Road Maintenance

TranBC is introducing Automated Flagger Assistance Devices (AFAD) to B.C. Drivers. Apparently those drivers pay more attention to the AFAD than they do to a human traffic controller! In addition, if an AFAD is "killed" in a collision, it is simply replaced.

Spreading solid salt on the highway to melt ice takes some time as it has to dissolve in water in order to do the job. Applying salt in the form of a brine solution speeds up the process. This video from the Mainroad Group, one of B.C.'s road maintenance contractors explains about the use of brine instead of rock salt.

No one likes to spend significant effort to clean the snow off of their driveway only to have the plow come by and fill in the highway end of it all over again. Most of us grumble and get to work, but an Errington man decided to stand in the way and prevent the grader from doing this to his driveway. In what almost became more ways than one, he didn't have a leg to stand on.

Question: When I drive into a construction zone I see the sign about double the fine, but have been told that the fine incurred is actually excessive speed if the speed is too high. Is there an actual regulation about double the fine or is this sign just a deterrent?

One of the drawbacks of living on Vancouver Island is having to drive at night in the rain. Where there is no street lighting present I find it like driving into a wet sack of coal. When the road markings are worn I must slow down in order to be safe because it is difficult to maintain proper lane position.

I was driving home after shift last week listening to the radio and enjoying the sunshine. The traffic report was being broadcast and in it was a cell phone call from a woman who had been stopped in the lineup for the highway construction on Highway 4 between Port Alberni and Parksville. She wondered if anyone knew what was going on.

Knowing how to behave around snow removal equipment when you encounter it on the highway is important for both your safety and that of the equipment operator. These trucks must operate at optimum speeds to remove snow, drop sand and salt or apply brine. A bit of patience is required if this optimum is not what you consider appropriate for you.

The Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure has released the 2020 version of the Traffic Management Manual for Work on Roadways. This is essentially an 815 page textbook outlining fundamental principles and guidelines for traffic management and traffic control in work zones. The goal is to ensure the protection of workers and the safe and efficient movement of road users through the work zone.

Here's another complaint from the DriveSmartBC Inbox: "Please speak to the situation that I call the "Invisible White Lines" on our highways as soon as we get some rain and whilst driving in the dark. Night visibility in winter is terrible.