Vancouver City Guide - Getting There By Road

A system of provincial highways links Vancouver with cities in the Lower Mainland and the Sunshine Coast, as well as the US border. Traffic drives on the right. Road signs are international. Maximum speed limits are 100kph (62mph) on motorways, 80kph (50mph) on rural highways and 50kph (31mph) in built-up areas. It is legal to turn right at a red light. An International Driving Permit is recommended, although it is not legally required unless the driving licence is in English. Visitors to British Columbia may drive on their national driving licences for up to six months, and third-party legal liability insurance is required. The minimum driving age is 16 years.

There are often random road checks to catch intoxicated drivers; the maximum legal alcohol-to-blood ratio for driving is 0.08%, although drivers may be charged with driving under the influence at any blood-alcohol level. Seatbelts are compulsory for all passengers. Radar detection devices are strictly prohibited and may not be carried in automobiles. Although there is very little snowfall in Vancouver, it can be heavy throughout the rest of the province in the winter: snow tyres (and chains in mountainous regions) are a necessity.

Information on road conditions is available from the Ministry of Transportation (tel: 1 800 550 4997; website: www.drivebc.ca). The British Columbia Automobile Association (BCAA) offers travel planning, insurance and other services to motorists (tel: 1 800 5646 222/JOIN CAA; website: www.bcaa.com).

Emergency breakdown services:
BCAA (604) 293 2222 (Lower Mainland only), 1 800 222 4359/CAA HELP (other areas of Canada and US)

Routes to the city: The Trans-Canada Highway (Highway 1) passes through the Rockies on its way from Calgary and the rest of Canada. From Seattle, Interstate 5 becomes Highway 99 at the border; north of Vancouver, Highway 99 is known as the Sea to Sky Highway and follows the coast from Whistler to the city. Ferries from Vancouver Island arrive at Tsawassen or Horseshoe Bay ferry terminals, which are linked to Vancouver via Highway 99, to the south and north of the city respectively. Victoria is reachable via the Swartz Bay-Tsawassen ferry.

Approximate driving times to Vancouver: From Whistler is 2 hours; from Victoria is 2 hours 30 minutes (including ferry crossing); from Seattle is 3 hours and from Calgary is 11 hours 30 minutes.

Coach services: Pacific Central Station is the main coach station and is directly adjacent to the main rail station at 1150 Station Street (see Getting There By Rail). A number of carriers operate from the station, each covering different routes.

Greyhound Canada (tel: (604) 661 0328 or 1 800 661 8747; website: www.greyhound.ca) runs frequent services from destinations within the province (including Nanaimo and Whistler) and further afield. Pacific Coach Lines (tel: (604) 662 7575 or 1 800 661 1725; website: www.pacificcoach.com) operates a daily service from Victoria at least every 2 hours (journey time - 3 hours 30 minutes). Cantrail Coach Lines (tel: (604) 294 5541 or 1 877 940 5561; website: www.cantrail.com), Quick Shuttle (tel: (604) 940 4428 or 1 800 665 2122; website: www.quickcoach.com) and US-based Greyhound (tel: 1 800 231 2222; website: www.greyhound.com) offer services from Seattle (journey time - about 4 hours).