Spring road bans in Rocky View County (RVC) for commercial and heavy vehicles took effect March 14, and are expected to continue until June 13.
These road bans help extend the life span of the County’s roads, making them safer for motorists and reducing road repair costs.
RVC is one of the many local road authorities across the province that implement road bans as a tool to help protect its road system, according to RVC’s transportation services.
The bans limit the amount of large vehicles and heavy load weight allowed when conditions make roads more susceptible to damage, such as during the spring thaw when frost movement can damage roads more easily.
“Road bans are an effective tool for road damage prevention, making RVC’s roads safer for all motorists and reducing road repair costs. Some roads in RVC are more susceptible to damage than others based on several factors, including weather conditions, existing road conditions, and area drainage,” stated RVC’s transportation services.
Restrictions for the current road ban applied to commercial and heavy vehicles include 90 per cent on paved and gravel roads, 75 per cent on chip-sealed and oil-surfaced roads, and 50 per cent on roads where conditions warrant.
Passenger and recreational vehicles are exempt from road bans.
The road ban percentage refers to the load-carrying drive axles of a commercial vehicle and not the commercial vehicle’s Gross Vehicle Weight (GVW), according to RVC’s transportation services.
“For example, if a gravel truck was to travel on a road posted with a 90 per cent road ban and the truck had a 7,300-kilogram (kg) single steer axle and 17,000-kg load-carrying tandem drive axle, then the GVW for this truck would be 24,300 kg (sum of single steer axle and tandem drive axle),” RVC’s transportation services explained.
“However, the 90 per cent road ban would only apply to the 17,000-kg load-carrying tandem drive axle and would require that the weight on the tandem drive axle be reduced to 15,300 kg, that being 90 per cent of 17,000 kg.”
Road bans are policed by RVC’s Enforcement Officers via “spot checks,” whereby the enforcement officer pulls over the vehicle to check vehicle weights and permits for compliance.
Overweight fines start at $34 per 100 kg for overloads up to 5,000 kg and $47 for overloads over 5,000 kg, plus 20 per cent for the surcharge under the Victims of Crime Act.
There are three main permits available to anyone conducting transport operations on any roadway under the care and control of RVC, including the annual agricultural permit, the overweight permit, and the over-dimension permit.
The annual agricultural permit is available to family farm agricultural operators who own and operate their own equipment to haul agricultural commodities including feed, seed grain, livestock, fertilizer, hay, and straw on any RVC roadway. This permit allows the permit holder to haul at one increment above the posted road ban.
The overweight permit is required for any commercial vehicles in RVC whose load weights are above legal weights and its Commercial Vehicle Dimension and Weight Regulation, while the over-dimension permit is required for any commercial vehicles within RVC whose load dimensions exceed legal length, width, and height, as prescribed in the Province of Alberta’s Traffic Safety Act and its Commercial Vehicle Dimension and Weight Regulation.
Drivers can obtain an annual agriculture permit by contacting RVC’s Road Operations at 403-230-1401. For the overweight permit and the over-dimension permit, contact RVC’s road use permitting agent Roadata Services at 1-888-830-7623.
For the full list of road bans in RVC, go to rockyview.ca/RoadBans/RoadBans.asp
