Forest industry workers and other users of British Columbia's back roads are reminded there have been changes to the mobile radio frequencies that help ensure safe passage on many of the province's resource roads.
A province-wide, safety initiative to standardize radio communications, call procedures and signage on forest service roads and select resource roads is in place in B.C.'s Cariboo region, including the 100 Mile House Resource District and the Cariboo-Chilcotin Resource District.
Other districts will follow suit later this summer.
All users of affected resource roads will be required to reprogram their radios to incorporate the new resource road channels. Since the transition will be gradual, road users are advised to retain current radio frequencies until they are no longer required.
New signs posted on local resource roads will advise which radio channels to use and the location calling intervals, with drivers required to indicate their direction of travel.
Where posted, road users using mobile radios must use the posted radio channels and call protocols.
Local resource road safety committees have worked together to implement these changes in co-operation with the Ministry of Forests, Lands and Natural Resource Operations and Industry Canada. All road users are reminded that forest service roads are not radio-controlled, but radio-assisted and, therefore, it's essential to drive safely according to road and weather conditions.
More information – including radio communications protocols, radio channels, maps and signs – are available online at www.for.gov.bc.ca/hth/engineering/Road_Radio_Project.htm.