ear collide A 54-year-old North Vancouver man is alive today because he was wearing a full- face motorcycle helmet on Saturdey morning. _: "The motorcyclist flew 10 “metres (33 feet) in the air and then rolled another five metres 16 feet) following a collision with a Volkswagen Beetle. ‘The crash happened in the 3600-block of Mount Seymour . Parkway, according to a North Vancouver RCMP spokesman, . The motorcyclist was trav- lling west in front of Parkgate mall. The car driver was trav- iting east and was in the left- injury, in the collision. His . name Was not released. He was LY comipared to 90 st year @ during May, June and : The olume of robbery bic suspects: gaatly North | ver men, are eliter in Nanee awaitin Speeder snaps will generate real tickets starting on Friday BY ANNA MARIE D’ANGELO News Reporter GET ready to pull out your cheque books, photo radar is set to start clicking for real on Friday. After a month-long delay, the provincial gov- ernment's controversial anti-speeding program will start up just in time for the busy long weekend. “We would rather not receive any money and have people slow down,” said Motor Vehicle Branch spckesman Betty Nicholson yesterday. Twenty photo radar cameras are dispersed throughout the province, including on the Coquihalla Highway. North Vancouver City is the only North Shore municipality that has decided to allow photo radar Wednesday, July 31, 1996 in its city limits. The camera has been snapping speeders on East Keith Road west of the Grand Boulevard and on 3rd Street at Mahon Avenue, Nicholson said the government estimates it will take in about $55 million through photo radar from August until March. The cost of the camera-van units is about $100,000. Police officers working in the photo radar unit number 104. Opponents to photo radar continue to claim that the program is a cash cow for a cash-strapped provincial government. North Vancouver resident Shue Tuck Wong became a public critic of the program after he was erroncously given a warning ticket in April. The ticket showed a blurry licence plate incor- rectly interpreted as belonging to Wong. “[ am not against some kind of photo radar as a tool to catch speeders. It is the way it is being slammed through to get money and the use of the excuse that it will save lives,” said Wong. Wong added that the government will likely generate more than $100 million a year in photo radar tickets, He said the government could use the point system instead of issuing speeding tickets if it - North Shore News ~ 3 was interested only in safer driving. “To say all accidents are specd-related is a lot of bunk. It’s like saying that all floods are witer-relat- ed and all pregnancies are sex-related,” said Wong. The Simon Fraser University geography profes- sor has been driving for 40 years and has never received a speeding ticket. Nicholson said motorists will get their photo radar tickets in the mail 10 to 14 days after speed- ing infractions. ; A specding ticket is $100. An excessive speed- ing ticket is $150 (more than 40 km/h above the speed limit). Nicholson said all motorists can avoid receiving photo radar tickets by refraining from driving more than 10 km/n over the posted speed fimit. She said photo radar will deter speeders in high-:.. crash areas and save everyone in insurance and medical costs. Government statistics show that 194 people died in 1994 in crashes where speeding was a fac- tor. , Nicholson said the government will release a list tater this week of photo radar routes, but not the exact spots where the cameras are located. NEWS photo Cindy Goodman Caribbean celebration | ALI Jotinson and other Caribbean Festival musicians enier- ‘tained: a North Yan City Waterfront Pazk crewd Sunday. The cultural ¢ evant featured huge crowds, music, food and dance. "BY ANNA MARIE D'RNGELO Nevis Reporter LOOK, up in the sky, it’s a bird, it’s. a phine ... uc, it’: .he ‘North Vancouver RCMP. ’ For two nights in September, the North Van Mounties wilt be using a heli- . copter all night to assist in a variety of police calls including foot and car chases. Const. Catherine Galliford said the helicopter will be especially helpful in tracking suspects in wooded areas on the North Shore. =: The helicopter has been used by the Surrey RCMP detachment on random weekends since the spring. Other RCMP detachments are now trying it out. Said Surrey RCMP Const. Grant Learned, “The use of helicopters is well > established in law enforcement in the United States.” The two-year-old Bell 206L4 helicopter has night-vision equipment which makes it easy to track suspects in the dark through the use of heat detection. The equipment is called Forward Looking Infrared (FLIR). ‘The chopper also has a search light. The: helicopter will carry a + pio a FLIR operator ‘and two North Van Early finish in| sight for bridge upgrade work BY ROBERT GALSTER Contributing Writer DRIVERS living with the trouble of traversing the Second ‘Narrows bridge during the ailing span’s upgrade can expect relief as early as tomorrow. | We're definitely ahead of sched- ule.” said Ministry of Transportation and Highways (MoTH) spokesman Brenda Jones. “It’s looking good out there.” Jones said last week the work could be finished as early as this ’ Friday, but added she felt uncom- fortable in making a firm prediction. Her reluctance to name a: date was a result of too many factors playing a part in the completion date’s determination, she said! The weather is a factor. However, recent warm temperatures did: not, seeni to affect the pace of work. Concrete could not be poured on to the renewed bridge deck when the deck’s temperature rose above 25°C. ‘Jones’ said crews” “have ‘been working. with ice mixtures to ensure that the concrete is of the appropri- - ate temperature. {n addition to easing the lives of © commuters, an early August com- pletion date. also spells 'a sizable windfall for contractor Peter Kiewit and Sons. An agreement between the contractor and MoTH calis for a bonus of $25,000 for: cach’ day before Avs, $1 that the project is completed. With the bridge reopening as early as Thursday — 10 days ahead ° of schedule — the contractor stands. - to receive a $250,000 bonus. |. : A penalty of $100,000. for each’. » day of work after Aug. 15 wes al included is the contract. . Last week, Jones. cautioned concerns tegarding ‘the quality: of i work . associated: with ..the , hefty . : ‘incentive clause are unfounded. /.: “They're trying to finish this job | well within the Aug. 5 window, said Jones. © , i ~ working with ice mixtures to ensure that the concrete is “We have | our pidject supervisor out there 24 hours per ‘day. monitot: ‘ing that. the work is up to ini standards.*". ’. : Meanwhile, the future’ of (HOY. Janes’ and_ other. ‘measures..imp mented to ease’ traffic pressures d ing the construction period bias yet to: be reviewed by ministry, transit and municipal staffs. Mounties acting as spotters, according to RCMP Air Services tsp. A. L. Sabey. The helicopter refuels at the airport after about three hours of flying. The basi cost to operate the helicopter for a six-hour shift is almost $3,000, not includ- ing staff wages. 4 In Surrey, the chopper has been used in cases of armed robberies, burglar, ies in progress, and large fights. Leamed said the helicopter enabies pursuing police officers in high-speed chases to back off safely as tracking is conducted in the air. Police spotters in. the helicopter advise the afficers on the ground where they should be to appre- hend suspects. Learned said the Surrey detachment received a number of calls concerning“: the helicopter noise, but oily one man was unsupportive of it buzzing 3 overhead, The Surrey. police officer said the majority of ‘residents are supportive : when, for exampie, it is explained that the helicopter police are tracking a prowler in their neighborhood. Learmed said there is on the weekends. “always something” for the chopper to do in Surrey In North Vancouver, the Mountie helicopter will be on duty on Sept. 14 a and Sept. 28 from 8 p.m. lodam.