Coquihalla Highway

Discussion in 'Canadian Truckers Forum' started by cliochannel, Mar 15, 2012.

  1. cliochannel

    cliochannel Light Load Member

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    There is an issue that we are trying to get changed. The eastbound Trans Canada highway sign at the Laidlaw scale in the east Fraser Valley does not tell truckers in advance that chains will be needed on the Coq. Truckers have no advance warning that would allow them to make the turn off to run up the Fraser Canyon instead of the Coq. Tonight when hubby went up, the sign just said "Slushy" and everyone got to the Box Canyon to find that they had to chain up. Hubby has chains of course, and chained up as did everyone else. But guys were madder than hell, because, if they had had knowledge from the Highway 5/97C sign at the eastbound Laidlaw scale many of them would have gone up the canyon instead.

    We are trying to get one of the television stations to do a story on this, so that the 5/97C flashing sign at the eastbound Laidlaw scale will say Chains-giving truckers and the public too, an opportunity to head up the canyon if they would prefer. It is 26 miles to Box Canyon, and those miles can be bloody misery too when weather socks in, even before Box Canyon.

    Anyhow, we are hoping some changes will be made if the tv station publicizes the issue.

    By the way, where hubby's cell phone with Telus plan does not work on the Coq. His Virgin cell phone does. Telus cell, even on Canada wide plan does not work in Manitoba, so hubby had to buy a Virgin cell to use when he needs to call out of Manitoba on a trip. He thought he'd try it out at a known dead spot on the Coq for his Telus cell, and bingo Virgin worked.

    Anyways-stay safe out there.
     
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  3. rzl-dzl

    rzl-dzl Medium Load Member

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    use the free wifi in chilliwack to check

    http://www.th.gov.bc.ca/roadreports/Chains/chains.asp

    its updated more often than the signs on the highway.

    i passed the same scale you speak of, it was chain up on the coq, not on the canyon, so went canyon only to be stopped in Yale to chain up.

    the 4x ive had to chain up goin DOWN smasher, there was no warnings, checked in kamloops, everything is fine, get to the tollbooths/zopkios, we're chaining up.

    yours is a nice idea, but it wont work how it should...website/roadsigns arent updated in anything resembling realtime
     
  4. cliochannel

    cliochannel Light Load Member

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    Hubby motors right on through Chilliwack. By the time he gets out of Metro rush hour he is pushing through. I check computer and give him a call on the latest conditions on Drive BC.

    Even Drive BC can be behind on posting on Links that chains are required at Box C.

    Cars trying to head through with all-seasons instead of winter tires drive him nuts.

    The Liberals spent 120 million to make the Sea to Sky nicey-nice for the Olympics and Whister. Maybe they have a couple of dimes to spend in the other directions-won't hold my breath:)

    Drive BC has only posted a couple of times this winter about chains coming down Coq. Maybe time for level of signage / notification, etc. to be looked at.

    Hubby's buddy was third in line in the avalanche in the Rogers the other night, heading west. The two trucks in front of him got covered. Crew at the Glacier lodge heard it come down and ran out. Dug out the two truckers, they were shaken up, but not injured.

    Thanks for you info. and stay safe. I will look up that website and use it too to pass info on to hubby.
     
  5. laci73

    laci73 Light Load Member

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    cliochanel....well said....agreee, Would be nice to have a sign that says actual situation on coke before scale
     
  6. thelongwalker

    thelongwalker Light Load Member

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    Mission, British Columbia
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    The situation changes so fast up there, no sign would be current. The other night my buddy and I heard 2 trucks were spun out and we were AT Box Canyon, no chain up lights on. We chained up our chip trucks and carried on. We are professional drivers. We deal with whatever we encounter when we get there. It's what we do. :)
     
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  7. rzl-dzl

    rzl-dzl Medium Load Member

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    ya, drivebc is for passenger cars, the link i gave you is the chain status site

    i was caught in a mini avalanche in the first shed east side of rogers, the snow poured in the side of the shed blinding me (and the truck behind me) for a couple seconds, i just hit the brakes and kept to the right using the curb to guide me, didnt know if something was coming towards me or not, once it cleared, drove out, plowtruck laughed and asked if that was fun.

    sea to sky or really any of the road 'upgrades' arent for safety, its to shut up voters and give money to corporate friends....4 laning a road just makes the accidents worse when they happen because of the increase in speed

    and cars dont need winter tires, most of them are 4wd/awd, thats all they need, right? lol
     
  8. Beer Runner

    Beer Runner Medium Load Member

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    When I ran up and down that road I would get on the radio and ask what's it doing on the top. That's how I knew if I should run the canyon or the coke. Worked for me.
     
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  9. laci73

    laci73 Light Load Member

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    Jun 24, 2011
    Mission, BC
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    4-laning of highways is a good thing, if you can build highway properly...but seems they can't build or even design highways properly in BC.
    If they had a sign at Laidlaw scale it could be accurate, if somebody would do his job. There is always tow truck, plows and road maintenance people on Coke, so if there is a necessity to use a chains just use 2-way radio to call scale and change status on the sign. easy....but we not there yet.
     
  10. KW Parts Guy

    KW Parts Guy Light Load Member

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    The Coq can change, literally in 10 minutes, from nice to WTF am i doing here? When your husband passes Laidlaw he has about a 30-35 minute drive from there to the base of that hill, alot can change in that time. But having said that, that highway has a crap load of issues, from bad signage to notorious lack of lane marking issues, and I have never seen a sector of highway so lacking in equipment, the only time they get up there is after the crap hits the fan.
     
  11. nate980

    nate980 Road Train Member

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    I pass the hope scale once a week and sometimes twice and theres always a warning if theres a chain up in effect. I always look on my phone too before i go. Never had to chain for the canyon yet. If your driving the mountains in the winter how can you get mad if you have to chain. I got stopped on top of the summit heading southbound on tuesday night behind a long line of trucks. No one knew what was going on and some people were saying everyone had to chain. Said screw it and followed a line of trucks that was going barefoot cuz i checked online and the chainup wasnt in effect. Made it down fine just a couple of times the truck started sliding.
     
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