The City of Delta and its police want the province to consider height-detection systems and better warning signs at the 112th Street/Hwy. 99 overpass, or any other overpasses, that have been, or could be hit by big trucks.
A/Insp. James Sandberg said the city will ask for that as part of the damage assessment to the 112th Street overpass, following a spectacular crash Dec. 28.
Steel girders being hauled by a Chohan Freight Forwarders truck on Hwy. 99, impaled the overpass above at about noon that day, completely blocking Hwy. 99 southbound for hours.
Delta police and the city will also lobby for even tougher penalties for truckers and their companies, involved in such crashes.
“We understand the frustration, inconvenience, and expense, caused by these collisions and want to assure the public that the city and the police are actively working in collaboration with the province to address both the immediate challenges and the broader issues contributing to these incidents,” Sandberg said.
Coun. Dylan Kruger has also said that penalties are still not tough enough.
Minister of Transportation and Infrastructure Rob Fleming recently announced higher fines for truck drivers involved in such collisions, at a news event on Dec. 14, in Delta.
Fleming said then that fines will increase to $575 for over-height vehicles, but the province also is talking with the trucking association about increasing fines further.
Amendments to the Commercial Transport Regulations and the Motor Vehicle Act Regulations will also require dump-style vehicles to have in-cab warning devices by June 1, 2024. Those devices are to alert a driver if the dump box is raised when the vehicle is in motion.
Delta Police Chief Neil Dubord, chair of the British Columbia Association of Chiefs of Police traffic safety committee, also will ask for increased penalties to be considered by the BCACP.
