‘It’s getting dangerous’: Trucker wants more rest stops in Lower Mainland – BC | Globalnews.ca

A longtime BC trucker is asking private lot owners, municipalities and the provincial government to make more room for truckers who need to rest.

According to Lynne Fortin, the number of safe places for truckers to stop, sleep, eat and use the bathroom has decreased in recent years, especially on the Lower Mainland.

“Often I find myself sleeping off a highway until a policeman tells me I have to move,” he said. “I’m driving and my eyes are burning, and I know I need to stop, but I can’t find a place to get in.”

Fortin spoke to Global News near a private lot on the Trans-Canada Highway near Lickman Road in Chilliwack where dozens of truckers used to park but now can’t because barricades have been erected.

Tents, RVs and private vehicles are also taking up many of the spaces available to truckers at the Cole Road and Bradner rest areas in Abbotsford, he added.

“When you’re not getting the sleep you need, you come in here and you’re a danger to everybody, and it’s really dangerous,” he said. “Help us. We are bringing the products… we are not asking for much.”

In a written statement, the city of Chilliwack said the Lickman Road lot is privately owned and the city did not put up barricades.

trending stories

• Rogers blackout exposes Canada’s reliance on telcos: ‘We don’t have many options’

• Rogers outage: What we know so far about Friday outage refunds

“A quick Google of truck stops in Chilliwack shows that there are several other options within our community, such as a Petro-Canada truck stop on Yale Road or the Huskey truck stop on Vedder,” said director of communications Jamie Leggatt. “Both locations also have options to buy food.”

The BC Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure added that Abbotsford Police are aware of concerns about overnight camping at the Cole Road and Bradner rest stops, as well as passenger vehicles using truck parking at the whatcom exchange.

Construction is underway on the North Surrey Truck Parking Facility on Highway 17, about 600 meters east of the Port Mann Bridge, due to be completed by the end of 2023, it said.

“When completed, the site will have space for 106 commercial trucks and will include restrooms with showers, a sanitary dump, and safety measures such as fencing and lighting,” a statement read.

“While still in the early planning stages, the truck facility is being considered as part of the Fraser Valley Highway 1 Corridor Improvement Program.”

There are over 100 public truck stops along BC’s major highways, but few west of Hope.

Dave Earle, president and CEO of the BC Trucking Association, said his organization is working with the provincial government to improve the quantity and quality of rest stops across the province.

“For decades we have not invested enough in our commercial goods infrastructure,” he said. “Right now, there just aren’t enough places for vehicles to stop, for drivers to get out of their units, get a cup of coffee, use the facilities and get back on the road safely.”

Privately owned lots are being “taken away” as they are rebuilt, he added, and public areas are “not maintained” in a way that allows trucks to enter and exit with the required clearance.

Earle said he is encouraged by the development of North Surrey, but noted that there are over 20,000 registered heavy commercial vehicles in Surrey alone, making it “a drop in the ocean for what is really needed”.

He said the association also asked the Transportation Ministry last week about measures to ensure commercial truckers can use rest stops where the public has been sleeping and parking RVs, but has received no response.