As more than 20,000 people begin to flock to the Salmo River Ranch for the 25th annual Shambhala Music Festival this week, the BC Highway Patrol warns travellers to drive safely as they amp up enforcement on the roads.
A zero-tolerance enforcement campaign was launched in the region this week.
Vince LeBlanc with the BC Highway Patrol in Nelson says that officers have been set up on Highway 3 at the Bombi Pass, Kootenay Pass, and Paulson Summit, targeting aggressive drivers, impaired drivers, and distracted drivers in the days leading up to the festival.
“We are doing something very similar to what we did last year the week leading up to Shambhala, which we call the influx week. From Monday to Friday, BC Highway Patrol in Nelson conducts a huge zero-tolerance enforcement to make sure that everyone using that roadway is going to be safe.”
He says officers will pause the campaign for the weekend of the festival until Monday, when specialists from around the province will come to assist the BC Highway Patrol in conducting check stops on vehicles leaving the festival grounds.
Last year, nearly 60 impaired drivers were removed from the roads while leaving the festival.
LeBlanc said the check stop van from Vancouver that was used last year will return again this weekend, along with a few other resources from around the province.
“We are going to have the Highway Patrol, police dogs that can smell drugs, and a group of experts in finding, analyzing, and locating people who are transporting drugs and other illicit materials. Drug recognition experts are also coming from around the province.”
Motorists leaving the festival, or those planning on passing through the area on Monday and Tuesday, are warned to expect significant delays.
In the days following the festival last year, the check stop created a lot of controversy due to the number of cars leaving the festival, which created large lineups as people waited to get screened and move along.
LeBlanc warns motorists to be prepared to wait again as it can take a long time to identify an impaired driver.
“An impaired driver, and especially a drug-impaired driver, takes a lot of time. It takes an officer off the road for at least an hour when you’re already starting with the limited resources that we have.”
“That’s one police officer, and then another police officer, and another police officer, and all of a sudden there’s only one person at the check stop, and they can’t take another impaired driver until somebody else joins them.”
A new strategy is being implemented this year to try and make things quicker, but LeBlanc asks for patience as officers work to keep the roads safe.
“Although it’s a huge inconvenience to be stuck in a line for a couple of hours, the alternative is to let, like last year, 60 impaired drivers out on the highway and cause havoc. The risk of having that many people on the highway who are not prepared to drive is just too high to be able to say, well, you shouldn’t do this. You need to do it. The alternative is just staggeringly bad.”
Shambhala Music Festival kicks off on July 26-29 at the Salmo River Ranch, located along Highway 3.
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