fares, rate increases, training |.., Kevin Gillies News Reporter A government report released this week will strengthen the taxi industry and benefit consumers, according to an industry insider. But the director ofa North Shore shutrie bus company thar is currently operating outside of Motor Carrier Commission rules says) the report into the B.C. taxi industry will further entrench taxi regulation. The repert, compiled by lawyer Stan) Lanyon for the transportation ministry, rec- ommnends allowing flat-rate fares and shared ‘ides along with metered fares. “The case for a flat rate is probably good for consumers ..” said North Shore Taxi general manager Subag Singh. But he added that a flar rate during rush hour would not be feasible for cab drivers “because it takes much longer during traffic jams to go from point A to B.” Singh, who is also the sec- retary of the B.C. Taxi Association, said those con- cerns need to be addressed. But Jazz Sieckham, secre- tary of Super Shuttle Led., which operates the Local Minibus service on ihe North Shore for a flat-rate fee, said that while the report recog- nizes the valuc of innovations initiated by companics like his, it recommends giving them to established compa- nies like Singh's. “The taxi industry has now realized that it’s going to hap- pen; thar the public wants it whe said “What's going on is, the government is playing polities and the taxi industry is saving ‘look, if vou're going todo this, give it to us.” 7 Sickham said the report promotes industry concentra- tion and shuts out small com- panies like his to protect the value of cab licences. “You could have all kinds of transportation choices; small entrepreneurs providing all sorts of services,” he said. “The only thing stopping it is the B.C. Transit union, f¢CTU (Independe it Canadian Transit Union), and the taxi industry.” Sickham applauded North Shore municipalities tor issu- ing business licences to his company to provide the shared-ride shuttle service, which is used mostly by single mothers and seniors. But Minibus has been tick- eted four times and received a “cease and desist order” from the Motor Carrier Commission for carrying, pas- sengers across municipal boundaries, ; “It’s simply — because they're not licensed,” said MCD provincial manager Lori Sather. “They're operat- ing illegally.” In an April 30 letter to Sickham, Sather said she was “very concerned about this situation.” She said Minibus has nor responded to the letter and enforcement will be stepped up against them, Sickham said his company is fighting the tickets. Lanyon’s report also ree- ommends a modest fare increase for taxis as well as mandatory driver training. False robbery report filed From page 4 appeared to be trying to take off in her car. “She is screaming, ‘Get out of the car. What do you think you are doing?” said Payn. West Vancouver Police arrived as Vasiri Nejch was last seen running towards Capilano Road, He was not apprehend- ed. The next day at 5 p.m. Vasiri Nejeh phoned the North Vancouver RCMP and told a staff sergeant that he was assaulted and robbed the previ- ous night when he went to his parked car. Vasiri Nejeh claimed he did- n’t recall anything that hap- pened afterwards except wak-_ ing up in his North Vancouver home. Payn stated that Vasiri Nejch gave conflicting state- ments about what happened. - He later went to the Vancouver City Police station and reported the robbery by . supplying an officer with a four-page hand-written state- ment. Vasiri Nejeh correctly told the officer that he had been read his Charter rights and warmed oy West Vancouver Police that he was a suspect in a dangerous driving charge. Five days after the incident, Vasiri Nejeh went to che ICBC claims centre near Brooksbank Avenue and gave a two-page assault and robbery statement. Payn said police had no independent witnesses to the crash at that point. Coincidentally a woman in a Horseshoe Bay restaurant overheard two ICBC adjusters talking about the car crash. She turned out to be the motorist who had taken her keys with her when she went to help Vasiri Nejeh. . The woman later picked Vasiri Nejch our of a police lineup. He was subsequently charged. Crown lawyer Payn asked that the conditional sentence have curfews attached so that it was not “akin toa probation order.” Conditional sentences were brought in by the federal Liberal government a few years ago to reduce the number of criminals = put in jail. Conditional sentences are served outside jail in the com- munity and often have almost the same conditions as proba- tion orders. North Vancouver provincial court Judge Ken Page agreed with Vasiri Nejeh’s lawyer David Crossin that curfews were NOT necessary. Crossin said he had repre- sented “worse RCMP cases.” The defence lawyer said that if the matter had stopped at the failing to remain at the scene, “ could have squeaked him through and continued his employment . (with — the RCMP)” Crossin said Vasiri Nejeh was motivated by fear and panic. Vasiri Nejeh had dreamt of being a police officer as a child in Tran. Vasiri Nejeh’s father disappeared when he was cight years old. He came to Canada, landing in Montreal at age 12 with his mother and brother. Vasiri Nejeh had been an RCMP officer for a little more * than a year at the time of the crash. Crossin said he expected his client would resign before being dismissed from the RCMP. The defence lawyer said his client was taking a $14,000 computer course and was $40,000 in debr. Vasiri Nejeh has been sus- pended without pay since last August. Judge Page said Vasiri Nejeh has lost face in the com- munity and had had a serious lapse of judgmenie. The judge fined him $800 for the Motor Vehicle Act offences of failing to remain at the scene and driving without due care and attention. The judge decliged the Crown’s suggestion that Vasiri Nejeh’s driver’s licence be sus- pended. The judge said the superin- tendent of motor vehicles would take care of that. Friday, June 18, 1999 — North Shore News - 3 NEWS photo Terry Peters MINIBUS di ive: Colleen Richards drives seniors to the hospital and children to school. He: employer has been ticketed for crossing municipal boundaries. Regular service set for July 1 From page 1 equitably on the two vehicle decks. The ferry’s arrival delay in Horseshoe Bay was deliberate: BC Ferries appears to have listened to angry small cratt owners whose boats were tossed about by the Explorer’s big wake during test runs. The Explorer, commissioned last Saturday, had 144 vehicles and 514 passengers on board for the first leg of its inaugural round trip. It has capacity for 1,000 passen- gers and 250 vehicles. The PacifiCat returned to Nanaimo Thursday aiternoon, but is expected to work the run again on Sunday. Regular service begins July 1. “It’s just great, perfect,” said Capt. Wayne Holmes on the high-tech bridge. “Congratulations to the people that built her.” The controversial project began five years ago with a $210-million budget. It’s two years late and more than $200-million over budget. Premier Glen Clark hoped it would jump-start B.C.’s ship-building industry and shave a half-hour off the West Vancouver-to-Nanaimo crossing time. Said BC Ferries’ president Bob Lingwood. “We've looked to this day for a long time. It really is a proud moment for BC Ferries, a real change in the service we’re offering.” . Two more “fast-cats” are joining the “litter”: one should be set for sea trials at the end of summer with com- missioning sometime in November; anether should be ready by mid-to-late summer of 2000. Fares on the Explorer will remain the same as other vessels on the route for the time being. Lingwood said a fare increase for the “premium” service may be intro- duced when the second boat is added in November. Otherwise, itll be like the rest of the fleet, which is under a fare freeze through March 31, 1999. Passengers interviewed randomly by the News were disappointed with the vessel. “It’s a waste of money,” said Don Matthews of Port Alberni. “If you’ve got a pick-up you’ve got to swing both mirrors in. I had to climb out the passenger side. It’s built for a Honda Civic.” Mountain bikers draft code of conduct Bob Mackin News Reporter LOCAL mountain bik- ers are drafting a code of conduct in a bid to placate West Vancouver District. The plan came June 15, a week after West Vancouver municipal workers dismantled a. circuit built. without municipal approval on trails near Cypress Bowl Road. North Shore Mountain Biking Association (NSMBA) president) Lee Lau said his group wants to ensure obstacles created by mountain bikers are safe and — environmentally friendly. He said North Vancouver District, Greater Vancouver Regional District and B.C. Parks officials have allowed NSMBA to maintain trails and build ramps and other obstacles on a limited basis. He hopes to convince West Vancouver to do the same. West Vancouver director of parks and recreation Kevin Pike said action was taken June 8 because of concerns for legal liability and environmental damage on the public trails. A teenage mountain biker needed an emergency spleen operation after falling on the circuit in late May, Pike said. The circuit was constructed by using trees cut in the area and there was obvious damage to the forest floor. “We've had some cutting of live trees in the area to manu- facture these stunts,” Pike said. “The main concern is the con- stant running-over of tree roots by mountain bikes. There's some significant three-foot deep trenches.” The trails, called Reaper, Pre-Reaper and Coiler by mountain bikers, are near the tourth switchback of Cypress Bowl Road in a triangular area once the site of a proposed golf course. “Ironically the citizens of West Vancouver voted to not convert to a golf course and here we’ve got this stuff going on,” Pike added. Lau is looking forward to mecting with Pike and his staff to find 2 resolution. “We've finally realized we've gotta bite the bullet and get our house in order, or get tossed off the mountain completely,” Lau said. Lau said a “renegade” mountain biker well-known to his group built the circuit not only without municipal permis- sion, but without) NSMBA approval. He declined to identi- fy the trail-builder. “We just laid it down: you can’t just do whatever you want without any regard to what the community feels,” Lau said. “The cutting down of live trees, that really annoyed me.” Lau said his group builds “ride arounds” or diversions on trails in other municipalities so that hikers and less-skilled bik- ers who want to avoid obstacles have alternate routes. “We recognize mountain bikers aren't going away,” Pike said. “The North Shore offers an ideal place for them. : “We've got to find a way that we aren’t left with the Jia- bility or environmental prob- lems in the future.”