| Cit SAF LE MAMA Sa SRE SEP GE ae RI AE Ly EEE Dear Editor: Last week as | commuted across the Lions Gate Bridge on my bicycle 1 had to laugh: If | hadn't I would have realized 1 was terrified. Terrified by the noise, the proximity to me of buses, cars, small trucks and their rear view mirrors. In several places on the middie span I spied the sea below through the sidewalk. I’ve ridden across the bridge for many years both as a commuter and as a recreational cyclist. I had always thought that cyclists complaining about the Lions Gate were just wimps. But, recently | rode the entire coast of Califormia ~- through sone of the most populous areas on the entire west coast of the continent. In California towns no bigger than Nanaimo have superb bike lanes. . It’s ironic that cities like Los Angeles — where not having a car is like not having clothes — have bet- ter provisions fer cyclists than any Canadian city I’ve visited. Returning to Vancouver I experi- enced more terror on my moming commute from West Vancouver to downtown than | had. relt on the Big Sur highway, throrgh Los Angeles, San Francisco ard on the thin wind- ing roads of Mendocino county. I haa to chuckle. What else could Ido? What really killed me was the jaunty little “bike to work” signs tied up with bits of string along the bridge. That's a real joke. Even when you have got over the bridge and negotiated the narrow, roughly paved causeway, on enter- « Park and sail solution _ Dear Editor: --- Herewith: a suggestion ‘which might help. relieve ~ some of the congestion on the "”. bridges and show a little pos- itive interaction between dif- ferent levels: of government . which has been missing to _ date in the necese2zry work on Second Narrows Bridge. - One of ‘the objections to- * using the-SeaBus has: been . “Mlimited. access .to it and no - ‘convenient parking for those who are unable, or unwilling homes. However, there are a number of little-used parking lots within three blocks of Lonsdale Quay,, which I believe are owned and oper- ated by North Vancouver City. _— For’ the duration of the bridge work I would suggest -that they be opened up for free parking betwcen 6 a.m. and 6 p.m. (or a nominal $1 charge) to encourage people to. leave their cars on the North Shore. litle revenue and would gar- ner goodwill, and the SeaBus could be more fully utilized. Instead of Park and Ride this would be Park and Sail. With success and another SeaBus or two we might approach Sydney, Australia, in the use of water transport for commuters avoiding the heavy infrastructural costs of roads. The above might be a way to show that it works. Stuart M. Lamb News publisher praised bike facilities a joke ing Stanley park the ubiquitous NO CYCLING signs begin, forcing bicycles either onto Georgia (makes me laugh even harder) or through a pedestrian-only area. In Orange County the commit- ment to cycling as a viable method of transportation is so paramount that if road workers are busy on a bike route, detour signs direct the cyclist to a safe alternate. ; Presumably the new Licas Gate crossing will remedy the currently hilarious situation, but who knows when or if the government will final- Dear Editor: To all those —- J say — I . Reg Ayres North Vancouver ly release details for the new suuc- ture. Then how long will it take to build? By the time | stop laughing, "It be retired and won't need to ride downtown anyway. ; All municipalities, cities, town- ships, and the ministry of highways in British Columbia and across Canada should be required to spend a fixed percentage of their road- building and maintenance budgets on the creation and maintenance of bike lanes. : Then people will take those “bike to work” signs seriously. Until then I'm afraid it’s just a joke. Heather Drugge West Vancouver hdragge @sfu.ca to use bus transit from their pera ted white, mp. On:dune 23, 1896. during the CBC Newsworld television program, Ottawa Inside Out, Health Minister David Dingwall a3 quéstionsd about Quebec's refusal to - fully reimburse other provinces for medical “survices received by Quebecers, when they. become Iti while visiting other -perts of Cangda. The Minister agreod that Quebec in violnion of tha portablitty provision2 of: the Canada ‘Health Act, but he is not ‘(planning to withiiold funding to Quebec to i force compliance, a8 was done recontly in tha: case. of, Alberta's ‘private medical | S clintes, and 6.C.'s extra billing. - ae In 4988, when Mr. Dingwall was Health ‘Critte tor: the ‘Liberals, he: criticized the Tory Govaernmem “heinous the ‘provision: Hs “Act, but in:his interview on June 23 he had changed: his: tune, saying instead, "... that particular /isgue’ has ‘not’ beer: high on my ‘priority list at this time."He also said that "7 -have other priorities which we are working on hich 'think.are more important than that lot not demanding that Quebec “Ottawa fined B.C. for extra {ling “and backed Alberta down for the te clinics, yet Ottawa remains silent over violation. of the portability Dingwall: "No,°7 think you're ‘wrong, and | disagree with you. The issue of Alberta didn't just: happen overnight... It wos a year and a “half in the making. With the issue in terms of ‘Quebec; I've been the Minister for four anda ‘half; months and’ as [ve indicated to you, we've’ geing’ to work on that particular problem but it's not my highest prioriiy at this time." ~ : ‘ : r: “Would” you «consider fining reasonable way." : ‘interviewer: "Are you thinking of setting a The city would lose very QUEBEC, HEALTH CARE & IMMIGRANTS Act. 7 i "IMMIGRATION & EDUCATION TOO ‘agreement, Quebec has promised to take 25% fons of the Canada Health - "school principal, Myron Thompson, spoke out ‘ shows Quebec as a separate country among . ‘ ‘Govemment should, at the very least, be _Guebec schools. ‘all provinces SHOULD be receiving equal North Vancouver “Top Quality pain ts outperf orm ordinary paints! They r to.apply, they are better looking, they last longer and they're your best value. This fiver features excellent values cn oitr Top Quality and most popular paints in each ct line. ona 7 * mw a a . deadline with Quebec?” Dingwall:".... we will continue our discussion with the Province of Quebec and | hopefully we can get it resolved." When asked whether avoiding the option to fine Quebec was because it could be interpreted by a separatist government as B "provocative", Mr. Dingwall agreed that it was an issue, but there was a need to try to resolve : SE it. In the end it was quite clear that there is ‘| a wt Pre . NOT. a level playing field for all provinces in . Ee ER el terms of the enforcing of the Canada Health | | 02010-PREMIUM met Under’'a Federal-Quebec immigration’ } HOUSE PAL NT : of all immigrants in retur for an appropriate _ ezine share. of immigrant’ resettlement: funding. However, Ottawa is paying the full percentage in terms of funding, white Quebec consistently faits to meet its obligations. 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