6 - Sunday, May 29, 1994 - North Shore News NEWS VIEWPOINT - Pedal power {HE NORTH Shere desperately needs a practical network of bicycle routes for commuters and casual bicycle users. As underlined: by. North) Vancouver . District’s recent decision to endorse! a master - plan for. bicycles. in the municipality, the issue addresses far more than a recreational need. . ; It addresses: the wider i issue of making local streets usable for vehicles ‘other than ‘those powered by internal combustion engines. .. B The bicycle is not the only answer to reducing the congestion on our commuter routes. In some weather conditions it is far froma practical alternative at all, but it is one of the many viable answérs fo an “extremely complex problem that has no sin- gle solution. The numbers of people. willing to leave their cars at home to bicycle to work contin- ues to grow on the North Shore. f ‘But residents willing to forgo the conve- nience of their cars still face a host of unnec- -essary roadbiocks in making that sacrifice, - whether it be based on concerns about traffic ‘congestion. and pollution or simply a choice to combine exercise with commuting. '. The most serious roadblock is the lack of ' basic access to commuter routes, Virtually all major roads on the North Shore are designed exclusively for the use of automobiles. ‘There are no bicycle lanes or allowances, which is not only inconvenient for bicyclists, but dangerous for all commuters, Local streets need to be made available for all commuters, not just internal combustion roadhogs who choose to drive alone i in their automobiles. NEWS QUOTES OF THE WEEK “A study of Canadian heavy drinkers by Dr. Kai Pernanen found over-consumption did not (From the May 29 Doug Collins On the Hand column.) “I don’t think you can force people to be creative. “You plant the seeds, fertilize lead to fights and bar-wrecking. “It was followed more usually by laughter, hugging and_back- slapping. When very drunk, peo- pie were not so much warlike as incapacitated.” From a report in the Sunday Telegraph on the effeets of alcohol. “1 don’t tike drinking brown water, or grey or whatever color it happens to be that day.”. Bottled drinking water customer Patrick Holt, on local water aesthet- ics and other drinking water con- cerns. (From a May 27 North Shore News story.) ; the soil and give them good light and atiow them (to grow.” North Shore acting school’ owner William Davis, on cultivat- ing creativity. (From the May 25 North Shore News Now Spotlight feature.) Publisher Managing Editor Associate Editor... 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North Shore Managed | 980-0511 Distribution’ Subscriptions 986-6222 Fax 985-2131 Administration MEMBER G@cna an SDA ance : ; 61,582 (average circulation, Wednesday, Friday & Sunday) 986-1337 986-1337 985-3227 985-2131 this 5 renspapet reajeed ie “= = ae Entire contents © 1994 North Shore Free Press Ltd. All rights reserved, HE: “HER AND YON PROPHETS are often with- out honor in their own lana~ -— initially, at any rate — as North Van Reform MP Ted ‘White is beginning to fi nd out. White, you may recall, is hold- ing here what is billed as the world’s first electronic referendum from June 14 to 19. It will ask all registered North Van voters (not just Reform supporters) — plus Grade 10-12 high school students —— three questions about the Young Offenders Act (YOA), viz: 1. Should the minimum age for charging minors be lowered to 10? ’ 2. Should minors charged with serious offences, like murder, be automatically raised to adult court, with its attendant publicity and tougher sentences? 3. Should a special category of the YOA provide harsher penalties for dangerous, violent and repeat offenders? A PIN (personal identification number) is being mailed to each voter and student. This allows them to vote once only by calling a 1-900 number with a touch-tone phone. The tech- nology is being supplied by the Maritime Tel subsidiary that con- ducted the televoting at the B.C. Liberal leadership convention last all Referendum 94, as it’s called, will cost each televater about $1.95 in phone charges. White apologizes for not being able to pay the whole shot out of his constituency budget, . but promises that any profit from the poll will be donated to Lions. Gate Hospital. ‘ As you might expect, political opponents, the politically correct and assorted bleeding hearts are dumping all over White’s quiz. North Shore NDP and Liberal MLAs have issued dire warnings about it “oversimplifying” complex issues and leading to “drastic changes ... without proper debate.” Here we go again with the old Father- Knows-Best syndrome — never ask constituents what they want because, once elected, you and your party alone know what is good for them! One local university prof calls it | ° ‘ta hamburger poll,” without explaining why. Another offers the fatuous comment that “people with ‘strong opinions are likely the ones who will respond” (aren’t those the very ones who vote in elections in the first place?). - Meanwhile, North Van School Board voices outrage over what it describes as “bringing politics into the classroom" and refuses to sup- ply any lists of students for White to provide with voter PINs. With some of the students in question almost at voting age, and the rest not all that far removed, one might think the board would welcome a hands-on lesson in 2 Ist century tele-democracy. Especially — | as it’s quite happy for teachers to - teach political correctness and pur- ' sue left-wing x social engineering | agendas i in these same classrooms. Youth crime, much of it violent, is high among public worries today. So Ted White is merely doing what he and his party promised: listening to the concerns of their constituents — all of them, not just those who voted Reform — as a basis for _action on the problem, No wonder he makes the old- - line politicians, convinced of their _ own and their party’s superior wis-' dom, extremely uncomfortable. | oon 4 SCRATCHPAD: Celebrating its 20th birthday June 24, North Van’s Folkfest wants to contact all its : entertainers and participants since 1974 fora Special gala performance and reception at the Centennial.’ ~ Theatre—if you qualify, please call Folkfest chairwoman Stella Jo .. Dean soonest at 987-6085 ... Get the score on all the new crossing options by attending the Lions Gate Crossing Stakeholders Roundtable sponsored by © _ Highways Minister Jackie Pement. Wednesday, June 1, at 7 p.m. in West Van Secondary School—" everyone welcome ... Waltz into. - - summer at the Summer Solstice Dinner. Dance sponsored by North | Shore Volunteers for Seniors. Saturday, June 25, from 7:30 p.m. in West Van Rec Centre — call 922-1575 to reserve tickets ($20 each, students $12) ... From the Better Late Dept., congrats to’ Gertie “Miss North Shore”) and _ Charlie Todd on their 54th anniversary Thursday, May 26 .:., Happy birthday today, May 29, to former premier Bill Vander Zalm who turns 60 ... Ditto to Beb Hope. at91... And the same to 61-year-"' old retired. West Van fire chief Colin Evans. : WRIGHT OR WRONG: It your mind should go blank, remember to turn off the sound. Photo submitted 54TH AND counting ... Gortie ° and Charlie Todd.”