4 - Friday, August 2, 1991 - North Shore News

Figures

conceal __

more than
they reveal

THE BRITISH Columbia
Ferry Corp. provided some
enchanting numbers to
North Shore News reporter
Surj Rattan the other day.

A spokesman, just doing her
job and doubtless doing it bravely
and well, told the intrepid Rattan
that vehicle traffic out of Horse-
shoe Bay termina! was down
36.6% and passenger traffic was
down 26.9% between July | and
16 this year, compared with last
year.

Whew. That’s a lot of numbers.
[ read recently the solemn advice
of a hotshet writing coach that no
sentence in a newspaper should
contain more than three figures,
of more than 23 words.

You'll note that my second para
violates both those rules. Ah well,
I suppose that writing coaches,
like hockey coaches, ure hired
primarily in order to be fired.

But let us not be diverted by
these speculations. Let us examine
the next set of BCFC numbers,

In the same period, said the
spokesman — i’d bet my ivory
body that the writing coach would
make that read ‘‘spokesperson,”’ a
hideous term — the Mid-Island
Express enjoyed at 104.2% in-
crease in vehicle traffic and a
146°, rise in passenger traffic,
again compared with the 1990
figures.

To the naked eye of an outsider
— even one unequipped with the
basic fact that we're talking two
runs here, one between Nanaimo
and Horseshoe Bay (the north end
of the metropolitan Vancouver
area) and the other between
Naniamo and Tsawwassen (the
south end) — these figures suggest
the latter is much more popular
than the former.

Unless, that is, the outsider is
informed of another basic fact:
since last summer, the frequency
of sailings on the Nanaimo-
Horseshoe Bay run has been
roughly cut in half.

Except at peak weekend
periods, the service is now every
two hours.

So missing a ferry now means a
two-hour wait. Get really unlucky,
and you could wait four hours.

Not surprisingly, these twin
discouragements have scared off a
tot of people travelling to and
from the commandingly beautiful
Horseshoe Bay.

Meanwhile the ferry corp has
been hyping the Mid-Island Ex-
press like mad, in and out of the
Jess-than-enthralling Tsawwassen.

And certainly this is a g00d
thing — for south-side residents
and American tourists who want
to dispense with Vancouver and
get straight into the fleshpots of
Nanaimo, Cumberland, Port

Trevor

GARDEN OF BIASES

Alberni, and other Vancouver
Islatid dens of iniquity.

So the figures conceal more
than they reveal, as they usually
do.

In fact che BCFC could easily
make them show that the Horse-
shoe Bay run is 100% less popular
than it was last year — by .crap-
ping it altogether.

Such is the present absurdity
that, recentiy, called to serious
business in Victoria, I chose the
Tsawwassen run — even though
Vm scarcely five minutes away
from the Shoe. Didn't want to
take the chance of missing the 7
a.m. sailing.

As North Van resident Wilfred
Janes was quoted in Surj's story,
that means North Shore people
are choosing to cross two or three
bridges and a tunnel and drive
through the heart of Vancouver —
such fun -— rather than take the
ferry that’s on their doorstep,

Now, to be fair: the ferry ser-
vice from Horseshoe Bay has
always generated grumbles.

People grumbled when it began.
Said it totaily spoiled an untouch-
ed place. People grumbled when
the congestion rose.

And people grumbled when the
fersy corp a couple of years ago
announced plans to expand the
facilities, including the parking —
an unquestionable problem, all
right,

So now we can grumble that the
plans are on hold and that the old
Shoe is being scuffed in favor of
the government’s shiny new slip-
per, the Mid-Island Express.

For sny part, J can only say that
this year or last, Horseshoe Bay is
delightful — its little business area
attractively put together, its res-
taurants varied and good, and its
spirit beguiling.

it always makes me feel as if
f'm on a holiday.

And who needs to travel, if you
live on Vancouver’s North Shore?

t 4

Locals win lottery prizes

TWO NORTH Vancouver resi-
dents recently cashed in on lottery
prizes.

Glen Johnson won $76,000 on
his Lotto 6/49 ticket; Jayne
Storoschuk won $10,000 after
purchasing two Tour B.C. instant
tickets.

Johnson had been shopping Ju-
ly 15 at the Lynn Vatley mall
where he purchased his Lotto 6/49
tickets from Ron’s Smoke Shop.
The next morning, while having
coffee on his patio. Jonnson
checked his tickets against the
winning numbers published and
found he was a winner.

“Irene (bis wife) was calling the
numbers out while I was checking
my tickets. — got four numbers

then put my pencil down,’’ said
Johnson. ‘lh got five numbers
ther put my pencil down again.
When I got the bonus number I
couldn’t believe it.

By correctly matching five of
the winning numbers plus the
bonus number on Lotto 6/49,
Johnson won $76,862.60.

Johnson plans to share the
winnings with his family and plans
to travel to Australia in November
for four weeks and visit his
daughter.

Storoschuk also plans to share
her lottery prize with family
members.

“EME probably take Mom and
her boyfriend on a trip) some-
where,"* said Storaschuk.

— —~ ee

a

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