a second apinton NEVER mind the chicken-littles trying to fabricate issues for political advantage. The safety of our commu- nities is threatened less by crime, big government or imaginary railway disasters than by the ever-present dan- ger on our roads and high- ways. In particular, lm talk- ing about trucks, This has been painfully brought home as a result of horrible North Shore acci- dents over the past vear on the Upper Levels Highway and, most recently, on Marine Drive in West Vancouver. _ Can the tragic loss of life . that we’ve witnessed in our neighborhoods be prevented from happening again? Obviously, we've got a scrious problem — and no one has been will up and accept responsibili:y. With municipal elections on the horizon, some contenders for local office have actually tried to make hay out of this issue, Shame on them, Others are ansious to pin the blame on the provincial , sovernment. Twas surpri instance, to see fellow-colum- nist Trevor Lautens demand- ing more regulation of the nd more toria on Spector: yv Trevor ing advocate of less ate intervention, What's going on here? Is real life intruding to the point where it’s breaking down idcologi- cal barricades? Just as surprising is that Trevor failed to mention what appears to be gross neg- ligence on the part of West Vancouver council in the most recent truck tragedy. Last year municipal staff recommended a ban on truck traffic on the steep main roads intersecting the neigh- borhoods of West Vancouver. Inexplicably, this recommen- dation was rejected, Why? No one will say. But if council had accepted the advice, the recent death of an innocent pedestrian could almost cer- tainly have been avoided. TERNATIVES ATION KIT; Ideal for conservative incame investors © Today's top income opportunities * Premium guaranteed rates e Safety of principal © Tax saving ideas MIDLAND IWALWYN Md eLur cir THINK ING® Member of CIPF Chris Carter Financial Advisor A Call Chris Carter 925-5565 (24 HRS) TM Blu fOUR'B fF MWCI ERE IND TIAA IAI ALY ITTF HSE al AE Se et Saf Clearly, we already possess same of the tools to fix our problems —~ why are we su reluctant to use them? We've now heard our quota of recriminations and seen enough finger-pointing; rime to begin the task of addressing this serious and ridding our conimunities of this threat to fife and prop- fo give the provincial gov- « ernment some credit ~ fora change — Highways Minister Lois Boone has kick-started the process. She has already increased the number of commercial vehicle inspectors operating out of mobile units throughout the Lower Mainland. They work with police to ensure that truck adhere to safety regulations. She’s also appointed a joint industry rnment task force on truck safery that will look into ways of improving sry on the roads. The ball is now in our Let’s force those who on the wi ty starts North Shore in next month's municipal elections to spell out their views on how we can secure the safety of our neighborhoods. And any local residents who care deeply aboist this issue or who have ideas about how to solve the problem should consider making rep- resentation directly to the v overloaded truck is dangerou but! shudder to think of the possi- ble carnage that might result irom a runaway truck carry- i We can and must prevent such an accident from ever occurring in our community. Second, f'm convinced that a significant increase in penalties and tin have you ever wondered rin the age of high-tech and engincering marvels we haven’t been able to design a truck brake that can be trusted to work reliably new Truck Safety Task Force. I plan to bring two serious matters to the attention of the task force. st, L hope consideration will be given to restricting and regulating the kinds of hazardous goods that trucks carry through our neighbor- hoods. In spite of criticisms from the peanut gallery, haul- ing such cargos by truck will never be as sate as transport on our rail line. Special homeowner premium Discount up to 40% FREE For a no obligation quote Call us. P, INS 1705 Marine Drive North Vancouver 990-0808 NUC Yee ALL DAY'SATURDAY OCT. EWING NOTIONS dito $):2.98 ARIMS, Allstock ‘SALE 20% Mon.-Fri. 8am-6:30pm Saturday 10am-5pm Kose) prevent truckers and contractors from endanger- ing, the public's For what offence ina licence suspen- sion for a truck driver and a million-dollar fine for the contractor? What if a second offence meant a lifetime ban from driving and the permanent loss of a con- tractor’s business licence? ft might sound heavy- ” 1 WS handed -~ but [| can almost guarantee you that safety would never be compro- mised, One further thought: have you ever wondered why in the age of high-tech and engineering marvels we haven't been able to design a truck brake that can be trust- ed to work reliably? This question was raised with me recently by former Social Credit cabinet minister Russ Fraser, himself an engi- neer, Wouldn’t it be a smart move for the trucking indu try to sponsor a special cc petition among our best and brightest, offering a sizable award to the person who could devise a no-fail truck brake? — The North Shore News believes strongly in freedom of speech and the right of all sides in a debate to be beard. The columnists published in the News present differing points of view, but those views are not necessarily those of the newspa- per itself.