‘Extremely frustrating’: Delta councillor speaks out after another overpass hit by truck
Posted July 18, 2023 3:13 pm.
Less than two months after two different overpasses on Highway 1 in Abbotsford were struck by trucks, another one in Delta was hit Tuesday morning.
This marks the fourth overpass struck this year, and is the latest in a long string of smashes that have happened around the Lower Mainland in the past few years.
Tuesday’s incident has prompted major delays on the thoroughfare along with the partial closure of the route.
Read more: Highway 99 in Delta closed southbound after truck hits overpass
One Delta city councillor says he’s concerned about the impact that hitting overpasses has on both municipalities and commuters.
“It’s extremely frustrating for commuters, for people trying to make plans to get in and out of the City of Delta,” Dylan Kruger told CityNews.
“This is not the first time this has happened. It seems to be happening increasingly frequently. These incidents cost taxpayers tens of millions of dollars in seismic repairs to these critical transportation structures.”
The councillor is also calling for the province to step in and increase the amount those involved can be fined, saying, “It’s critical that the province put proper disincentives in place.”
“I do have quite a bit of concern when we see this increased frequency. I’d like to make sure that if it’s drivers that are responsible, or the companies behind these trucks that are responsible, that they are being held liable. When we’re having costs of tens of millions of dollars to taxpayers, we need to make sure that fines are equitable, I don’t think a $500 fine and a slap on the wrist is the appropriate response when we have serious, serious damage like this, that causes huge disruption to the region.”
“It does seem to be happening increasingly frequency, in fact, last year there was an incident where the same driver hit the same overpass about a week apart … that’s just simply unacceptable,” Kruger said.
“We cannot, as taxpayers, allow this to continue to happen. I know that these incidents can sometimes be complex, but whoever is found to be liable needs to ensure that they are fined appropriately, and if it’s the driver, they should not be driving commercial vehicles in Metro Vancouver.”
In May, the Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure said in a statement that it was working with the trucking industry to implement “new actions,” including steeper penalties, longer suspensions, and driver education.
In a statement to CityNews Tuesday, the ministry confirms plans are “well underway” in establishing the actions, and notes that an update is expected in the coming months.
“Commercial vehicle operators are responsible for ensuring their loads are meeting the terms and conditions of the permit they have been issued. While the vast majority of drivers operate in a responsible way, there are clearly a minority who do not and more will be done to address them,” the statement reads, in part.
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Meanwhile, BC United Transportation Critic Trevor Halford previously told CityNews that instances like these are becoming far too common.
“If you look at the last year, we’ve had over a dozen of these instances,” he said.
Halford says more needs to be done to prevent the collisions, and says he believes the problems stem from a lack of accountability.
“There seems to be adequate signs in terms of height and things like that. I know in the past Minister Flemming has talked tough on fines — all I’ve seen is talk.”
