Snow returns to B.C.'s South Coast just in time for New Year's Eve
Rhianna Schmunk | CBC News | Posted: December 31, 2016 9:37 PM | Last Updated: January 1, 2017
Bus service has been disrupted throughout the Lower Mainland and driving conditions are poor
Another dump of snow on B.C.'s South Coast Saturday created problems on the roads ahead of New Year's Eve celebrations.
Snowfall warnings came into effect for Metro Vancouver and the Fraser Valley just before 4:00 p.m. PT, but several areas started seeing flurries earlier in the afternoon.
Bus service was disrupted throughout the Lower Mainland. TransLink said service in south Vancouver had been severely impacted by stuck buses.
The case was the same in parts of Burnaby at higher elevations. Service to Simon Fraser University was cancelled earlier in the evening.
In Coquitlam, Westwood plateau was impassable and TransLink set up diversions for the community shuttles that serve that area.
But TransLink said there were no delays on any of the SkyTrains or the SeaBus. Bus service in Richmond is also operating normally.
SkyTrains were scheduled to run one hour past their regular schedule, and transit service was free from 5 p.m. PT onwards.
Slippery roads also led to crashes reducing traffic on the Lions Gate Bridge and to major congestion on the Alex Fraser Bridge. The right lanes in both directions were closed for the night.
Some local authorities were urging people to stay home instead of hit the roads to get to their New Year's Eve celebrations.
BC Hydro was also reporting power outages affecting more than 12,000 customers throughout the Lower Mainland, including in Burnaby, Maple Ridge, the University Endowment Lands and Vancouver.
Earlier on Saturday, Environment Canada said at least four centimetres of snow had fallen in some parts of the region.
"We are expecting the precipitation to last through today, but it will be in a mixed form," said Environment Canada meteorologist Cindy Yu.
"That means you may see wet snow or snow mixed with rain, and some areas may even pick up between two to four centimetres."
City officials said crews were out salting streets on Friday evening in preparation for the snow. Extra personnel were on hand as of 7 p.m. PT on Saturday to repeat that process.
TransLink spokesperson Anne Drennan said the authority has a full snow plan in place to ensure that party-goers get home safely.
She did, however, remind travellers to leave plenty of time to get where they're going.
"We'll get you where you want to go, but there may be some delays, so a little bit of patience doesn't hurt," she said.
Vancouver police echoed TransLink's advice, adding that drivers should take extra care on the roads.
Meanwhile, a free New Year's Eve celebration in downtown Vancouver went ahead on as planned.
Organizers were strongly encouraging those attending to take public transit to the event.