'The only road': Mayor calls for Sea-to

Squamish, B.C., mayor calls for Sea-to-Sky upgrades after deadly crash and highway closure

Crash in early July left travellers stranded on Highway 99 overnight

In the wake of a string of serious incidents on the Sea-to-Sky Highway, the mayor of Squamish, B.C., says the critical route is falling behind on needed safety upgrades.

“The communities of the Sea-to-Sky are really an ecosystem, we are connected," Armand Hurford told CBC News.

"And the only road — the only road, not the preferred road, the only road — is the Sea-to-Sky Highway, so we are incredibly reliant on that."

B.C. mayor calls for improvements to highway in wake of deadly motorcycle crash

That route's vulnerability was highlighted earlier this month, when hundreds of people were stranded on Highway 99 overnight after fatal motorcycle crash.

The cause of the collision remains under investigation, and Hurford said the fallout raises serious concerns.

"The provincial highway is killing people, and that has a ripple effect for their friends and family and loved ones, of course, and also for the rest of the road users," he said.

Just a week after the crash, and not far from the deadly scene, another motorcyclist was caught going 177 km/h in an 80 km/h zone.

More stories from Vancouver-South Coast

B.C. Highway Patrol Cpl. Michael McLaughlin called it "shocking," adding that police routinely deal with excessive speeding on the route.

"To be 97 km/h over the limit is an enormous risk to yourself and everybody around you," he said.

While this particular rider escaped without injury, others haven't been so lucky. Serious collisions forced the closure of the route for hours in January, February, March and June.

Fatal motorcycle crash leaves travellers stranded on Sea-to-Sky Highway overnight

While the highway underwent a $600 million upgrade in the run up to the 2010 Olympics, Hurford believes improvements have lagged since then.

“I am not seeing those incremental improvements over time," he said.

"I am not seeing or hearing anything about studying what happens when the highway closes for a length of time as a result of these accidents."

Hundreds stranded after fatal motorcycle crash on Sea-to-Sky Highway

Raheem Dilgir, a B.C.-based transportation safety expert and president of TranSafe Consulting, said the pre-Olympic upgrades to the Sea-to-Sky were significant, and are still "showcased worldwide as a safety success."

But he said incidents like the recent fatal crash show that we can still do better, particularly when it comes to managing speed.

Dilgir recommended "average speed over distance" cameras as one potential enforcement tool.

"Rather than checking speed at individual points, [they] check it over a certain distance, which is a better reflection of actually sustained behaviour and therefore the risk of collisions," he said.

The province is currently piloting average speed over distance cameras on Highway 5, between Kamloops and Avola, in a data collection but not enforcement role.

Median barriers can also play an important role in preventing head-on crashes, he added.

Sea to Sky crews deal with multiple calls over weekend, including 1 fatality

The Sea-to-Sky currently has four stretches without median barriers, including where the fatal crash took place.

The Ministry of Transportation did not directly answer questions about whether improvements or cameras were being considered for the highway in the wake of recent crashes.

In a statement, the ministry said it "continues to invest in improvements and efficiency upgrades" for the Sea-to-Sky, and that the safety of the corridor is reviewed annually.

It added it was assessing how to better facilitate access for drivers to the 16 existing turnarounds on the route during emergencies.

"First and foremost, highway safety is the biggest thing," he said. "There’s investments to be made to prevent these types of outcomes."