What to expect on the roads this New Year's Eve
CBC
With many people getting ready to go out on New Year's Eve, transportation and public safety experts are advising partiers to plan ahead for a safe ride home.
Outside of Metro Vancouver, many of B.C.'s public bus routes operated by B.C. Transit will run later than usual and will be offering free rides starting in the late afternoon or early evening on Dec. 31.
Within Metro Vancouver, TransLink will be offering free rides after 5 p.m. It says it expects to be a lot busier than usual, and fare gates at SeaBus and SkyTrain stations will stay open.
An extra 52 buses will be on the roads, and extra staff will be working, including extra transit police.
"It will be very busy because people are taking advantage of free transit. It is one of the busiest nights of the year," said TransLink spokesperson Thor Diakow.
SkyTrain stations may see crowding, especially in downtown Vancouver, and wait times may be long, Diakow said.
"[We] ask for a little bit of patience from everyone if there are some crowds," he said.
Taxi drivers are also expecting a busy night. Mohan Kang, president of the B.C. Taxi Association, said that all cabs will be out on the road Tuesday night.
Having been a taxi driver on New Year's Eve many times, he said demand is highest right after midnight and that it stays "super busy" for the next couple of hours.
His number one request for would-be taxi riders is not to jump in a cab that was assigned to pick up someone else.
"I think they should have the sense of the civic duty … people should have the patience and show the courtesy for others," he said.
James Sandberg, acting inspector and spokesperson for the Delta Police Department (DPD), said police forces across the province will be setting up roadblocks screening for impaired drivers on New Year's Eve, thanks, in part, to funding from ICBC.
"We will do organized roadblocks in areas where traffic is funnelled. Once you're there, it's difficult to get out of," he said.
Sandberg said it's reasonable for people to expect more impaired drivers on the road on New Year's Eve.
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