What to expect on the roads this New Year's Eve
Free buses. All cabs in service. Police roadblocks
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.
All cabs on the road
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.
Organized roadblocks
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.
"We know on New Year's Eve that people are out and celebrating. And so as a result of that celebration, alcohol consumption is up, drug consumption is up … [so] the argument can be made that yes, the amount of impaired driving does go up on that evening," he said.
Impaired driving leads to about 61 deaths per year in B.C., according to ICBC, and 21 per cent of crash fatalities are due to impaired driving.
"It's avoidable if you have a plan, so respect yourself, respect other road users, and don't drink and drive," Sandberg said.
How to intervene
Adam Defrane, board member for B.C. and Yukon Mothers Against Drunk Driving, said that it's important to try to intervene if a person sees another attempting to drive while intoxicated.
"If it's your friend personally, then I think you have to take every step you can to make sure that they don't get behind the wheel, whether that is driving them home, whether that is arranging a ride for them home, arranging a car service, arranging them for a place to stay," he said.
However, if it's a stranger, he suggests speaking to the party host or the staff at an establishment.
"You could also call the police. Police always want those calls," he said.
"It's much better to make that call and have yourself be wrong as opposed to not make that call and unfortunately having yourself be right and that person being impaired and something bad happens."
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With files from Alexander Wauthy