To Tire or Not To Tire

At the end of last week, there was a little news item that I suspect slip by most people's notice. Apparently, after a week of snow and cold weather, some bright person within BC's transportation ministry wondered whether or not it was time to make snow tires mandatory on all cars during the  "winter' months. The very brief article wondered if the thought was encouraged by ICBC - British Columbia's publically owned insurance company - which has been flooded with numerous accident claims from the Vancouver area. ICBC, for what it is worth, appears to be the only insurance company in North America that continues to lose money year after year. It is woefully badly managed and generally costs more and offers less service than private companies.

It is true that the southern coast of the mainland got a bit of snow last week as did southern Vancouver Island. The rest of BC got more snow but snow is expected and in fact, hoped for in areas of higher elevation and slightly more north. It is also true that the snow, because it was cold enough, did not melt quickly and therefore there were probably a lot more accidents. But I am not sure if I should have to spend $400.00 buying snow tires and then have to spend money every fall and spring getting them changed. There is an alternative - don't drive when it is too slippery.

BC already has laws in place to ensure that where there is a possibility of snow, that people must have snow tires or chains. For example to drive from Duncan to Victoria during the winter months, because the Malahat Highway, because of the elevation, is notorious for snow and ice, one must have snow tires. Similarly, highways north of Duncan or certainly on the mainland are clearly marked as to the legal requirements. My solution is that I do not drive to Victoria during the winter months. In fact, last week when we got nearly 12 inches of snow - I did not drive for a couple of days until the roads were clear.

I appreciate that many people who work in Vancouver need to commute a significant distance to get to work. For most people, missing a day's work is not an option. For those individuals, given the lack of efficient public transit, buying snow tires may be a logical choice.  But it is a choice. I resent the fact that some silly person in some government office, on a slow news day even thinks about taking that choice away for me or anyone else.

There are some solutions - we could fine people who chose to drive on snowy roads without snow tires, we could improve the public transportation system to the point where it is a valid alternative to single-passenger cars plugging up our artery roads or perhaps someone could suggest that Vancouver drivers need some skill development about driving in poor weather conditions.

But do not make me buy snow tires - it is a heavy-handed solution to a local problem.