Thousands of commuters throughout B.C.’s Lower Mainland were stranded in their cars for hours Tuesday after the first major snowfall of the season created travel mayhem across the region.
Some drivers, furious and exhausted, were still stuck after 6 a.m. PT Wednesday on an eastbound section of Highway 91 — a major commuter route connecting New Westminster, Delta and Richmond just south of Vancouver.
Many of those trapped on the roads were concerned about running out of food, water or gas as 20-minute commutes turned into hours-long road trips.
“[I’m] hungry, frustrated,” said commuter Jane Tymos, speaking in an interview from her car after six hours of bumper-to-bumper traffic.
“If it’s bad out in the morning, don’t even bother. It’s not worth it.”
Traffic on the highway began moving around 6:45 a.m.
More than 20,000 homes are still without power Wednesday morning, largely in the north of Vancouver Island. B.C. Hydro crews were unable to reach some outages because ferry service to smaller islands, like Hornby and Denman, were cancelled due to the weather.
A one-two punch of strong winds and blowing snow swept across B.C.’s South Coast on Tuesday. Travel by air and sea were also affected by cancellations from several airports and B.C. Ferries.
The snow is expected to taper off into rain Wednesday, though roads are still treacherous and weather warnings remain in place in many areas away from the water or at higher elevations.
A snow day has been declared in school districts across the Fraser Valley, east of Vancouver, as well as in the Metro Vancouver cities of Maple Ridge, Pitt Meadows and Langley.
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Some expressed their anger online about uncleared roads and an apparent lack of snow tires on many vehicles.
Mainroad, the contractor responsible for the maintenance of B.C.’s Lower Mainland highways, said its workers were stuck in the same mess as the public — especially on the Alex Fraser Bridge, which was shut down completely for several hours.
“There was a bus and a truck that spun out [at the bridge], and once that happens, it’s kind of a domino effect. Other vehicles slow down, they start spinning out as well and they just became gridlocked very quickly,” said Darren Ell, Mainroad’s general manager.
“The unfortunate part is our trucks are stuck in the same gridlock that the travelling public is as well. They couldn’t get out on the highway,” he said, adding that abandoned cars created an obstacle even after traffic resumed.
Ell said it will take crews the “better part of the day” to clear roads, but hoped the job would be done by evening.
Preliminary snowfall totals ranged from five centimetres in coastal areas like White Rock to more than 20 centimetres on parts of Vancouver Island, according to the weather agency. Wind speeds ranged from 70 to 100 km/h.
Snow, strong winds through Wednesday
Environment Canada said more snow and winds between 40 and 70 km/h are expected again Wednesday. Non-essential travel should be avoided.
“If it changes from snow to rain the results will be quite messy. [Wednesday] morning, we’re looking at some really high impact weather for the Lower Mainland,” meteorologist Yimei Li said.
“The best thing to do is stay at home or stay sheltered during this time. Travelling during a snowstorm is very dangerous,” Li said.
TransLink is expecting “significant delays” again Wednesday and advised passengers to sign up for Transit Alerts.
Delays also expected on flights
Several flights leaving Vancouver and Abbotsford airports Tuesday and Wednesday were cancelled due to the conditions.
The north runway at Vancouver International Aiport (YVR) is still closed after an Eva Air plane slid off a taxiway while making its way to the gate and ended up stuck in snow around 7 p.m. PT.
YVR has asked travellers to leave extra time to get to the airport and check with airlines for updated flight information.
