Residents and visitors travelling on the Victoria Day long weekend may have an easier time getting between Vancouver Island and the Lower Mainland.

BC Ferries has announced it is adding 85 more sailings to major routes between Thursday, May 18 and Tuesday, May 23.

This will include an additional 60 sailings between Victoria - Vancouver (Swartz Bay - Tsawwassen) and 15 additional sailings between Nanaimo - Vancouver (Departure Bay - Horseshoe Bay). Other routes getting extra sailings include Horseshoe Bay - Langdale and Earls Cove - Saltery Bay.

Over 90 extra sailings added for long weekend: ^sb

B´ÎÔª¹ÙÍøÍøÖ·” BC Ferries (@BCFerries)

BC Ferries expects next Thursday and Friday afternoon, as well as Saturday morning to be the most popular travel times with the majority of traffic coming to the Island. Conversely, the holiday Monday is expected to be when most travellers return to the mainland.

Motorists concerned about ferry volume can book reservations for $10, provided itB´ÎÔª¹ÙÍøÍøÖ·™s seven days or more in advance and on a reservable route.