LANGLEY, B.C. — The B.C. Trucking Association (BCTA) is appealing to the Ministry of Transportation to lift tolls on the Coquihalla Hwy. under certain conditions.

For instance, when highway closures eliminate alternative routes (as happened four times in December due to vehicle crashes and rock falls), the BCTA says tolls should be temporarily eliminated. Also, the lobby group says tolls shouldn’t be charged during inclement weather, which often results in long lineups at toll booths.

In a recent letter to the ministry, BCTA president Paul Landry pointed out that it’s unfair to levy tolls on truckers who would otherwise have selected a different route if it were available. Trucking companies cannot recoup the cost of the toll when it wasn’t part of the originally planned route, Landry points out.