The winter tire season will be extended by a month as part of an assortment of changes the provincial government announced Wednesday to make highway driving safer.
Starting next winter, drivers will need to have tires with either the mud and snow (M+S) or mountain/snowflake on their wheels from October 1 to April 30. As well, commercial vehicle operators will need to carry chains for that period.
The requirement will apply to select highways and mountain passes, notably in the Northern and Southern Interior regions to account for potential early spring snowfall.
It is one of a number of measures that also include higher fines for commercial vehicle drivers caught without chains or failing to chain up when required. The current fine is $121 while other North American jurisdictions have fines up to $1,200 for similar violations.The exact fine amounts are yet to be determined.
"I have heard from people and communities throughout the province that we need to take action to improve safety on our highways," Transportation and Infrastructure Minister Claire Trevena said in a press release.
"With that in mind, our government is moving quickly to implement changes that will ensure people are able to get where they need to go more safely through the winter months."
Other measures include:
- A pilot program to restrict commercial vehicles from using the far left lane on key three-lane sections in the winter to ensure routes remain open to snow plows, emergency vehicles and passenger vehicles.
- Spending $1.8 million over the next three years on additional weather stations and overhead message signs to provide better real-time weather and road condition information.
- Enhanced road-maintenance contractor monitoring and auditing, including round-the-clock compliance checks during winter storms, with the help of new tools and technology, like road weather stations, variable speed limit systems and GPS tracking of snow plows.
- More support for the Shift Into Winter awareness campaign to promote safe winter driving behaviour with the aim of reaching more British Columbians.
The ministry will be consulting with stakeholders in the coming months on the details with changes expected to be in place by next winter.
