that the speeding of the Ebus under dangerous winter road conditions, is consistent with one who also shouts and yells at his passengers.

Why ? Because it shows that you are an "a hole" who does not care about the safety of the public? It's not just one incident, either. Maybe the PTB (Passenger Transportation Board) needs to look into the fitness of the licence holder (Ebus) to offer rides to the public, both safely and professionally.

if you were recently on an EBus and your experience was less than satisfactory, you need to write a letter to the PTB and tell them your side of the story. If enough people write in, then the PTB may call a hearing into the licensee's fitness to hold a permit to operate a bus service.

[JayByrd]

Every Canadian worker does have the right to refuse unsafe work, without repercussions. But "safe" doesn't mean "without risk". Driving a bus that is not properly equipped or mechanically sound, would be considered unsafe. If the highway is open and the bus is in proper condition, that would not be considered unsafe in this context.

[captkirkcanada]

Real world doesn't work like that. You can't run a reliable transport business if your drivers are inexperienced or scared of rough conditions.
If that were the case the store shelves would be empty all winter. How long you been in the transport industry?

Twenty three years if it makes a difference and half those years as an owner operator, born and raised in BC. I know very well how “the real world” works, I’d rather have a driver I can trust to say the roads not good let’s wait, I’ve done it myself with employers and customers. No load or arrival time ever made me do anything I wasn’t comfortable doing, getting there late is better than never. Maybe there wouldn’t be so much carnage on the roads if the inexperienced ones knew they could say no, and the experienced would stop trying to be the hero that blew through the bad conditions at any cost to have bragging rights at the next stop.

Exactly , if you cant say ok the roads not safe , you dont deserve to be on the road . Play dumb games win fumb prizes in this case killing four ppl . Sad and didnt have to happen

[The_quiet_one]

Every Canadian worker does have the right to refuse unsafe work, without repercussions. But "safe" doesn't mean "without risk". Driving a bus that is not properly equipped or mechanically sound, would be considered unsafe. If the highway is open and the bus is in proper condition, that would not be considered unsafe in this context.

Absolutely agree.

[marvin gardens]

Icy road conditions?True.
So far, excessive speed for the road conditions has not been mentioned.
A neighbour, a professional driver suggested the bus veering left, and ending in the opposite lane before tipping indicates excessive speed?
E bus drivers often travel over the speed limit, as did Greyhound, as witnessed by the passengers that traveled with them.

[Fancy]

...
So far, excessive speed for the road conditions has not been mentioned.
...

It was by a passenger.

[Saviour]

The buses are required to carry tire chains and put them on when needed, a set of singles if they aren’t pulling a trailer and triples if they are pulling a trailer. I’ve never seen an Ebus pulling a trailer. Generally the second axle on a bus is just a tag axle and there is a switch that allows the driver to lift it putting more pressure on the drive axle which is enough to get them up most hills, I’m not sure if all buses have this feature but I know Greyhound did. Just Google it, there are plenty of pictures and video of buses chained up. It’s a five minute job, even on a bus. As far as tires go they can run a winter or an M+S like a lot of trucks do, either way chains are still required to be carried. I don’t know which tires Ebus runs. I’ve had to run chains for over a hundred kilometres at times both on and off highway, they’re cheap insurance.

Highway coaches such as the ones operated by companies like Ebus weigh more than 11794kg which exempts them from carrying chains under the BC Motor Vehicle Act (Section 7.163). If a bus without winter tires and weighs less than 11794kg, they must carry chains or other traction device such as a sander or socks. There was some confusion about this a few years ago when the BC Government amended the legislation but as per the current MVA, coaches still appear to be exempt.

The coaches Greyhound used, such as the MCI D4500 had tags that could be raised.