Starting this week, we are restricting commercial vehicles from using the far left lane northbound on the Coquihalla’s Snowshed Hill between Box Canyon and Zopkios with our No Trucks in the Left Lane pilot program (other select routes in the Interior to possibly follow). The restriction is in effect year-round. The Coquihalla Highway is one of the province’s busiest mountain passes. Both passenger and commercial vehicles rely on it as a primary connection between the Lower Mainland and the...
Darkness falls. A cold wind blows – bending gnarled tree branches and creating strange shapes and distorted shadows… Halloween is here. We love Halloween, and we know you love it too. In order to keep the good times rolling for everyone, the folks at ICBC shared these helpful tips to keep drivers and pedestrians safe out there during the season: Smart Driver tips Stay well below the speed limit: Did you know that a car going 30 km/hr needs...
When a formation of wildfires threatened communities around Francois Lake in summer 2018, the MV Francois Forester ferry sailed into emergency service, becoming a 24/7 evacuation route, firefighter transport vessel and community information centre, for about six weeks. It was all hands on deck for the vessel, operated by WaterBridge Equipment Inc., under contract with the Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure. The ferry’s onshore property and facilities were also launched into wildfire duty, to provide a communications base for...
Customer service is a major part of what we do at the Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure. From maintaining highways to handling development approvals, our goal is to provide the best service we can. Of course, there’s always room for improvement. That’s why we’re asking you to help make us better by taking our 17th annual Customer Satisfaction Survey, open from July 16 to Sept. 14, 2018. Last year, we received more than 3,000 responses from folks across the province,...
You probably know that May is Motorcycle Awareness Month – the time of year when we remind drivers to watch for motorcyclists who are back out on the road now that the better weather has returned. But did you know better weather increases another kind of risk for motorcyclists? It’s the risk of an unexpected encounter with roadside wildlife. There are many species of wildlife (big and small) in BC that are a real hazard for motorcyclists and, in...
Motherhood. The term conjures up images of sleepless nights, toddler tantrums, unexpected precious moments and overwhelming feelings of absolute frustration mixed with love – often at the same time. On Mother’s Day (and all the other days) being a mum (or dad) isn’t easy; it also isn’t a strictly human experience; many other mammals “mother” their young and often have similar moments of sweetness, determination and frustration. How do we know? Our wildlife monitoring program cams show us so....
The lure of making an illegal U-turn on a BC Highway can be tempting. You might think it’ll save you a bit of time. Or it’s just convenient. Or it’s a quick fix when going the wrong way. Just don’t. It’s unwise, unsafe and illegal. You might see what looks like a pull through in the middle of the road and think it’s your perfect window of opportunity to back track. STOP! It’s not for you! (Except if you’re...
If you’ve visited us here before, you probably know that sometimes, we like to kick it old school. We throw it back here, on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter with pictures, video and stories about how the BC Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure helped play a role in the development of beautiful British Columbia. We’re proud of our history. In fact, some of our older ministry staffers refer to “Highways Department” folks (our old name), as bleeding orange and white...
Sometimes, it can be a dog eat dog world out there, and that seemed to be the case for five pups caught in the chaos of this summer’s BC wildfire in the Cariboo area. When a wildfire evacuation order was issued for Williams Lake this summer, five furry pups found themselves stuck in between a rock and a hard place. Their family had children who needed to be evacuated which meant there wasn’t room for the pups to tag...
In 2017, the wildfires that ravaged the interior of BC were the worst our province has ever seen. More than 1,200,000 hectares of the province were impacted by wild fires – surpassing the 1958 record of 856,000 hectares. At the peak of the emergency – thousands of people were evacuated from their homes, many vital sections of our transportation network were closed and a thick blanket of smoke hung across our province – giving us all some perspective of...
