With conditions on the colder side of the thermometer in the nights to come, Tri-City residents may want to consider switching the led foot for a steadier one.
During a recent evening of enforcement, RCMP say (luckily) no one was hurt after five motorists were caught excessively speeding across various neighbourhoods in Coquitlam and Port Coquitlam.
The fastest: a driver that went 64 km/h over the posted speed limit near a residential intersection north of Town Centre Park.
That was the third speedster caught the night of Feb. 8, 2022, and wrapped up a near six-hour stint for traffic officers — five hours and 41 minutes to be exact.
All vehicles involved were immediately impounded and each driver was ticketed.
While the exact details of each situation is not known, there's a seven-day minimum for a vehicle impoundment, violation tickets were likely between $368 and $483 — the fine range for excessive speeding, per ICBC — and at least three points went against their licences.
As of this publication (Feb. 23), there's an arctic air mass alert in place for the Tri-Cities as temperatures are expected to drop between -10 and -15 C with wind chill tonight.
The mercury is also predicted to fluctuate below seasonal normals in the days to come.
Roads could become icy in certain areas of the region and commuters are encouraged to stay alert.
"Drivers should always adhere to posted speed limits or if conditions are icy or wet, adapt to the current weather conditions," RCMP spokesperson Const. Deanna Law advises in a statement to the Tri-City News.
Mounties first caught an 'N' driver just after 5 p.m. on Feb. 8 going 108 km/h at the intersection of United Boulevard and Shuswap Avenue in Coquitlam, which has a limit of 60 km.
More than two hours later on the Mary Hill Bypass (Highway 7B), another vehicle was impounded after a motorist nearly reached 120 km/h in the 70 zone at Shaughnessy Street.
The fastest of the night was seen just after 7:30 p.m. between the Westwood Plateau and Burke Mountain areas.
RCMP clocked the driver of an apparent van at 114 on the speed radar near the intersection of Pipeline Road and Robson Drive — a 50 km/h zone.
An hour after that, police pulled over an excessive speeder cruising to 136 km/h on Lougheed Highway on the Port Coquitlam side of the Pitt River Bridge, which is a designated 80 zone.
The last vehicle impounded was an apparent SUV at 10:46 p.m. at a notably busy intersection also near Town Centre Park.
The driver clocked at more than double the 50 km/h speed limit at 112 at David Avenue and Pinetree Way.
ICBC says an average of 27 people die across the province each year from motor vehicle incidents when excessive speeding of at least 40 km/h above the limit was a contributing factor.
