Drivers stuck in traffic for hours see community support

The snowstorm that hit Metro Vancouver turned many people’s Tuesday evening commutes into a nightmare, with some waiting for hours in bumper-to-bumper traffic, leading to good Samaritans lending a helping hand.

Dominic Sramaty says he has been commuting to and from Vancouver to south Surrey for years. He says his drive home on Tuesday evening was the worst he’s ever experienced.

“We were not moving for large chunks of time. We would sit for 40 minutes at a time, move two car lengths, sit another 40 minutes, move two car lengths. Things were just not moving,” he told CityNews.

He says he began his commute at 9:30 p.m. on Tuesday evening, not arriving home in South Surrey until 3 a.m. Wednesday.

“When you’re delusional and tired, and you don’t know what’s going on, you have no information as to why it’s happening — you just kind of sit there and take it as it comes,” Sramaty said.

“I don’t know how you could have a worse evening of traffic ever. I’ve never heard of an incident like this in the Lower Mainland.”

Sramaty was one of many who had hours-long commutes in the snow-driven chaos Tuesday evening.

A man named Vic told CityNews it took him 13 hours to get from Vancouver to Chilliwack. He wants to know who is going to take responsibility for the clogged routes.

“I’m born here in B.C., I’ve seen so many winter events and I just don’t understand…we knew this two weeks in advance,” he said. “People around the world are probably just laughing at us.”

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The Massey Tunnel, Alex Fraser Bridge and Pattullo Bridge were all shut down in some capacity Tuesday evening due to snow, ice and multiple crashes.

In a statement to CityNews Wednesday, the City of Surrey says staff have been working around the clock to make sure roadways were cleared.

“City of Surrey road crews had 54 pieces of snow-fighting equipment deployed prior to the late afternoon snowfall. More than 1,200 street kilometres were brined. Since 2 p.m. yesterday, approximately 2,500 tonnes of salt were used, and 5225 lane kilometres of roads have been cleared,” the city said.

Community steps up to help those stuck in traffic

While the scene on the roadways was horrific, some took the opportunity to help those who were stranded.

A video posted on TikTok shows a woman offering cookies to those who were stuck on the Pattulo Bridge.

@sheenperltravel Thank you for this amazing couple giving us cookies for dinner. #goodsamaritan #stuckontraffic #royalavenue #newestminster #vancouver #patullobridge #surrey ♬ Paradise – Ikson

The woman is seen navigating around the stopped vehicles with a container of cookies, offering them through the window of a passenger recording the video.

B.C.’s Sikh community also stepped in to help, offering local Gurdwaras as a place for people to take refuge.

Public Notice / Reminder: please stay safe during the #winter #BCStorm

All Gurdwaras are open to the public for temporary shelter, washroom, prayer, meditation, and hot vegetarian meals.

Rules: You must remove shoes inside & cover your head. No alcohol/drugs on premises.

— The Sikh Community of 'BC' / Salish Land (@BCSikhs) November 30, 2022

In a series of tweets, The Sikh Community of ‘BC’ / Salish Land said: “Everyone is welcome to a Gurdwara, regardless of religion, caste, creed, gender, nationality, race, language, class, status or any other factor.”

Now that the cleanup from the snow is largely underway, the B.C. government says it will “debrief” with road contractors to make sure things are different next time the snow comes down.