afety issue ral

verance and ce mMinnent.

Thompson said the real
focus should remain the even-
tual elimination of iraftic from
the park compictely.

“Inthe Jong term we're
going to have to find solutions
to our transportation problem
in the Lower Mainland or
We're going to either choke on
our own uallie or we're going
te have more crashes,” he said.

“L think (the proposal) is a
very forward step and as far as
we're concerned at ICBC it
sets a dimetable and a deadline
for finding new solutions.”

He said that ICBC, which
Pays Out an average of nearly
$6.5 million per day on crashes,
sees the artery as a “micro-
cosm” of the Lower Mainland.

In Vancouver City, the
Stantey Park corridor and Lions
Gate Bridge are ranked first in
head-on collisions and second
oaly to 12th Avenue in terms
of fixed object collisions per
year.

According to estimates,
causeway and bridge accidents
account for nearly $2.5 million
in claims each vear.

Thompson said tthe
causeway proposal will repre-
sent an immediate one-third
reduction in the accident rate
along the congested causeway
and that ICBC should see a
return on its $2 million invese-
ment. within three years.

But it was not ail smooth
sailing for the board during the
meeting.

David Chesman, a former
park board commissioner who
served from 1993 ta 1999,
claimed that the board had
neglected its mandate to pre-
serve and protect the park land.

' i
buns and enven tees, » With

+ (DPR TEST TD
Lonsdale & 13th, N. Vancouver

“The moron im front: of

vou thes ins the face oF your
mandate.” fe said. “You are
not receiving back anvthing tor
the alienation oi park land...
How do vou fashion a decision
which permits a widening and
therefore, safety, and stay irue
to vour mandate?”

Chesman then told the
board the only way in which it
could maintain its authority in
the eves of its constituents and
approve the proposal would be
to obtain a binding agreement

regarding the elimination of

private trathe from the park.
Anything less than Uhat would
simply be a pipe dream, he said,
as nothing has vet been signed
concerning that goal.

Another former couimis-
sioner, Alan Fetherstonhaugh,
suggested that talk of eliminat-
ing the causeway altogether
was nothing more than a red
herring that served to mask the
real issue at hand: the much-
needed third crossing for the
Burrard Inlet.

“Whether we like it or not
we have to plan for the future.”
he said.

“We must improve the gran-
sit and we must improve the
access to the North Shore. It's
unfortunate that the North
Shore will have to take more
growth, because they don’t
want more growth. By keeping
the current bridge you solve
that problem.”

But Barry Hogan, president
of the West Vancouver
Chamber of Commerce,
scoffed at Fetherstonhaugh’s
accusation.

“As president of the cham-
ber, I'm all for growth,” he
said. “The whole corridor uses
that bridge, not just West
Vancouver = ands North

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Vancouver residents.

“This is about) common
sense and Knowing that if vou
drive across that bridge it is
dangerous... 2 Just because
we've been lucky to this point
fers not take that as proof tht
we won'c have a problem in che
fature.”

Both commissioners Laura
MeDiarntid and Alan
DeGeaova were dght-tipped
abour how thes would cast
their vote come Monday, but
said they were leaning toward
giving their approval ifit meant
saving lives in the long run.

“Even one life lost is too
many,” said McDiarmid.

Both commissioners initially
opposed the proposal during
election time but have since
swung iheir vote, claiming that
new safety statistics recently
brought io light helped to
change their minds,

“fe’s very clear that [ said in
the beginning that 1 don't
believe in the causeway but 1
always said that if the (BCTFA)
could prove to me that it isn’t
safe I would consider it,”
DeGenova said.

“[ve got to go on facts and
numbers here. One life ... 1
can’t replace that. J can plant
six trees and take the seeds
from one tree and plant anoth-
er tree. But [ can't replace that
life. It all comes down to safe-
ty.

NEWS photo Terry Peters

Could have been worse

RCMP Const. Lisa Thoms spoke to a North Vancouver District worker after his
parked truck rolled down a hill ard hit a tree in the front yard of 1323 Ross Rd.

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