Latest news with #LionsGateBridge
CTV News
4 days ago
- Automotive
- CTV News
Lions Gate Bridge reopens after multi-vehicle crash
A collision on the Lions Gate Bridge is seen just after 1:15 p.m. on Friday, Aug. 8, on a DriveBC highway camera. The Lions Gate Bridge is fully reopened after a motor vehicle incident shut it down Friday afternoon. The bridge was initially closed in both directions at 1 p.m., and one lane reopened to alternating traffic about half an hour later. The Lions Gate was fully back open just after 2 p.m., but DriveBC warned of delays as the congestion clears. Police told CTV News the crash involved three vehicles on the West Vancouver side of the bridge and believe there were minor injuries.
CTV News
4 days ago
- Automotive
- CTV News
Lions Gate Bridge closed northbound after multi-vehicle crash
A collision on the Lions Gate Bridge is seen just after 1:15 p.m. on Friday, Aug. 8, on a DriveBC highway camera. The northbound lanes of the Lions Gate Bridge are closed after a motor vehicle incident Friday afternoon. The bridge was initially shut down in both directions at about 1 p.m., but a southbound lane reopened about 30 minutes later. Police told CTV News there was a crash involving three vehicles on the West Vancouver side of the bridge. There are also reports of a jackknifed semi truck on the other end. The West Vancouver Police Department said the cars need to be towed away, sothe shutdown could last some time. Police believe the crash caused minor injuries. CTV News has reached out to B.C. Emergency Health Services for more information.
CTV News
4 days ago
- Automotive
- CTV News
Lions Gate Bridge closed after multi-vehicle crash
A collision on the Lions Gate Bridge is seen just after 1:15 p.m. on Friday, Aug. 8, on a DriveBC highway camera. The Lions Gate Bridge is closed in both directions due to a motor vehicle incident Friday afternoon. DriveBC first reported the closure just after 1 p.m. Police told CTV News there was a crash involving four vehicles on the West Vancouver side of the bridge. There are also reports of a jackknifed semi truck on the other end. The next update from DriveBC is scheduled for 1:45 p.m. CTV News has reached out to B.C. Emergency Health Services for more information.
CBC
25-07-2025
- Automotive
- CBC
Who controls the centre lane on the Lions Gate Bridge?
Around 60,000 cars cross Vancouver's Lions Gate Bridge every day. And if you have ever been in one of those vehicles, you may have wondered who decides the ever-changing direction of the centre lane and how they decide when to change it. "Our biggest goal obviously is safety and second to that is keeping traffic moving," said Ashok Bhatti, executive director at B.C.'s transportation ministry. The bridge, which connects Vancouver and the North Shore, has three lanes for vehicle traffic (and barriers that separate an area for cyclists and pedestrians on either side). Special traffic lights posted above each vehicle lane indicate which direction of traffic a lane is open to — providing the bridge with a counterflow system. Staff monitor 46 cameras At the province's Transportation Management Centre in Coquitlam, B.C. the mood is calm and focused. Staff monitor thousands of traffic cameras across B.C. They update the Drive B.C. website, change the messaging on electronic traffic signs across the province, and manage counterflow operations on various structures in Metro Vancouver—including the Lions Gate. WATCH: Who controls the Lions Gate Bridge's centre lane? Who controls the Lions Gate Bridge centre Lane? 10 hours ago Around 60,000 cars cross Vancouver's Lions Gate Bridge every day. And if you have ever been in one of those vehicles, you may have wondered who decides the ever-changing direction of the centre lane and how they decide when to change it. The CBC's Michelle Gomez has the answers. A staff member observes the iconic green bridge's traffic at all hours through 46 cameras that show different sections and angles of both the bridge and the roads leading onto it. Decisions are made methodically, based on engineering standards and take into account what is happening on the road in real time. How it works There are typically two lanes heading southbound—into downtown Vancouver—during morning rush hour as people pour into the city, and two lanes heading northbound—out of downtown—during evening rush hour,as drivers head home. But it's not as simple as that. No matter the time of day, as cars come off the bridge they are routed onto city streets and highways, which must have enough space to handle them. The need is most acute for southbound vehicles, heading into Vancouver's dense, downtown core. "If we're in a situation where we don't do counterflow for a very long time, and traffic is starting to build up, say, in Vancouver. . . we need to start flushing this traffic through otherwise it will take hours for us to release it," Bhatti said. And if southbound traffic slows down too much along the Stanley Park Causeway, it can cause the centre lane to clog—which Bhatti said is a big no-no. The centre lane, no matter which direction it's serving, must remain free-flowing at all times so cars can merge, quickly, safely and on short notice, into the right-hand lane when an emergency vehicle needs to get across using the centre lane, Bhatti explained. Emergency vehicles need to come through dozens of times per day, he added. This adds to how often the centre lane is changed. "The reason it's so dynamic is we're constantly managing the traffic back and forth so it won't get to that critical place where it just won't work," he said. When it isn't rush hour, Bhatti said staff monitor the cameras and use the centre counterflow lane based on which side has the highest traffic volume. "What we're trying to do is make sure that it doesn't get congested, particularly in any one direction," he said. Between managing emergency vehicles and traffic counterflow, Bhatti sayd staff typically switch the lane direction between 35 and 40 times a day. How lanes are switched The process of changing the direction of the centre lane using the specialised traffic lights takes about three minutes from start to finish. Those driving in the centre lane will first see a flashing yellow line, then a solid yellow line, and finally a red "X" indicating the lane is fully closed. Drivers coming from the other side will then see the a green check mark above the centre lane, with staff monitoring the transition to ensure it's clear before it opens to the opposite direction. "It's all done through very strict engineering standards, but the operators do have the ability… to dynamically shift things in real time to make sure it's safe," Bhatti said. Constrained network Bhatti said drivers should give themselves plenty of time and exercise patience while crossing the bridge, which he referred to as part of a constrained network. "There's a huge population of travellers within the Lower Mainland," Bhatti said. "All the bridges could be bigger." Bhatti said drivers should know staff do their best efficiently and creatively manage traffic, using counterflow to make the most of the three-lane bridge.
CTV News
10-07-2025
- CTV News
Tesla driver sought nearly a month after Corvette crash in Vancouver's Stanley Park
Police respond to a crash on the Stanley Park Causeway on Sunday, June 15, 2025. (CTV News) Nearly a month after a serious crash involving a luxury sports car shut down the Lions Gate Bridge for several hours, Vancouver police are issuing a public appeal for information in the case. The crash occurred just after 4 a.m. on Sunday, June 15, closing the Stanley Park Causeway and the Lions Gate Bridge for several hours while police investigated. A black Chevrolet Corvette collided with a white Ford F150, sending both drivers to hospital with non-life-threatening injuries, the Vancouver Police Department said in a statement Thursday, more than three weeks after the crash. Video from the scene shows the Corvette on the wrong side of the fence that separates the causeway's pedestrian sidewalks from the road. The sports car's front end is mangled and covered in a white residue, possibly from a fire extinguisher. Causeway crash A crash closed the Lions Gate Bridge for hours early on the morning of Sunday, June 15, 2025. The F150 appears to be a commercial vehicle. It looks to have lost part of its truck bed, and a pile of debris – including a road sign and several orange traffic cones – can be seen lying in the road. The VPD did not respond to CTV News requests for information on the day of the crash. In its statement Thursday, the department said it is looking for additional witnesses and dash-cam video of the incident. 'As part of the ongoing investigation, officers have reviewed dash-cam footage from a taxi that captured a white Tesla driving on the causeway around the time of the crash,' said Const. Tania Visintin, in the release. 'We are asking the driver of that Tesla, and anyone else who may have witnessed the collision or has relevant video footage, to contact police.' Police said they have ruled out drug and alcohol impairment as contributing factors in the collision. Anyone with information about the crash should call investigators at 604-717-4021, police said.
