Lead-foot drivers in West Vancouver roared into the New Year with their pedals to the metal, cruising to six vehicle impoundments for excessive speed in the first two weeks of January.
Speeders wasted no time putting their rubber to the road. Officers clocked a 22-year-old North Vancouver driver going 141 kilometres an hour in a 90 km/h zone along Highway 1 at Westmount at 11:30 p.m., Jan. 1. His 2014 Kia Forte sedan became the first vehicle of the year impounded for seven days. He was also fined for excessive speed.
The next day, Jan. 2, a 25-year-old West Vancouver man earned the dubious honour of the fastest ride nabbed by police as he blew through the same 90 km/h zone on the highway at 175 km/h in a 2014 BMW convertible - more than 80 km/h above the speed limit. His sports car was impounded for seven days and he got a $368 fine.
Two days later, around 11 p.m. on Jan. 4, one driver appeared to take his life in his hands as he zoomed through both an 80 km/h zone and a 90 km/h zone on the highway near Nelson Creek at 130 km/h when there was black ice on the road and freezing conditions. His 1997 Honda was impounded and the 27-year-old Coquitlam driver was handed a ticket.
Another driver, a 21-year Vancouver man, was nabbed in the same spot Jan. 6 going 140 km/h in an 80 km/h zone. His Ford pickup was impounded and he was handed a ticket.
Two more drivers soon parted with their rides.
A 19-year-old Lions Bay man was clocked at 151 km/h in a 90 km/h zone near the Cypress Road exit in a Mitsubishi Lancer Jan. 12.
In the early hours of Jan. 13 another driver - this time a 39-year-old Vancouver man - was caught going 139 km/h in a 90 km/h zone between the Cypress and Westmount exits on Highway 1. His 2010 Honda Civic was also impounded.
Despite the racing start to the year, Const. Jeff Palmer, spokesman for the West Vancouver Police, said the number of drivers nabbed for excessive speed is actually markedly down from last year, when police impounded 32 vehicles over the same time period.
West Vancouver Police impounded a total of 283 vehicles in 2013 and handed out 1,615 speeding tickets.
"Yes, we will enforce for excessive speed," he said.
Palmer said given the vast number of vehicles travelling through West Vancouver - including between 10,000 and 15,000 vehicle trips on the highway near Horseshoe Bay each day and roughly 60,000 vehicles going over the Lions Gate Bridge daily - very few drivers are actually breaking the rules.
Palmer said he doesn't think more people speed in West Vancouver than anywhere else.
"It seems like there's rarely a shortage no matter where you're driving of people who aren't terribly concerned about what it says on the sign," he said.
Drivers can be ticketed for excessive speeding, which carries a fine of between $368 and $483 and have their vehicle impounded for seven days, if they are caught going 40 km/h over the posted speed limit.
Drivers are also responsible for paying the impound fees over that period.
