Another rough and slushy day for Lower Mainland commuters

LOWER MAINLAND (NEWS 1130) – Wintery weather is not done with the Lower Mainland; another blanket of snow across the region made it for a slushy drive on Friday.

Heavy snow has been slowing down several transit routes, especially in areas where buses need to navigate steep hills.

“Some areas in the North Shore are quite slippery, we’ve had some buses stuck in sort of the Grandview area in Vancouver,” says Translink’s Jill Drews.

RELATED: Snowfall warning: Up to 10 cm expected in parts of Lower Mainland

She says TransLink has activated the snow plan for the SFU hill which means longer buses have been replaced by shuttles equipped with snow socks.

“As far as SkyTrain goes everything is running normally but customers will see staff on trains. We are just monitoring the tracks to make sure that there aren’t any obstacles,” Drews adds. “Snow can fall off the trains and trigger intrusion alarms and this will cut back on unnecessary delays for customers.”

Riders are again being reminded to dress warmly and wear good foot gear, hold on to handrails and give yourself extra commuting time.

Drews also says people should check for service disruptions online before heading out.

Road conditions

Meanwhile, snow made for some white-knuckle driving earlier in the day. Mainroad Lower Mainland deployed road crews and fleet operations to help with road cleanup.

“Please be advised VPD is having several traffic problems and drivers to stay clear of Boundary from Marine to East Hastings northbound and Boundary from East Broadway to Kingsway southbound,” read a statement from Vancouver police. “We have several semi’s stuck, stalled and sliding backwards.”

Burnaby RCMP asked drivers without snow tires to avoid the area of Galardi Way on Burnaby Mountain due to adverse weather.

West Vancouver police also warned people to drive slow down as officers dealt with a car that had gone into a ditch on Cypress Mountain due to heavy snow.

Crews also closed down a northbound lane on the Alex Fraser Bridge for a while during the morning rush to allow them to spray de-icer on the upper parts of the span. Traffic was backed up on Highway 91 and all the feeder routes.

But NEWS 1130 meteorologist Michael Kuss says the snowfall should end in time for the afternoon commute.

“The snow is going to ease off as the cold front passes. But in advance of that front, we’ve seen some snow ramping up through the late morning,” he says. “The heaviest amounts will be in a swath from West Vancouver, across the Tri-Cities, northern parts of Burnaby, and out into the western Valley,” he added.

Listen live for traffic and weather updates every 10 minutes on the ones. You can also follow us on Twitter @NEWS1130Traffic, @kusswx and @NEWS1130Weather or subscribe to breaking news alerts sent directly to your inbox.

School closures

Even though most schools were unaffected by the snow, Mission’s School District sent out an early school dismissal notice noting worsening road condition prompted for the district-wide “soft” closure.

The University of the Fraser Valley also cancelled all classes and activities at all campuses for the day.

Other schools such as SFU, UBC and BCIT remain open for the day.

-With files from Marcella Bernardo and Denise Wong