VICTORIA - Our DriveBC webcams are an invaluable resource for anyone travelling our provincial highways, and these new webcams and features will provide motorists with additional tools to plan their trip and travel safely. I encourage motorists to take a moment to check DriveBC for road and weather conditions along their route, because it's important to 'know before you go.'

A total of 30 new webcams are being added to the network this year, bringing the number of webcam images available on DriveBC to over 250. All are expected to be installed and operating by winter, giving motorists a real-time view of weather and road conditions.

Webcams are just one tool to help you plan your journey. DriveBC also features a Route Planner, which has been upgraded to take into consideration any delays, road closures and border waits along the way. In addition to showing them as icons on the map, the turn-by-turn directions will include the information on any highway message signs associated with that route, and webcam images to give you a full picture.

There are mobile (tablet and smart phone) versions of DriveBC's Route Planner, too. They provide the same information in the turn-by-turn directions as you'd see on a desktop, and use geo-location to fill in your start point. However, the map has not been included for smart phones due to their display limitations.

DriveBC was launched in 2005 and is the government of B.C.'s most popular website. DriveBC receives an average of 2.9 million visits per month.

Quote:

Minister of Transportation and Infrastructure Mary Polak -

"Our DriveBC webcams are an invaluable resource for anyone travelling our provincial highways, and these new webcams and features will provide motorists with additional tools to plan their trip and travel safely. I encourage motorists to take a moment to check DriveBC for road and weather conditions along their route, because it's important to 'know before you go."

Learn More:

See DriveBC's webcam images and other features at: www.drivebc.ca

Follow the work of the Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure online at: www.tranbc.ca

A backgrounder follows.

BACKGROUNDER

18 new webcams added to DriveBC network

In Northern B.C.:

• Highway 16 at Trout Creek Bridge north of Smithers, looking east. http://prd.images.drivebc.ca/bchighwaycam/pub/html/dbc/336.html

• Highway 118 (Granisle Highway) approximately 18 km north of Topley, looking north. http://prd.images.drivebc.ca/bchighwaycam/pub/html/dbc/328.html

• Highway 37 at the BC/Yukon border, looking north.
  http://images.drivebc.ca/bchighwaycam/pub/html/www/353.html

• Highway 113 at Anlaw Road, near Gitwinksihlkw, within Nisga'a Memorial Lava Bed Provincial Park, looking east.
  http://images.drivebc.ca/bchighwaycam/pub/html/www/335.html

In the Southern Interior:

• Highway 1 at Jackass Mountain Summit, between Boston Bar and Lytton, looking north.
  http://prd.images.drivebc.ca/bchighwaycam/pub/html/dbc/341.html

• Highway 1 at Highland Drive east of Sorrento, looking southeast.
  http://prd.images.drivebc.ca/bchighwaycam/pub/html/dbc/337.html

• Highway 24 at McDonald Summit, 15 km west of Little Fort, looking west.
  http://prd.images.drivebc.ca/bchighwaycam/pub/html/dbc/355.html

• Highway 97 at Callan Road, north of Summerland, looking south.
  http://prd.images.drivebc.ca/bchighwaycam/pub/html/dbc/369.html

On the Lower Mainland:

• Highway 1 at Prest Road in Chilliwack, providing images in four directions.
  http://prd.images.drivebc.ca/bchighwaycam/pub/html/dbc/330.html

• Highway 1 at Annis Road in Chilliwack, providing images in four directions.
  http://prd.images.drivebc.ca/bchighwaycam/pub/html/dbc/334.html

• Highway 9 on the north side of the Agassiz-Rosedale Bridge, looking south.
  http://prd.images.drivebc.ca/bchighwaycam/pub/html/dbc/329.html

On Vancouver Island:

• Highway 19 at French Creek Bridge, south of Highway 4 intersection, looking northwest.
  http://prd.images.drivebc.ca/bchighwaycam/pub/html/dbc/348.html

Contact:

Cindy Cousins
Government Communications and Public Engagement
Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure
250 356-9048