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There is currently no way to drive between Vancouver and the rest of Canada

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Re: There is currently no way to drive between Vancouver and the rest of Canada

#121

Post by lhorie »

skrebbel wrote: post #105
lhorie wrote: post #100

For just a bit of context/anecdata, I'm talking to my brother who lives in Vancouver and he wasn't even aware this was a problem. The road closure[0] on hwy 1 near Abbotsford/Chilliwack is a good one hour drive away from Vancouver core[1]. So while it sounds noteworthy for an entire city be technically flooded in, unless you were driving to the boonies, you're probably not actually impacted in any meaningful way. He…

I'm surprised there's no shortages yet because trucks can't get to the city. Or does Vancouver import most non-regional goods from the US (and not the rest of Canada) anyway?

Keep in mind that Vancouver is a port city, and the road closures did not affect roads to the US so for the vast majority of the people in the city, the impact is likely minimum. I'd be more worried about disruptions for municipalities like Hope, which are only connected to Vancouver by a handful of roads (the next major hub in the other direction would be Calgary, which is... well, pretty far away).

Re: There is currently no way to drive between Vancouver and the rest of Canada

#122

Post by actually_a_dog »

blondie9x wrote: post #106
wing-_-nuts wrote: post #25

People really overestimate how resilient infrastructure is to natural disasters, and such disasters will become more common as the earth warms.

Exactly. As people over consume and the planet's climate continues to become more erratic and destabilized infrastructure disasters will increase.

It makes me sad to see the parent comment grey (10:16 AM PST). You're absolutely correct that overconsumption is the root of the problem.

Re: There is currently no way to drive between Vancouver and the rest of Canada

#123

Post by cbhl »

rsync wrote: post #112
lhorie wrote: post #100

For just a bit of context/anecdata, I'm talking to my brother who lives in Vancouver and he wasn't even aware this was a problem. The road closure[0] on hwy 1 near Abbotsford/Chilliwack is a good one hour drive away from Vancouver core[1]. So while it sounds noteworthy for an entire city be technically flooded in, unless you were driving to the boonies, you're probably not actually impacted in any meaningful way. He…

"So while it sounds noteworthy for an entire city be technically flooded in, unless you were driving to the boonies, you're probably not actually impacted in any meaningful way." Where do truck shipments come into Vancouver from ? Is it all through the US/CA border ?

Isn't Vancouver a port city? I imagine there'd be more truck shipments out, eastwards towards the rest of Canada.

Re: There is currently no way to drive between Vancouver and the rest of Canada

#124

Post by brewdad »

foofoo55 wrote: post #51
actually_a_dog wrote: post #16

As of a few seconds ago, this is the best route Google Maps can find to go from Vancouver to Kelowna: https://archive.md/we9X5 You have to go pretty far into the US on this route. Edit: Incidentally, asking for directions from Vancouver to Edmonton currently causes Google Maps to fail and give you a route that's closed: https://archive.md/7lLu4

One could also take the ferry to Vancouver Island, drive north to Port Hardy, take another ferry to Prince Rupert, then drive on a highway that isn't actually washed out. Or just fly. Airports are fine.

I think the issue is less to do with commuters or people who would like to get to Calgary and more the fact that trucks won't be able to move in and out of the city for a while. A messy supply chain just got messier.

Re: There is currently no way to drive between Vancouver and the rest of Canada

#125

Post by zaptheimpaler »

lhorie wrote: post #100

For just a bit of context/anecdata, I'm talking to my brother who lives in Vancouver and he wasn't even aware this was a problem. The road closure[0] on hwy 1 near Abbotsford/Chilliwack is a good one hour drive away from Vancouver core[1]. So while it sounds noteworthy for an entire city be technically flooded in, unless you were driving to the boonies, you're probably not actually impacted in any meaningful way. He…

I live in Vancouver and had no idea until a friend in another country saw the news and asked me about it. Not to say people elsewhere in BC weren’t impacted (one town had to evacuate) but the media is not painting an accurate picture.

Re: There is currently no way to drive between Vancouver and the rest of Canada

#126

Post by ghaff »

shagie wrote: post #107
randomfool wrote: post #96

Earlier quoted context omitted.

They're super common now for backcountry hikers and trail runners. The plans start at $15 a month on a per-month plan (no lock in). There has been speculation that Apple would build this into their phones, which IMHO would be a killer feature. Imagine having an emergency feature that could be used anywhere on earth. How much would you pay per text? $5 per text message would be an absolute bargain in many of these rem…

> There has been speculation that Apple would build this into their phones I'm not sure how... the InReach (and similar products) are a Iridium satellite communication system that requires a bit more heft in the signal (up and down). When you look at the iridium phones ( https://www.iridium.com/product-type/satellite-phones/ ) those aren't small things (look at the antennas). Then you've got: > Enhanced Battery Life…

When there was speculation before the consensus seemed to be it was unlikely for technical reasons.

Also, while sure it would be nice if something were a no/low-cost add-on to a regular smartphone, the average consumer probably wouldn't pay much extra, much less an incremental subscription fee. And there's something to be said for a rugged, potentially safety-critical, standalone device that's separate from your phone.

Re: There is currently no way to drive between Vancouver and the rest of Canada

#127

Post by xvedejas »

leafmeal wrote: post #60
maybeOneDay wrote: post #50

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Not OP but a city block isn't an entire city. If you read their comment again without prejudice you may be able to understand what they meant, even if it does require a little imagination.

Maybe I'm missing something, but if a city is composed of city blocks and by induction then a whole city is surrounded by roads.

Plenty of cities have greenways that lead into parks considered "part of" the city. Such parkland might not feel like the inner city, indeed ideally it has minimal street intrusion, but still can be part of the fabric of good city living.

Re: There is currently no way to drive between Vancouver and the rest of Canada

#128

Post by Tiktaalik »

skrebbel wrote: post #105
lhorie wrote: post #100

For just a bit of context/anecdata, I'm talking to my brother who lives in Vancouver and he wasn't even aware this was a problem. The road closure[0] on hwy 1 near Abbotsford/Chilliwack is a good one hour drive away from Vancouver core[1]. So while it sounds noteworthy for an entire city be technically flooded in, unless you were driving to the boonies, you're probably not actually impacted in any meaningful way. He…

I'm surprised there's no shortages yet because trucks can't get to the city. Or does Vancouver import most non-regional goods from the US (and not the rest of Canada) anyway?

Gas comes through pipeline from refineries in Washington, so that should be largely unaffected.

Lots of produce does come from the Fraser Valley which is impacted, but also North/South links to the USA (ie. we get heaps of produce from California).

I assume there's a fair amount of food that is delivered from the port, as a lot of food packaging warehouses are near the port.

Most trade in Canada is North/South aligned. Tbh the east/west orientation of the country doesn't make a lotta sense lol.

Re: There is currently no way to drive between Vancouver and the rest of Canada

#129

Post by skeeter2020 »

ghaff wrote: post #67
klyrs wrote: post #47

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I'd say "that's Google for you" but really it's whatever variant of Dijkstra's algorithm they (and other map services) use. If somebody puts the roads on a map, there will be network conditions that suggest they might be useful... whether or not they actually exist in a usable condition.

I've never had Google try to take me anywhere really ridiculous and I've played with its routing algorithm in places like Death Valley and it does seem to avoid "interesting" shortcuts if there's a more reasonable alternative. But once you get below well-traveled paved roads, you probably want some local knowledge because there's not a lot of mapping data that differentiated between a well-graded, good condition dirt…

I've had Google Maps direct me off a dead-end road into a playground... in the middle of Saskatchewan, so it definitely has some misses.

Re: There is currently no way to drive between Vancouver and the rest of Canada

#130

Post by qmarchi »

ortusdux wrote: post #32

Forks WA is currently completely inaccessible by car. Extensive flooding everywhere. All highways and roads are closed. Connecting forest service roads have washed out.

Yeah, my fiancee's grandparents sent us pictures of the there camp being completely flooded.
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