Abandoned cars worsened snowstorm chaos: BC Trucking Association
There’s no mistaking it: Metro Vancouver’s roads were the worst many have seen in their lives during Tuesday’s snowstorm.
Multiple bridges connecting cities closed, a jack-knifed semi snarled traffic near the Massey Tunnel, and many commuters spent eight to 12 hours trapped in their vehicles.
Some people abandoned their cars to make their way on foot, and Dave Earle, president and CEO of the BC Trucking Association, said those left-behind vehicles made a bad situation worse.
Earle says part of the reason the roads were so bad was all the abandoned cars left behind.
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“We’ve certainly seen now events like that … but really unusual this time was the number of abandoned cars and the people walking away. That presented immense problems for snow removal,” he told Daily Hive Urbanized.
He saw someone turn on their flashers, park, lock, and leave their vehicle in the middle lane of an intersection. It was in Surrey, right before a set of train tracks near 168th Street and Highway 10.
“I’m like, what is happening? What are you doing? Pull over to either side of the road,” Earle said. “It was surreal.”
He’s urging drivers to be more prepared before they leave during bad weather.
“Make sure you have the equipment. Have some water and snacks in your car. have a shovel and some warm clothes or a blanket. Make sure your tank is mostly full. Like, the basics,” he said.
He said truckers in the association told him about abandoned cars too. Other commuters also mentioned the number of abandoned cars they say. Mary Lavery, who was stuck on Highway 99 approaching the Massey Tunnel, said she saw cars left behind and people walking across the highway.
“In the middle of Highway 99, where are you going?” she said. “I guess I could have walked the 26-kilometre [commute] in less than eight hours. So maybe that’s what they did.”
Earle isn’t sure why so many people left their cars behind; perhaps it was due to lack of fuel or because they couldn’t make headway. He advised drivers not to head out during winter weather if they weren’t prepared.
“We get very challenging conditions and if you don’t have the equipment and you’re not comfortable driving in it, don’t go,” Earle said.
He added the type of snow that falls on the Lower Mainland is tricky to deal with. When temperatures are right around the freezing mark, snow is very thick and wet. Some members of the trucking association pulled into shopping centre parking lots to wait out the chaos
“I know some people were stranded for four, five hours. That boggles the mind. But it’s all attributable to a row getting blocked by one or two vehicles. Until they get moved — that’s it.”
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