How very sad,

no sand or salt as usual

We were watching the news from Boston on Wednesday night. The were predicting 8 to 10 inches of snow to have fallen in most areas around the city by Friday morning.

They were showing snow removal crews going out prepping the main roads to increase the safety of the roads during the initial hours of the storm.

Fascinating to watch the stupidity. Our experts know better than that and do not send equipment out until there is 12.5 cm on the ground.

I don’t think YRB uses the 12.5 cm rule

That’s what I notice Gus. Days like today YRB is on the 9-5 shift and by the time they get out in the morning its already formed hard packed snow on the highway and the plows are a lost cause. Being they are in the road maintenance business they should be watching the weather radar and know when the snow is coming and be proactive on top of it, rather than playing catch up.

I know for a fact that the Cariboo road maintenance crews do a great job of following the radar picture to deploy crews, but YRB is often lost. Also since we have no ministry of highways doing audits YRB always claim partially covered or clear highways to the weather network in their district, even when PG area highways have 6inches of hard pack on the road.

One thing I can’t understand is why the plow trucks leave their blade up an inch so as to leave behind a layer of slush on the road… taking the steering traction away and then forms hard pack… and the process is set for awful driving conditions. I tend to think its pure laziness, but maybe there is a method to their madness?

“road conditions at the time were slippery and slushy.”

Maybe that why I am zeroing in on that -1 to +1 degrees Celsius temperature range, because it is within that range that “slushy” conditions are likely to occur.

As Bill Poser pointed out a day or two ago, car tires pull when they hit slushy sections on the highway, this can cause the driver to lose control of their vehicle.

“As Bill Poser pointed out a day or two ago, car tires pull when they hit slushy sections on the highway, this can cause the driver to lose control of their vehicle.”

So does hydroplaning in the summer. In fact, if there is enough water trapped by slush, the effect is virtually exactly the same.

The main solution is to drive slower than the posted speed ….. also to slow down a bit as road conditions change, try the brakes very lightly, then you get a better fell for actual conditions.

I think the real issue here is that 2 people lost their lives. All you guys seem to want to do is sit at your computer and blame everyone for this. Find out the facts first. I drive Hwy 16 East almost every day. The plow trucks were out BEFORE the accident happened. I was passed by all the emergency crews on the way to the accident and the roads were plowed and sanded. It snowed out here all day and the roads were what is to be expected in the winter. Driving according to road conditions is what needs to be done by all.

I think the real issue here is that 2 people lost their lives. All you guys seem to want to do is sit at your computer and blame everyone for this. Find out the facts first. I drive Hwy 16 East almost every day. The plow trucks were out BEFORE the accident happened. I was passed by all the emergency crews on the way to the accident and the roads were plowed and sanded. It snowed out here all day and the roads were what is to be expected in the winter. Driving according to road conditions is what needs to be done by all.

dodgeram wrote: “think the real issue here is that 2 people lost their lives.”

Then dodgeram wrote: “Find out the facts first.”

So there you have it dodgeram ….. one person died, not two. …… one cannot find out all the facts first, can one? At least not if one wanted to write a piece of “news” ….. or write a “comment”.

Just imagine this scenario …
… 5 days have passed … still not quite sure what is factual and what is conjecture ….. better hold on a bit longer … ;-)

dodgeram states; “All you guys seem to want to do is sit at your computer and blame everyone for this.”

Hmm… re-read mine, and everyone else’s, comments on this discussion thread, no one is blaming anyone, or everyone, for this.

As a person that drives highway 16 east several times a week, I think YRB is doing a good job.