Tuesday, January 20, 2009

Winter tire requirements on BX/Swan Lake area roads

This is a reminder about the importance of winter tires and driving appropriately for road conditions. The snowflake inside the mountain symbol is given by tire manufacturers indicating a tire is designated as a winter tire and appropriate for use in snow. Not all roads in the BX area require winter tires or chains, and thus not all are viewed the same by the new regulations of posted roads stating you must have either. The RCMP has done much educating and advertising in this regard, and in nearly every issue of The Morning Star over the last few weeks, the importance of winter tires and driving appropriately for the road conditions has been stressed. Silver Star Road, Hwy 6, Hwy 97, Hwy 97A, Hwy 97B are all affected by this mandatory regulation. All other roads that are not posted are recommended to have snow tires installed for winter driving. Roads such as Hartnell Road are of concern, however are not signed. ICBC has additional information on buying snow tires in this fact sheet: www.icbc.com/road_safety/pdf/Road_Safety_Buying_Better_Tires_PI222A.pdf. For more information, you may contact: Kathryn Birnie Regional Programs Coordinator City of Vernon/RCMP Safe Communities Unit 101 - 3334 30th Avenue, Vernon BC, V1T 2C8 250.308.6591 Fax: 250.260.5866 Email: kbirnie@vernon.ca