It has been over 200 days since AM730, a Vancouver-based all-traffic radio station, quietly went off the air.
Pulling AM730 off the air was part of a wider restructuring at CORUS involving several divisions and brands.
However, Vancouver drivers are lamenting and mourning the station’s loss, and few viable alternatives offer them the same coverage as AM730.
We spoke to someone who created a thread asking other drivers on Reddit what they’re doing in place of AM730 to help them navigate traffic in Vancouver, which, let’s face it, can sometimes be a pain with the level of construction and development that is seemingly neverending around the city.
The Redditor who created the thread told Daily Hive they drive from Langley to North Vancouver five or six times a week.
“I do use Google or Waze, but it was incredible having 730 giving live reports on what was going on.”
They added, “We have some of the most horrendous traffic in North America, and the amount we must waste on time and fuel must be enormous.”
“Having access to a station that helps to alleviate it even a bit needs to be in place.”
They hoped the government could establish a service to offer drivers around the region the same real-time traffic information that AM730 did. We actually proposed that to the BC Ministry of Transportation last year when the station went under.
“It is unfortunate that the traffic-focused radio station is going off the air. However, we expect other Vancouver-area media outlets will continue to provide traffic information to their audiences,” the ministry responded.
While other stations do offer traffic updates, they don’t do it as frequently or consistently as AM730 did.
“The Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure provides traffic information in a variety of ways, including timely traffic advisories to media, social media posts, signage, and through DriveBC – the most comprehensive source for information on highway conditions throughout BC.”
While DriveBC is a great resource, it isn’t one that you can easily navigate while driving without getting in trouble due to distracting driving laws.
“We are poorer for having lost the station”
Corus | EJ Nickerson/Shutterstock
Many responded to the Reddit thread, offering similar condolences for losing the Vancouver all-traffic radio station.
“100% miss it because it had far more detail on what was happening and when,” one commuter said.
Someone else said they’ll miss it when the snow falls, which could happen soon.
One person suggested that it went under because of Google Maps, which provides some indications using colours to tell drivers when roads are backed up. However, others pointed out that Google Maps doesn’t tell you why traffic might be backed up or what lane is closed, information that AM730 was able to provide with a human touch. They would also frequently advise drivers of the best alternate routes to take.
“BAD caparison – GPS is great for 10 blocks around you while AM730 could plan my route to Hope before I left Vancouver with both hands on the wheel and eyes 100% on the road like they should be.”
What about you? Did you tune in to AM730 for traffic updates, and if so, what are you doing now to help you navigate Metro Vancouver?