8 - Friday, June 12, 1992 —- North Shore News District mayor wants improved transit system GVRD introduces plan to cut local air pollution NORTH Vancouver District Mayor Murray Dykeman says he wants to see a North Shore transit system that does a better job of transporting people across the North Shore to help reduce local reliance on private automobiles and thereby help reduce local air pollution, Dykeman made his comment folowing the June 3 introduction of the Greater Vancouver Regional District’s (GVRD) regional air quality management plan. Under the plan, which is the first of its kind in Canada, the GVRD aims to cut the region's harmful air emissions by 50% by the year 2000. The GVRD introduced its Air Quality Management Plan (AQMP) discussion paper at the June 3 public forum. “If we're going to effect change, we have to have all sec- tors of society working together,"' said GVRD air quality committee chairman Doug Drummond. ‘‘We don’t want our regional district compared to Los Angeles or Mex- ico."’ Each year in the GVRD, over 600,000 tonnes of primary air pollutants are emitted by sources that include industry, cars, trucks, airplanes, waste incineration, fuel storage and handling, road dust and space heating. By far the largest contribution comes from mobile sources, which account for 87% of emissions. Automobile exhausts alone are responsible for 53% of the area's measured pollutants, with another 11% being contributed by heavy-duty vehicles. While the air quality plan under discussion is broad-based, touching on topics from the reduction of oil-based paints to a decrease in polluting consumer products such as hair spray, its biggest target is the automobile. Car exhausts are primarily responsible for the most noticeable and serious of the GVRD's air quality problems, the photochemical smog caused by ground-level ozone. Caused by nitrogen oxides and volatile organic compounds in the presence of sunlight, the smog is blown from urban Vancouver up the Fraser Valley where it is trap- ped by temperature inversions and surrounding mountains and results in readings that rank among the highest in Canada. A study done by the University of British Columbia indicates that crop damage in the valley due to ground-level ozone runs to $10 million per year. With the GVRD’s population projected to grow by another one th North Vancouver City Library Summer r) Saturday, June 13 $ oe 9:30 a.m. - P Come and browse By Peggy Trendel!l-Whittaker Contributing Writer million people by 2021, transpor- tation habits will have to change if the region is to avoid the en- vironmental and health problems that plague heavily populated cit- ies such as Mexico City. Measures to decrease motor vehicle use may include: ® expansion of transit and rapid transit service; @ additional high occupancy vehicle lanes for buses; @ carpools and vanpools; @ higher parking rates; @ limiting parking supply; @ improved cycling and pedestri- an facilities. The regional district is working with the province to produce Transport 2031, a jointly funded, long-range transportation plan for the region. Being launched in September is the result of another joint project — the B.C. AirCare program which was developed by the regional, provincial and federal government and will see all cars and trucks being tested and forced to meet specified emissions stand- ards. Dykeman, a member of the GVRD air quality committee, transportation committee and transit commission, attended the June 3 public forum and said that North Shore residents are becom- ing especially aware of the issues at stake because they can look across the inlet and see the smog increasing. “People are telling me ‘I'm los- ing my view, and it’s not just the trees growing up,’ ’’ he told the News. “Our community could do a better job of not using its cars.” To achieve that end, Dykeman would ideally like to see a North Shore transit system that was designed to facilitate travel across the North Shore, not to feed pev- ple directly into Vancouver. He would also like tc see in- creased park-and-ride facilities and consideration of a rapid tran- sit link from Vancouver to the North Shore. The GVRD is encouraging public input into the development of the final air quality manage- ment plan. 4 p.m. NOTICE TO MOTORISTS PORTEAU BLUFFS ROCK SCALING PROJECT SEA-TO-SKY HIGHWAY 99 ; The Ministry of Transportation and Highways advises there will be 20-minute f delays on the Sea-To-Sky Highway 99 at Porteau Bluffs, 25 km north of Horseshoe Bay from Monday, June 15 to Friday, June 26, 1992. The delays K are needed for rock scaling and bolting work and are scheduled as follows: Monday to Thursday 9:00 AM - 4:00 PM Friday 9:00 AM - 12:30 Noon Note: Two and one-half hour morning and afternoon closures will be in effect g on Wednesday, June 24 and Thursday, June 25 from 10:00 AM - 12:30 Noon and from 1:30 - 4:00 PM. There will be no scheduied delays on Friday afternoons or on weekends. Province of British Columbia Ministry of Transportation and Highways N ABECTSFORS SURAABY COQUITLAM NGRTH VANCOUVER RICHKOND