There needs to be better co-ordination and planning from governments, transit operators, and road maintenance contractors to ensure there won't be a repeat of Tuesday's traffic chaos.
The transportation chaos from Tuesday’s snowstorm that paralyzed major thoroughfares and bridges in Metro Vancouver has prompted calls from municipal officials for a regional meeting on the problem.
Coun. Daniel Fontaine of New Westminster and Coun. Linda Annie of Surrey said there needs to be better co-ordination and planning among local governments, the provincial government, transit operators and road maintenance contractors to prevent the gridlock that left commuters stuck in their vehicles for hours.
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“We’ve had way larger snow events in the past, but one that impacted the economy and so many families like this one needs a better response to see what went well and what we need to do better,” said Fontaine on Thursday.
Some motorists were stranded in their cars for up to 12 hours in the area of Highway 91, after the Alex Fraser Bridge was shut down by numerous crashes and spun-out vehicles.
Other key connectors, like the Port Mann Bridge, Pattullo Bridge and the Massey Tunnel, all experienced lane closures and struggled to cope with the snowy conditions.
Annis was one of the commuters who had to endure an overnight-long drive in the storm. She left downtown Vancouver just after 7 p.m. and didn’t get home to South Surrey until almost 5 a.m.
“A few inches of snow should not shut down the entire region, but it became clear on Tuesday afternoon when the snow started to fall that things were only going to get worse,” said Annis. “The gridlock spread so quickly and suddenly that we were all trapped in our cars for hours as the weather and traffic got worse.
The Transportation Ministry, which has jurisdiction over most major highways and bridges in the region, had said traffic congestion made it challenging for contractors and snow plows to do their job.
“Our contractors were out there in full force,” said Janelle Staite, regional deputy director of highway services, on Wednesday. “I think the congestion was really the big issue.”
The ministry said it will review the snow response with the contractor.
Fontaine said the idea of a meeting is not about pointing fingers or playing a blame game, but to have an open discussion about what went wrong to ensure the region is better prepared for more snow events this winter and in future years.
“There’s a lot of people at play that the public counts on to do their job and to make sure plans are in place when things happen,” he said.
“Before we move on too far and have another snow event in a few weeks or months, we should get everyone together and have a frank and open discussion about what went wrong.”
Fontaine and Annie suggested the summit be chaired by Metro Vancouver chair and Delta Mayor George Harvie and Transportation Minister Rob Fleming and be held as soon as possible, before Christmas.
Even on the best of days, when one Metro Vancouver bridge goes down, it causes traffic havoc everywhere else, said Fontaine.
“Imagine several bridges and tunnels in gridlock stage, it’s no wonder people were getting home at 3, 4, or 5 a.m. We need to do better.”
chchan@postmedia.com
twitter.com/cherylchan
— with a file from Gordon Hoekstra
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