Skip to content

A puzzle on winter tire notices

Letter writer finds dates for winter tires differ on different signs in the area, causing confusion in the laws.
OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA
Some signs in the area say the winter tire season ends March 31

Dear Sir:

In the last few weeks our justice system has been in the news for some of the wrong reasons.

Two separate judges came under fire for comments made during trials and one of them resigned two weeks ago because of those comments.

Then there is the issue of ‘Zombie laws’ – laws that are no longer current but are still on the books in the Criminal Code of Canada.

But even more concerning to myself are some laws that are difficult to understand.

I cite the example of the provincial law for winter tires.  If you travel Hwy37 South on the way to Kitimat the sign on the bottom of the hill leading to the airport says: Must use winter tires between October 1 and March 31.

But if you are travelling on Hwy16 East, where  the service roads on both sides of the highway end, the sign says winter tires must be used between October 1 to April 30.

So if you have studded tires on the vehicle you are driving on your way to Kitimat between April 1 and April 30, you are breaking the law. But you are fine if you are driving east on Hwy16.

Taking into account that sometimes you can have snowfalls in the summer, like 60 centimetres-plus on a Victoria Day weekend in Kitimat some years ago, and considering that some of the mountain passes can get snow any time of the year, how can you follow the laws for correct tires?

Martin Holzbauer,

Thornhill, B.C.