“I'll never forget such a day”: Vancouver approaches one-year anniversary of 11-hour snowstorm commute

Oh, what a difference a year can make.

This November has been decidedly sunnier than usual, thanks in part to the return of El Niño in the Pacific. But this time last year, Vancouver was walloped with an out-of-character November snowstorm that closed major bridges and trapped drivers on the road for hours.

It was the night of the 11-hour commute, where drivers who left work at 5 pm didn’t make it home until the following morning.

“In my time as a reporter, I’ve seen a lot of snowstorms in the Lower Mainland. But eight hours in traffic?” radio host and former MLA Jas Johal told Daily Hive. “This is not just an inconvenience. It’s a huge impact on our economy and our quality of life.”

Johal said the awful night wasn’t just about an unexpected dump of snow – it revealed BC’s lack of investment in infrastructure, collision clearing, and snow management.

Kelsey Woof spent more than 12 hours trying to reach Vancouver from North Delta after trying three bridges and the Massey Tunnel. She arrived home at exactly 2:56 am.

“I’ll never forget such a day,” she told Daily Hive. “I saw buses stuck and backwards, several cars abandoned, people sleeping in their cars, and people spinning around everywhere.”

The storm hit on November 29, sending Vancouver into an early winter.

So far this year, there’s no snow in the forecast. But if you haven’t switched to winter tires yet, consider this your sign.