No. H087/06For release July 26, 2006
VANCOUVER — The number of web cameras that offer live views of what is
happening on provincial highways is more than doubling, federal Minister of
Transport, Infrastructure and Communities, the Honourable Lawrence Cannon, and
British Columbia Transportation Minister, Kevin Falcon, announced today.
"Using technologies to increase the safety and security of Canadians on
provincial highways just makes sense," said Minister Cannon. "The Government of
Canada encourages innovation and creativity like this to solve current
transportation challenges while providing Canadians with quick, easy access to
the information they need to travel."
"We are committed to ensuring the safety of the travelling public," said
Minister Falcon. "From Lions Gate Bridge to Fort St. John, the expanded network
of webcams will help travellers across the province check the latest conditions
so they can plan their trip and arrive safely."
Over 40 new webcams are now online, in addition to the 16 that existed
previously. The webcams are set up at key transportation locations around
British Columbia. They send real-time images that can be viewed from the Drive BC road reports site at
www.drivebc.ca or the Ministry of Transportation's
website at www.th.gov.bc.ca.
The web camera images range from rural highways, where weather and highway
conditions may change quickly, to Lower Mainland highways, where motorists may
check traffic volumes before leaving on their commute. The webcams are a joint
initiative of the Ministry of Transportation and Transport Canada.
The Highway Webcams website includes several new features to help travellers and
other users:
a "My HighwayCams" feature that allows you to build your own web page of the
cameras you view most often;
clickable maps with camera locations and directions; and
a new information page, to answer some of the most frequently asked webcam
questions.
Since 2005, the BC Ministry of Transportation has launched several online
traveller information resources, including Drive BC (www.drivebc.ca), the
cross-province travel information website, and the joint federally and
provincially funded advanced traveller information systems to monitor traffic
flow on the Lions Gate Bridge and the Lower Mainland border crossings.
Federal funding is provided under the Strategic Highway Infrastructure Program, a $600-million program to improve highway infrastructure across Canada. Part of this funding — $100 million — is for initiatives that better integrate the country's transportation system. One of these is the Intelligent Transportation Systems initiative, which includes applications such as advanced systems for traveller information, traffic management, public transport, commercial vehicle operations, emergency response management and vehicle safety.
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Contacts:
Mike Long
Director of Communications
BC Ministry of Transportation
Vancouver, British Columbia
250-387-7787
Anne-Marie Bouchard
Communications
Transport Canada, Ottawa
613-993-0055
Transport Canada is online at www.tc.gc.ca. Subscribe to news releases and speeches at apps.tc.gc.ca/listserv/ and keep up-to-date on the latest from Transport Canada.
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