Was there a change in the weather this evening along that stretch? I drove through there earlier today and it didn't seem too bad. A bit icy with last nights snow/ice, but nothing too crazy.

When I drove through at 11am this morning, the portion between Vanderhoof and Bednesti was well sanded. But as usual the section between Prince George and Bednesti had no sign of any road maintenance at all.

If the RCMP have to close down the road until the maintenance crews went out to do their job, then perhaps we should be looking to get new maintenance crews.

I have said it many times before that there is obviously less attention paid on the PG side of that section of highway. Once again we were lucky there were no major injuries.

But what is it going to take to get a proper job done?

And it would probably help if the PG side used a nice sand mixture the way the Vanderhoof side does, rather than that 3/4" gravel that does nothing but smash your windshield.
A sand/salt mixture would be especially effective right now with the warming trend in the forecast.

I guess I should read the stories in order to see that it was freezing rain causing the troubles.

YRB PG still needs to do a better job though!

I think there was a discussion about this after the last accident on that stretch. The PG side of Bednesti is always poorly maintained.

Frankly YRB should lose their contract, they have consistantly had terrible highway maintenance.

I travel PG to Quesnel, and PG to Vanderhoof allot, and well all know exactly where the companies change.

YRB is a bigger hazard to residents of PG than airport scanners, idling fairies and wood stoves.

Yes I also drove the highway yesterday in afternoon then returned home with no problem. Did notice as usual the difference in the Vanderhoof side compared to PG side. Very little sanding done.
I did notice alot of sanding being done when I was stuck in traffic waiting to get past the accident scene on Jan 6th by Isle Pierre. Why does it take an accident to get these guys to do the job properly.

Agreed, the PG side is often horrendous and then once you reach the Vanderhoof side its dry roads and lots of sand.
Same thing going south to Quesnel... last week I couldn't see any sand on the PG side... YRB in PG really needs to find a way to get the sand on those hills and people that know where to put the sand... ie corners, uneven road sections, and as you near the creast of the hills.

In the defense of YRB I would like to ask the public to be patient and give the drivers of the sand trucks some room. The other day a sand truck full of sand going into town was acquiring a rectal examination by one of the public. I’m sure if the sanders were turned on, the pickup would look like it came from Kandahar, Afghanistan and YRB would fix it and it would be the sand truck operator’s fault. It was a lot less paperwork not put on the sanders.

I agree with whitewater on the vehicle following too close, they can't sand if ya don't give them room. There are alot of people that should stay home and off the roads because they don't know how to drive in this weather. Never mind bitching about YRB. Here is a thought drive slower in winter conditions. I know this is a difficult concept but it does work.

If everyone drove to the conditions there would be way fewer problems.

whitewater, I certainly agree with you there, people always seem to get right up behind them.
Seems to me though that they should just keep sanding the road. They have a job to do, and if some un-patient driver wants a load of gravel on their hood then that is their decision to make.
The trucks are very good at pulling over when they get a chance to let traffic by, so give them room.

And yes everyone does have to drive more to the conditions.
But when the conditions consistently allow you to drive 90-100 on the Vanderhoof side, and 70-80 on the PG side, then there is a problem.

And for those who do not drive this highway often, they would likely not realize they need to adjust their speed between PG and Bednesti until it is too late.

IF YRB did their job as well as those in Vanderhoof and Quesnel, there would be less problems.

I have driven from PG to Vanderhoof many times early in the day in heavy snow to see no signs of a plow truck on the PG side only to come to clean plowed and sanded roads after Bednesti. This hasnt been a one time occurance, it is EVERY time it snows.

Ever wonder why most of the accidents are from the Bobtail Overpass to PG?

dan,

I was talking to a plow driver from Vanderhoof 2 winters ago, he told me that YRB in PG had asked them to ease up on the transition area around Bednesti because it was to much of a sudden change.

Wouldnt it have been a better idea to just maintain the roads on the PG side?

Agreed. I am not on the highways much, but I see people overdriving the conditions in town on a day to day basis, going way too fast and approaching intersections and 4 way stops at a high rate of speed. You have to take responsibility and cannot rely on the road crews to make up for your driving ability if you choose to go too fast.