The week didn't get off to a good start for motorists trying to make their way through South Delta Monday after an accident involving a dump truck heavily snarled traffic.
Shortly after 11 a.m. a dump truck traveling southbound on Highway 17, just south of municipal hall, crashed into the divider.
Cpl. Peter Somerville with the RCMP Deas Island Freeway Patrol said a tire on a trailer unit of the truck appears to have blown out, resulting in the trailer crashing into the highway's concrete divider.
He said the divider was pushed into a northbound lane of Highway 17 and one vehicle collided with it.
A rock flew off the trailer during the accident, crashing into the windshield of another northbound vehicle.
Somerville said there were no serious injures, but traffic in both directions was obviously affected.
Vehicles trying to make their way to southbound Highway 17 were heavily backed up along River Road and at the George Massey Tunnel.
The intersection of Highway 17 and Ladner Trunk was closed for a while, forcing southbound traffic onto Ladner Trunk Road.
Long lines could be seen on 44th Avenue and Arthur Drive.
Somerville said one lane in each direction on Highway 17 opened midafternoon, but repercussions were felt well into the afternoon rush.
Just two months ago, Transportation Minister Blair Lekstrom dismissed claims by the union representing commercial vehicle inspectors that B.C.'s roads are more dangerous.
The Government and Service Employees' Union (BCGEU) said a shortage of commercial vehicle inspectors and an almost 50 per cent increase in heavy truck traffic has made B.C.'s roads less safe since the Commercial Vehicle Safety and Enforcement (CVSE) branch was brought back into government service from ICBC in 2003.
The union said there's been a decline in safety standards because more than one-in-four commercial vehicle inspector jobs have gone unfilled.
