Released on January 29, 2008
Saskatchewan Highways and Infrastructure has implemented a successful pilot program that allows for 24-hour surveillance of high-traffic provincial highways during the winter months.
A team of seven men and one woman make up the Night Riders in Regina, Saskatoon and Prince Albert. They take turns operating three specially-equipped vehicles as they patrol provincial highways throughout Saskatchewan from 9 p.m. until 7:30 a.m. seven-days a week. Their goal is to watch for adverse road conditions such as blowing and sticking snow, freezing rain, ice, and heavy snowfall that requires plowing. Their reports are phoned in to the Highway Hotline (www.highways.gov.sk.ca) every two hours to provide the most up-to-date and accurate road conditions possible.
"These Night Riders travel between 750 and 800 kilometres each night," Highways and Infrastructure Minister Wayne Elhard said. "If the Night Riders meet up with light snow or slippery sections, they can sand and plow as they're passing through. But if conditions require more serious attention, they phone the Hotline. Calls are then made to regional crews to address the situation as quickly as possible."
The Night Riders provide an important early warning system for the first shift of the regular sanding, salting and snowplow crews, which begin their day at 4:30 a.m.
"Night Riders make the job of our plow operators that much more efficient," Elhard said. "These extra ‘eyes' on the highway provide Saskatchewan motorists with an added level of comfort that we are on top of winter road conditions. Their job is to help us meet - and exceed - our levels of service during the winter months."
The goal of the Night Rider is to cover as great a distance as possible during a 10-hour period overnight. With the help of the Highway Hotline, regular crews are then dispatched and work is prioritized based on urgency and need. Night Riders also watch for abandoned vehicles, dead animals, downed signs and any other highway-related problems to make winter driving as safe as possible.
Three Night Riders staff a vehicle based out of the Regina Region, while two Night Riders share a vehicle in Saskatoon, and the other three Night Riders operate out of Prince Albert.
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For more information, contact:
Kirsten Leatherdale
Highways and Infrastructure
Regina
Phone: 306-787-8484
Email: kleatherdale@highways.gov.sk.ca
Cell: 306-536-9692