UNUUHeNeCLesDCOUDeveeuecesCestearatonnseseee

other
voices

WE have recently been |
Informed that the plight of n
city bus driver is a wretched
‘thing, akin perhaps only to
the current press officer gig at
SFU (sce sexual harassment
and academic fraud flies),
Impatlent and surly passengers
compete with tele four-wheeled
* counterparts In a game of frustrate!
the transit driver,
In splte of this, most transit users
would agree that the vast majority of:

bus drivers are polite and courteous

tn thelr dealings with the publle, The
7 sannie cannot be said for the public,

«© During a winter storm last year,
. the kind where the payed hills thac
“ive roll across the North Shore became
“| wave pattern ice rinks, a brave bus
a driver was nursing his metallic people

» garrler down — and | mean down —
Look; that old guy in the Cadillac

Lonsdale Avenue. He.had a date -
with a SeaBus that he just had to
ot keep,
> Cars spin in frustration outside
ch the steam and mitten-streaked win-
--y dows, but our hero was successfully,
+ but slowly, coaxing the bus to actual
1 ly stop on far-from-horizontal bus
omtor pick up muffled passengers.
“These heroies, however, were lost
‘con'a loudemouthed punk squarely”
seated on the back bench. ><
“This guy: drives like my grand...
mother,” the liquefied lout pro-

Zone
Boundary

,_ WANCOUVER

« bade
°
oe.

Boundary gount

naeeusconnuns®

Boundary

B.C. Transit's change to fares signals to long-distance passengers that the transit authority is serie

Wednesday, July 2, 1997 ~ North Shore News = 13

‘ aiiAl ADIN uit : : ‘ " . .

NEWS wraphle Linds Douglas,

ous about supporting those who choose to travel via public transit. -

actually just passed us, man,”

' "The forearms of the wiry driver
throbbed, and despite the concentra:
tion‘necded for the road at hand, he

stole sweaty glimpses j into the .
“rearview mirror fo

ra glimpse of that
‘impudent and ridiculous mouth i in
action.

‘ He didn’t see the punk, but.a few

: of the passengers told the kid off'as
We unloaded under fluorescent light

at- Lonsdale Quay, We made the

“ SeaBus conmiection, with time tu

This wintery memory came back!
ina flurry when E read last week
about a new transit fare increase, the
first to Lower Mainland transit users
in over four years. :

For Nort!

New rates suggest we are not just
voices in the GVRD hinterland — a
feeling often associated with deci-
sions made by Lower Mainland
authorities, n

Undér the new pricing structure,
two-zone and three-zone Faresayer
tickets decrease four bucks a month,

Shore transit users, the

the very least, two twoories will g give
you two crossings of the new Lions.
Gate Bridge /Tunnel. If you figure: ,
thar the current Victoria regime will

* get around to actually npening the

thing in, five years, and you start ’
pocketing four loonies a month -*
eginning today, you'll be ready to to .

belly-tip to the First Narrows .
Crossing 120 times when the bridge,
tolls for thee and me in the summer
of 2002.)

- The Lower Maink: ‘ind is fully”

~ engaged ina comimnter quaginire, -

ee Ot

pounced to no one in particular,

‘By Robert Galster
_ News Reporter a
- robert@nsnews.com

NOR TH Vancouver
City Mayor Jack’.
“Loucks has lost his city
hall parking: privileges. s
“Loucks has’ been. parking:
. ‘his wheels in the familiar spot
* reserved: for ‘him and ‘only
him, next to the, building’: © «
" southwest entrance, fur yvars, -
But in recent days he has been *
relegated . clear" across: :the,
parkin; lot, more than, twice
thé old distance};
“Tes beer moved. because
they’ re. doing some’ work -'
_, there,so there may not be
any parkin there for a
while said Foucks. ;

i He’ s referring toa city hall
‘expansion project currently
“under way, ;

"City Clerk Bruce ,
Hawkshaw said the area’s ,
constriction involves the
removal of part of the build-
ing's wall and that the switch
is not permanent.

- “His spot will be coming
back later, but they just don't t
want any bricks falling on it,”
said Hawkshaw.

Loucks: didn’t seem too
concerned cither way.

“lt don't know why any:
body" s fussing about it, I’m
not,” said Loucks,

' “You must be having a
very slow news week,”

(What's four bucks, you say? Well, at

, daitsuttielency ‘through :
» Mersey in the’ devetoning word

we nan

Trabntiereay uICe, lin
fe homed planisy

* South Surrey
139) King Georpe Hwy

RLAMTCAND .
Hope ly & GAPDEN CE MTDE

7 ge le Wee

596.9201

and dropping 1 rats for two-zone.and

“the “Best in the industry" technologies and products have
been employed, from the latest computer software and hardw.
_. best designed furnishing, all new heavy equipment such as hoists

three-zone travellers {ya signal to
longedistance prissengers that B.C,
Transit fs serlous about culating a
commuter class. Like so many things
on the South Coast of BG, for too
long the transit authority has been
caugiit iin a simall city attitude, with
few late night routes and andersers
viced areas typifying the vision of
B.C, Transit,

Called by BC. T "ransitcrats a
“new fare structure”, the new rates
are indeed fiir. ‘The sole increase ina
ticket to ride fs for mid-day (or, off
peak) travel over more than one
zone, Riders between 9:30 aan, and
3 pam. used to be able to pay the
regular one-zone rate of $1.50 and
travel across zone boundaries with!
out upgrading their ticket, Now, 2
they" ‘f have to pay like their morning
and late afternoon commuting coun-
terparts, |

For North Shore transit users, the“:
zone-pricing system is an important:
one —~ step on to a SeaBus or 4

bridge-bound bus and you're head’

ing into another transit zone, ~ -
Signpost up ahead; “Pay more to.
upgrade ticket” (See map). ">
But let’s face it, a great number of
late-morning and early afternoon | +
SeaBus passengers are tourists, |”
Hiking. ots, Video cameras, unfa- ’
miliar languages and Vancouver T-

"shirts are the norm for a’ daytime Sea.

barge cruise. .
‘Giving them, tra Wer’s “cheques” ae

“strapped fo their skin in. money belts,

a red! rate is 4 tourism economic ;

_ ‘Transit has done ivell to correct this

: The only criticism to make of the,

new fare pricing is an‘old one — the
* lack of a‘post- -sccondary student rate

If seniors cin‘travel ‘for less than full

-_ freight, students, who make up a’

large portion of transit users,’should
also get a break. And so.too should:
the drivers;

» and specialty took to environment friendly systems for wast ail, : :

coolant and refrigerant recovery.

v6 engine, dual sliding doors, air conditioning
& much, much | more. oy

* 30 mo., $3200 down, TP. $11,370 + Taxes O.A.C. ‘Sub-vented lease in lieu of RDA.
** Single Payment Lease — 30 mo. term — rate sub-vented in lieu of RDA