Police throughout the region were warning of slippery roads on Wednesday, with vehicles getting stuck or spinning out of control.
West Shore RCMP Cpl. Nancy Saggar said a number of smaller cars were getting stuck Wednesday as they made turns or tried to get in and out parking lots, while the hill on Wale Road on its approach to Sooke Road was “kind of a disaster zone” with drivers not able to make it to the top.
In some cases, their tires are not good enough for the snow and ice, Saggar said.
“Some of them actually got stuck trying to turn around because the person in front of them got stuck.”
The intersections of Phipps Road/McCallum Road and Phipps Road/Langford Parkway were also a challenge for drivers because of ice and compacted snow, she said.
Saggar said a number of minor collisions have been happening “in slow motion” because vehicles are drifting on slippery surfaces.
In Sooke, RCMP Sgt. Kevin Shaw said Wednesday that most major roads in the area were “clean and passable” and few traffic issues had come up through early afternoon, except for a vehicle struck in a ditch near Jordan River.
“Everybody’s driving slowly and carefully,” he said.
Saanich police said icy roads were challenging drivers Wednesday and officers were using only the four-wheel drive vehicles in the department’s fleet to patrol the municipality.
“They are even having difficulties, especially on the Pat Bay Highway,” said Const. Markus Anastasiades. “There are very slippery conditions.”
He said a truck spun out on the highway near Elk Lake about 7:30 a.m. “It took down some live power lines.”
The officer who responded said the truck had been sliding all the way along the highway, Anastasiades said.
He reminded drivers to allow extra time for travel and to use proper winter tires.
