The number of accidents in the George Massey Tunnel has gone down over the last couple of years.
That is according to recently released crash statistics for 2021 from ICBC, which also provided numbers for locations over the previous four years.
The numbers indicate that the tunnel in 2021 had 85 accidents.
That is down from 102 crashes in 2020 and 186 crashes in 2019.
Prior to 2019, the number of crashes was trending up the previous two years.
To improve safety, the province undertook the $40 million George Massey Tunnel Safety and Reliability Improvements Project, which included improving brightness and visibility within the 63-year-old crossing.
Other components included an upgrade to the fire alarm, ventilation and electrical systems as well as drainage improvements.
Meanwhile, the Alex Fraser Bridge had 260 crashes in 2021.
That is up from 217 crashes in 2020, but still lower than the 304 bridge crashes in 2019.
The ICBC statistics also listed in order Delta’s top sites for vehicular crashes last year, and 120 Street (Scott Road) and 72 Avenue topped the list at 110 crashes. That was followed by 120 Street and Nordel Way, which saw 103 crashes.
Other than the tunnel, South Delta roadways were much further down the list of crash sites compared to North Delta.
The top South Delta crash site was 56 Street at Highway 17 and the turning lane where 51 accidents were reported, followed by Highway 17A and Highway 99 which had 41 crashes.
Delta council earlier this year endorsed a recommendation by the engineering department for the city to undertake safety enhancements at 20 intersections as part of a new overall road safety strategy.
Most of them will occur in North Delta, identified as the top crash locations according to ICBC and Delta Emergency Services collision data.
It’s part of Delta’s new Vision Zero Safety Strategy.
Vision Zero is a multi-national road traffic safety project that aims to achieve a road system with no fatalities or serious injuries.
One of the key differences between Vision Zero and traditional approaches to road safety is that traffic collisions are considered preventable, viewing safety as a shared responsibility between system designers, policy makers and road users through system level changes.
An engineering department report notes the most common collision types at the top 20 intersections included rear-end collisions, left turn opposing collisions, angle collisions and side swipe collisions.
A number of short-term as well as longer-term measures are proposed.
Intersections along Scott Road were excluded from a safety study undertaken by a consultant, as the 120 Street corridor is being reviewed separately in conjunction with the City of Surrey as part of the R6 RapidBus Project.
