‘Stay off the ice’: Langley doubles down on safety reminders after ATV falls into Brydon Lagoon
Posted January 16, 2024 2:33 pm.
Last Updated January 16, 2024 2:34 pm.
Officials in Langley are urging people to keep off the ice, after an ATV fell into the Brydon Lagoon Tuesday morning.
The Langley RCMP confirms to CityNews its officers received a call about a person riding an ATV on the ice just before 10 a.m.
“The Brydon Lagoon is a popular spot for residents to go for a walk and it … started to form ice on it because of the cold temperatures,” explained Const. Zynal Sharoom.
He says before officers arrived, the RCMP received a second call reporting the ATV had “gone through the ice.”
The person riding the vehicle reportedly ran away, “with the ATV submerged.”
“We arrived on scene, we made sure that there was no risk to the public at the time and it was confirmed that the operator had left the area. However, a short time later, the operator had returned and made contact with police,” Sharoom said, adding the driver didn’t report any injuries.
“The driver did want to come and retrieve his ATV. However, due to the risk of certain spots, we refused him any access to go onto the ice.”
He notes the ATV will be retrieved by Langley City bylaw officers and parks staff “at a later time when it is safe.”
Langley City mayor ‘extremely disappointed’ that ice warnings ignored
On Monday, the City of Langley issued a reminder to people to stay off ice-covered bodies of water.
“Any pond in the City, including Brydon Lagoon is not a sanctioned skating rink. The City has not tested the thickness of the ice and cannot confirm it is safe,” the city said in a social media post.
City of Langley Mayor Nathan Pachal says he’s “extremely disappointed” by what happened Tuesday morning.
“Our parks are urban, we are a city and, like much of Metro Vancouver, it’s really inappropriate to be riding motorized vehicles in urban parks, full stop. It’s even more disappointing that this individual decided to ride a heavy vehicle on thin ice in a sensitive ecosystem,” Pachal told CityNews.
He points out the ice at Brydon Lagoon is “nowhere near thick enough to be safe for people to be on.”
Going on the ice poses a risk, Pachal adds.
“Luckily, this person was not injured, luckily there was no environmental contamination, but really … you should stay off the ice,” the mayor said.
“In Langley City, like many places in Metro Vancouver, we usually don’t get prolonged periods of freezing. Maybe other parts of Canada they may test the ice and open it up for the public, but this is something that we don’t do in Langley City, given the brief spells of below-freezing weather we get here. While it’s very beautiful to look at and it should be enjoyed, it’s very risky to go out on the ice. It is super thin. It can put yourself and your children at risk.”
Other municipalities saw people take to local ponds and lakes to skate and walk on during the arctic outflow last week. However, in places like Vancouver, that came despite warnings against such activities.
“Although it is very cold, The Vancouver Board of Parks and Recreation strongly advises against skating or walking on any ponds or lakes due to a variety of safety concerns,” the Vancouver Park Board said on Jan. 14.
A day later, the board reissued its warning, saying, “the temperature will need to stay below zero for an extended time for the ice to be thick enough to support the weight of a person or pet.”
Sharoom is also warning people to steer clear from frozen ponds and lakes — even if the ice looks thick enough to walk on.
“It is not that cold for you to be on it for long periods of time,” he said. “We’re telling [people] to refrain from walking onto the ice because you just never know when it will give away.”
