Highway 5A is a good route

I am a commercial driver who occasionally uses (Highway) 5A rather than the higher rod (Highway 5, the Coquihalla Highway) between Kamloops and Merritt.

I've been reading and watching news reports where people along the 5A route want a commercial traffic ban.

There are some issues I'd like to address.

Highway 5A is a provincial highway, not a private road. It is a major artery that, in winter, is sometimes safer than Highway 5. The highest elevation on Highway 5A is about 890 metres. The highest elevation on Highway 5 is 1,440 metres. This often makes the difference between a wet and icy (road surface).

Additionally, Highway 5A is a much more fuel-efficient road for a loaded truck. Fuel efficiency is also known by another name: lower carbon footprint. On a round trip between Kamloops and Merritt, it can save 50 litres of diesel from being burned. If we are to minimize our impact, using Highway 5A is one of many small changes we can make.

Lastly, I'd like to point out I often end up in a line of trucks traveling only as fast as the slowest one. There's no good place to pass, so we don't try to pass. On the other hand, I often have cars and pickups passing me in no-passing zones, with the potential for serious collisions.

I'd love to see the RCMP patrol Highway 5A regularly because officers would see a lot of bad behaviour, and not, by and large, by professional drivers.

Neil Jones