Long weekend traffic jams have begun on the Trans-Canada Highway heading north out of Greater Victoria.
DriveBC traffic cameras along the Malahat section heading out of the West Shore show northbound traffic backed up nearly to the Millstream Road overpass as of 11:30 a.m. Friday (June 30), while southbound lanes appear unaffected.
The Canada Day long weekend is already expected to bring travel challenges for the region, with BC Ferries announcing on Wednesday the cancellation of eight daily sailings between Swartz Bay and Tsawwassen from June 28 to July 3, due to mechanical issues with the Coastal Celebration.
The vessel will be out of the rotation for the long weekend, resulting in the cancelled sailings. All of the reservations made for those sailings have been moved to other vessels but BC Ferries warned travellers without bookings to expect long lineups and encouraged passengers to walk on.
As of 11:30 a.m., the Swartz Bay to Tsawwassen route was ticketing for the 1 p.m. crossing for standby passengers, with 12 per cent vehicle space available.
Back on land, ICBC is reminding drivers to plan ahead if they plan on drinking, and local law enforcement is ramping up CounterAttack impaired driving road checks throughout the province.
“Impaired driving has a devastating impact on families and communities, yet some people are still willing to take the risk. There’s no excuse to get behind the wheel after drinking. Every time someone is injured or killed due to impaired driving, it’s preventable,” said Shamnem Afzal, ICBC’s director of road safety in a June 29 news release.
READ MORE: BC Ferries passengers facing multi-sailing waits between Victoria, Vancouver