Calls for better lighting on a section of Highway 16 have been renewed after a terrifying collision with a bear.
The same night Vanway residents were voicing concerns to the City about an unlit stretch near Bon Voyage restaurant, Ron Tausendfrende was driving down the highway with his 4-year-old daughter.
“A guy had started passing me on the right hand side, so I glanced over at him, but out of the corner of my eye I just saw a shadow come over the meridian. It looked like a bear, and it came right in front of my truck,” recalled Tausendfrende. “After I hit the bear, the truck went a little bit squirrelly… Finding out later that the bear bent my tie rod, I had no control of the vehicle and started smashing into the meridian.”
The headlights of the busy Highway hadn’t let anyone know the bear would be making a break for it.
The lack of lighting hardly alerted other vehicles that anything had even happened.
“After we stopped I was trying to comfort my daughter, she was quite scared and calling for her mother… But I looked in my rearview mirror and say more vehicles coming, so I started bracing her, but then I heard another vehicle smack the bear because you could not see a single thing.”
Tausendfrende and his daughter were unharmed, but the bear was killed.
Emergency crews were on the scene almost immediately, and people in other vehicles pulled over the make sure everyone was alright, slowing traffic on the Wednesday night.
“The police and the firemen also commented on the lack of lighting and the amount of animals seen in the area,” added Tausendfrende. “They were just surprised something hadn’t happened sooner.”
As all of this was unfolding, MyPGNow was speaking to residents at the Vanway school about a similar incident a few years prior that had proved fatal.
“There’s snow buildup, it gets icy… You can’t see, and you’re trying to focus and navigate, and it’s dark. So you have to navigate between two lanes, plus the barrier, in the winter it just gets unnerving… And moose can pop out at any time,” noted Malaspina Elementary School Teacher Jody Giesbrecht.
Making the situation even more difficult, it turns out there isn’t much the City can do about it.
“Along the Highway itself, it’s province jurisdiction. So the lighting there is different funding at the provincial level. As the Mayor said, this is something the people can take to the Province,” explained City Chief Engineer Dave Dyer.
The Ministry of Transportation declined an interview, but issues the following statement:
“The ministry appreciates the feedback from the community on lighting on Highway 16. The Ministry and City of Prince George are in regular contact and we continually review our corridors for safety and potential improvements. While there are no plans at the present time to install lighting on this corridor, the ministry will monitor this stretch and consult with the City to determine any future lighting needs.
Most recently, our efforts have been focused on our upcoming Bunce to Blackwater project on Highway 16 on the west end of Prince George, and the installation of guard rails on Highway 97 up to the Hoferkamp/Blueberry Road intersection, as well as transit facility improvements on Highway 97 North.”
As for Tausendfrende and his daughter, they are thankful the evening only ended with bumps and bruises.
“I hit the meridian eight times. I counted the tire marks after I went back to the scene.”
At this point, it’s up to PG residents to lodge formal complaints and hope for a change.
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