A double-decker transit bus collided with another vehicle on Highway 17 on Jan. 1 during traffic enforcement.
The incident happened near Elk/Beaver Lake, causing minor damage and no reported injuries. All involved vehicles were able to leave the scene, according to accounts from authorities.
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At about 10:40 a.m., a member of the Capital Regional District’s Integrated Road Safety Unit was enforcing speed limits on the highway, said Cpl. Mike Halskov, media relations officer with traffic services, RCMP E Divison. The officer, working on foot with a radar gun, spotted a vehicle going “considerably” above the posted speed limit of 80 kilometres per hour, said Halskov. The officer then used a hand-carried stop sign to stop all traffic on the highway, so that he could direct the offending vehicle from the inside lane of the highway to the outside lane, said Halskov.
The bus, travelling on the outside lane of the highway, then hit the rear of another vehicle in the same lane as it was slowing down, said Halskov.
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He said the officer stepped onto the road when it was safe to do so.
Incidents of this sort are “rare,” but can happen, he said.
“Fortunately, nothing serious happened,” said Halskov.
The officer, who pulled over the driver, setting off the chain of events, does not face any internal consequences. “He was doing his job,” said Halskov.
Saanich Police then responded to the collision between the second vehicle and bus.
“All vehicles were able to drive away from the scene,” said Sgt. Jereme Leslie of Saanich Police. “The crash report has been sent to ICBC for their information. ICBC will likely determine fault for their insurance purposes. Other than the speeding vehicle no tickets were issued.”
The offending driver received a ticket of $196 and three points for going over the posted speed limit by anywhere between 21 and 40 kilometres per hour, said Halskov.
Jonathon Dyck, communications manager with B.C. Transit, said his office has no report of injuries. He did not comment on what might have caused the incident.
“I’m not going to speculate on what might or might not have caused the incident,” he said, adding that the incident remains under investigation. Bus drivers are expected to maintain sufficient distance from other vehicles, to give themselves enough time to break, he said.
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