mector Debate over -N. Van road on since ‘59 THERE WAS no parking: for “three blocks in any. direction as ‘hundreds of North. Vancouver - residents jammed. Balmoral school’s gymnasium Tuesday to debate’ a controversial | traffic issue that has dogged ‘North Vancouver District ‘Council for 35 years, NORTH VANCOUVER DISTRICT COUNCIL. By Martin Millerchip The possibility, of extending Montroyal Boulevard through: to’ = Rockland Road and Lonsdale Avenue " has: been’, vehemently : argued ‘over: since. 1959. when the option first . appeared in that year’s Five Year Street Plan. “Tuesday night's meeting drew about 550 res- idents with close neighbors again split into well- * organized ; camps on opposite sides of the debate. | Mayor: Murray Dykeman’ was forced to - allow repeated waves ‘of applause as cheering sections responded to each speaker. ‘Those in’ favor of the so-called Montroyal. Connector wore small yellow.tags that simply ’ said Yes and appeared to represent a very slim majority in terms of committed residents. Those’ opposed provided a more vociferous : sand colorful: lobby, ‘waving neon-orange mini “stop signs that read “Stop the connector.” »». Dykeman alternated speakers from each side “of the issue: but finally adjourned ‘the’ hearing . after four hours with at least 30 more waiting to 2 Support for the’ connector is centred j in the ‘| Delbrook area and championed by the Delbrook :; Community ‘Association, the Upper, Delbrook’ «Community Association and the Boundary : sees 4 va antl, >] 142624 4 “NEWS photos Brad | Lecwidge CHAD BROWN, top, mans. the anti-'’ ‘ road petition table. David Ingram, left, coordinates the pro-road table. woe : J i That report, by N.D. Lea Consultants, con-; cluded: “From a technical transportation view-” point the Montroyal Connector should be built." District planning staff agree, citing: © © oe & route continuity and logic; ‘ a @ better distribution of through-traffic volunies across the network; : a Bi avoidance of the need to use focal streets: EA improved emergency response times; i Bi transit route opportunities: : L) bicycle route opportunities and... a better overall level of service ‘to the Sriving population, i Planner Krysha’ Derbyshire, also fade - it . plain that the district has ‘no plans to develop an * east-west connector extending’/across the dis- “tict from Montroyal Boulevard to Indian River 2 Drive, But opponents of thé connector, who" ~./ Ratepayers Association: Those opposed to the connector i are support- ed. by “the: North “Lonsdale. Ratepayers Association - (NLRA) “and. the; Montroyal Ratepayers : Association, There.seems to, be no middle ground i in the debate. although Montroyal res- idents see the offer of a bicycle route and emergency vehicle access through the concrete barricade that presently blocks Montroyal as a compromise. ; Residents on both sides of the issue use traffic volume, flow and safety to » SUpport 1 their case. Additionally, those opposes fear loss of f property v values if «the road goes through. . ies; the most recent of which was commissioned by council ast September at “a cost tof SB, 500. | break -ins Ae 26- YEAR-OLD © North. ~ Vancouver man faces ‘numer-;. - ous charges in connection with’ ~a- series: of. North Vancouver : City} break-ins between Aug: 19 and Sept. 12: Stephen ‘Daniel Larizza - is “charged with two counts of break, enter .and — theft.. possession: of « -: house-breaking , instruments, three “counts of possession of stolen prop- erty, trespassing and obstructing a’ police officer. Larizza’is remanded ‘in clistody "to Sept. 26."He was arrested by the ‘North: “Vancouver .RCMP on »..Tuesday following a 4-a.m, com- “plaint, fromthe 3100 block of. St. Georges Avenue. The person report- ‘eda prowler v was in his house steal- © ng électronic equipment. ‘Larizza was arrested on Sept. 4, when .a. resident complained of .a ‘prowler.;in the 400. block” of. , ‘Somerset Street. He. was s feleased at dent. these items being revisited.” ~ have used the possibility of’such a route to col- lect signatures on a district-wide petition, refused to back down from their position,’ NLRA president’ Kevin Kerney told the -mesting that district files contain.a 1990 study; . by N.D. Lea proposing a high-level crossing of Lynn Creek and a Hyannis- Lillooet connector as well as the Montroyal connector. |. “Everything i in this | report they have tried to build, so there’ said Kerney. “After all; this Montroyal issue ‘is being revisited. despite the 1990 OCP (Onicial Community Plan) Saying it, was not needed.” - nothing to stop Council concluded the: public hearing ‘Wednesday night and’ ‘will debate ' TWO PEOPLE were rushed to hospital after a train struck their truck at-a cross- ing near Sunset Beach ‘Thursday morn- ing. 7 oot By dati Noble 5 News Reporter: *The vehicle came’ to ‘rest on its side 7 metres (90 feet) past the rail crossing. The crossing is controlled by a siop sign. “Both passengers were listed in good condi- tion .at Lions .Gate Hospital, said) West . Vancouver’ Police ‘spokesman Sgt. Barry Nickerson. ; The accident hightights neighborhood con- cerns that.tie. crossing and ‘similar’ crossings. “require more thé ana stop. sign to make them safe. The truck’ was “riven by a. 48- year-old Burnaby man. His passenger was'a 49-year-old man from the Okanagan, said Nickerson, One passenger ‘had to be extricated from the * “vehicle using the jaws of life. he siti. Nickerson’ said police have det locaied any independent witnesses of the accident. ' BC Rail. senior communications officer iailary Thomson said the car did not stop al the BC Rail pate are, “investiga a ihe acci- a Two. men sent. to- Lions Gate Hospital with injuries after -meeting. Royal - Hudson on tracks A West Vancouver Police investigator tray -eled to hospital with the: ‘conscious crash vic- tims, said Nickerson, a The ‘incident: marked the second. car-train accident involving the historic Royat Hudson i in “fess than a month. ie-The Royal Hudson hit a car ava crossing near Ambleside Park: in West Vancouver on Aug. 19. a ae In that accident, an 80-year-old: man received a broken nose and his 80-year-old wife suffered minor cuts. The driver was charged with failing to stop at flashing signals: t o)That acerdent prompted West Vancouver District to consider installing a gate across the Ambleside crossing. Thursday's accident his ‘nearby residents Y, _ and an employee | of the Sunset Marina culling for at least flashing lights to be installed at such -crossings, : _ Sunset Marina ‘office manager Sue Rauter a said cars topping at the stop sign on the way to fi im the marina can't: see if trains are coming. in whether to include the-Montroyal- Lonsdale connector in the 1996-2000 fi ves year capital budget Sept 25. : vod “either direction because trees block the view. 5), Rauter, who's been using the crossing’ for 20) . “yeirs, ‘said cars must Stop, proceed towards the ‘ track, then look again: for’ il train. : “It’s scary sometimes,” she said: “Yo just have to be careful, re ally careful.” an ‘Rauter wants flashing, lights to be installed to warn drivers of oncoming trains. Tory Arthur regularly crosses the. tracks at. the Pasco Road crossing, which is one ‘Crossing south of Sunset Beach. She said a neighborhood group, “the Paseo . Roud Property Owners Association, has tried to get flashing lights installed at. the ‘crossing. which is also only controlled by a stop sign. ; Arthur said BC Rail told residents they must pay for the flashing lights, but residents don't, believe they-are the ones who should ante up for _ the $20,000 lights. 2°. 06. : “L really don’ 4 think it’s our responsibility,” 3 she told the News, “It's BC: Rail who's using” the track and it should be their responsibility.” Arthur said many of the residents of the 19° houses on the roud have had close calls’ at the, crossing, especially on rainy nights... : BC Rail’s Thomson said if roxids g ZO in after. the railway then upgrading and maintaining sig-.’ nalization becomes the residents’ responsibility. Of the district's 7 crossings, only one has a gate. ‘ In 1987, 0, 73- -year-old man: was taken” to, : ‘hospital with minor injuries after the car he Was. ‘driving was hit by a trainin West Vancouver...