May long weekend sees a rebound for pre-pandemic travel, events, lineups

It was expected to be the busiest long weekend in years, and those predictions came true, with many finding themselves in long lines and delays as a result.

After years of COVID-19 restrictions keeping many people at home, travel by air, land, and sea surged over the Victoria Day weekend.

The weather in Metro Vancouver for the unofficial start to summer could not have been better, and many beaches and parks saw thousands of people for the first time in awhile.

For travellers, the weekend was met with some frustrations, especially for those BC Ferries passengers without a reservation.

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As of 10:00 a.m., nearly all the reservations had been sold out. There was only one sailing from Swartz Bay to Tsawwassen, and only one sailing from Nanaimo as well for Monday still available.

Reservations are also sold out between the Sunshine Coast and West Vancouver and reservations appeared to be going fast for Tuesday along the busiest routes as well.

BC Ferries continues to deal with its ongoing crew shortage, impacting several routes, including the Horseshoe Bay-Langdale route which has had to have revised service through to September.

Ahead of the long weekend, BC Ferries says it was ready with additional sailings and crew added, which seemed to have kept some of the all-day waits at bay. As of 1 p.m., there was only about a one sailing wait.

#RiderAlert UPDATE: 562 Langley Centre detour until 12:30 PM. Regular route to 88 Ave and 216 St, 216 St, Telegraph Trail, Glover Road, resume regular route due to parade.^LA

— TransLink BC (@TransLink) May 23, 2022

Vancouver International Airport predicted it would see some 50,000 passengers on Monday alone, marking the busiest travel weekend since the pandemic began, although Friday was expected to be the busiest of all the days.

YVR continues to encourage people to show up early for flights as the Canadian Air Transport Security Authority has been experiencing worker shortages since April leading many to wait for hours in line.

“It is unclear when this situation will improve,” YVR said on its website last month.

The border lineups are also showing a return to somewhat normal levels, as of noon Monday the wait was about 40 minutes northbound at the Peace Arch Crossing with many returning home after a trip to the U.S. for vacation, see family, or to take advantage of the lower gas prices.

Getting around town also proved busy, especially with some crashes leading to lane closures, as well as planned road closures as a result of some Victoria Day festivities.

12:48 – #BCHwy1 – Collision remains at Flood Hope Rd. with crews and an air ambulance on scene. #HopeBC pic.twitter.com/VSBKzzaZxg

— CityNews Vancouver Traffic (@CityNewsTraffic) May 23, 2022

May Day Fort Langley’s parade affecting traffic along Glover Road. Plus, large crowds are expected in the historic area as there will be music, dancing, and food at the Fort Langley Park until 7 p.m. Monday. The entertainment includes a performance by country music star Chad Brownlee.

The North Shore Triathlon also made its return this weekend, with some street closures on Monday, however the Mount Seymour Parkway was slated to reopen just before noon.

While many events are slowly returning, the popular Cloverdale Rodeo, a May long tradition in Surrey, did not resume this year. With organizers saying the event will return in 2023.

With files from Hana Mae Nassar and Katarina Szulc