Getting that social-media-worthy photo did not go according to plan for two Mercedes drivers last week, as they were slapped with $600 fines after driving past barriers and parking their vehicles in front of a pedestrian bridge in North Vancouver. On Sept. 17 around 9 p.m., North Vancouver RCMP responded to reports of two black Mercedes sedans in a restricted area of the Crosscut Bridge. When officers arrived, they found two vehicles that had accessed the area through a bicycle-only lane, bypassing barriers in place at bridge entry points to stop vehicle access. The bridge, which goes over Highway 1 and opened to the public in August, is only for pedestrians and cyclists. The drivers, both males in their 20s, told police their intention was to replicate photos they allegedly saw on social media of others on the bridge with their vehicles, RCMP said. Both drivers were given violation tickets for “driving without due care, failing to obey restricted access and tinted windows” and each fined $600. Concrete barriers have now been temporarily placed to ensure pedestrian and cyclist access remains safe until permanent bollards are installed, a spokesperson from the City of North Vancouver said. The city anticipates the bollards, which were ordered before last week’s incident, will be placed in November. No damage was reported after the incident, the city said. The Crosscut Bridge is designed to safely accommodate the weight of authorized maintenance vehicles, the spokesperson said. Abby Luciano is the Indigenous and civic affairs reporter for the North Shore News. This reporting beat is made possible by the Local Journalism Initiative.
