Dad fial Parents erect area Signs to slow traffic Oeana Lancaster News Reporter deana@nsnews.com HEY Mom and Dad, when dropping your kids ar school, then rushing to work — or picking them up after for piano, soccer, dancing or baseball lessons: slow down. That seems to be the lesson from an ongoing discussion between a Blueridge-area parent and North Vancouver District. David Peake fives on Carnation Street, about one block from his children’s school, Seymour Heights elementary. Last summer he and his wite decided Peake should switch careers from that of a commercial driver to one he could do trom home — to spend more time with their 12-year-old daughter and six-year-old son. “In September [ noticed as we walked to and from school, there’s a big percentage of speed- ers. The average speed is 50 to 60 kilometres an hour. This is a school zone.” Most of those speeding, he added, are par- ents. In November he called the district’s manager of transportation operations, Norm Nikkel. “lasked him about increasing the visibility of the (school zonc) signs, by moving them or putting in bigger signs,” said Peake. He was advised that the existing signs were in accordance with provincial regulations. Peake began a campaign ro improve the safe- ty of the roads near the clementary school. He contacted ICBC to find out if they had any rele- vant programs or information, and he called the schoal district. He wrote a letter detailing 16 points of con- cern — from the school zone signs to crosswalk markings, footpath lighting, stop signs, plugged water drains, curb markings and drop-off and pick-up zones at the school. When he didn’t receive a reply that satisfied him, he contacted North Vancouver District Coun. Ernie Crist. Nikkel said responding to Peake’s letter took some time because Peake had “such a huge wish list there, it took some time to check everything out.” He added that the district receives and addresses concerns for traffic near elementary schools every year. “We have 26 elementary schools in the district. Every year we address the WV homeowners face 1.5% tax hike Catherine Barr Contributing Writer THE average West Vancouver homeowner will pay approximately $34 more in municipal taxes this year. Coun. Ron Wood announced the increase this week as part of West Vancouver District’s $112 million budget for 1999. According to Wood, the 1.55% tax hike will allow the district to maintain, and in some cases “enhance,” current service leveis. He blamed provincial funding cuts for the tax hike. West Vancouver’s provincial revenue share was cut this year from $572,800 to zero; the lost funding equals 1.7% of municipal! taxation. Wood said that the compounded effects of three years of “sustained cost cutting and reallocation of resources into infrastructure programs” had to be absorbed, which made the tax increase necessary. Meanwhile, council said that its final budget will help it achieve the prioritics laid out in November's provision- al budget. Those prioritics included: Bimproved gencral appearance of community and munic- ipal facilities; ‘ @ improved maintenance of municipal facilitics and parks; @ less reliance on the GVRD; @ systems improvements, Y2K issues, systems integration and management reporting; Mi improved internal and external communications; “® more long-term planning. Council said it was unable to meet its November 1998 goal of a “no tax increase” due to provincial downloading of costs to municipalities. But Wood said people would supporr the budget because West Vancouver residents will not have to account for the full 1.7% download imposed by the province. The district has been able to absorb .15% of that amount. “Overall, I believe that significant progress is being made on a number of fundamental fronts,” said Wood. NEWS photo Terry Paters. NORTH Vancouver District told parent David Peake to take down his speed limit signs. Friday, May 14, 1999 — North Shore News - 2 its school zene speeder traffic issues, the RCMP go out and enforce schoal zone limits and we do some education with the parents and teachers,” said Nikkel. Nikkel has since responded to the letter and is working on same of the sugges- tions. While waiting for ao response, Peake took his concerns to the RCMP. He filed a complaint. Officers came out to Carnation Street before Christmas and conducted a sur- vey. They came back in the new year, started handing out warnings, then tines. “It worked while they were there,” said Peake, “but as soon as the police aren't around the speeders return to their old ways.” Peake went to the Parents’ Advisory Committee and together they decided to put up their own signs, at a cost of S469. In bold black letters on a yellow back- ground the sign) reads “SCHOOL ZONE, MAXIMUM 30 km/h, SLOW DOWN. In the week and a half they were up Peake figured speeding was down by 80%. But On May 5, he got a phone call from the transportation operations department advising him that the signs contravened Section 606 of the district’s Street and Traffic Bylaw. He was told to take the signs down, “It wasn’t my intention to do anything illegal,” said Peake. “I'm not trying to tread on anyone's toes, but we do have speed limits that people aren’t aware of.” Nikkel said there are a proliferation of illegal signs in the district and it’s an issue council will be dealing with in an upcoming agenda. “Individuals just can’t take it upon themselves to install traffic control signs,” he added. He and Sgt. Bob Beaudoin, sergeant in charge of traffic for North Vancouver City and District, also pointed out that because it is parents who are speeding, they should be aware that they’re in a school zone. “As much as mom and dad are worried about the bogeyman getting their kids, the fact is, it’s parents dashing to get them to and from school that are causing the danger,” said Beaudoin. “We can have all the signs in the world, but parents have to obey them.” For more on pedestrian safety, see Shaun Coulin’s column on page 39 in today’s News. Group search McLaughlin said. Consider driving options THE responsibility to increase traffic safety near schools rests with parents, said RCMP Set. Bob Beaudoin. And there are proven alternatives to driving — and speeding — your chil- dren to school, Parents at Blueridge ele- mentary school launched a “Walking School Bus” pro- gram this year. “Certain parents volun- teer to walk certain routes and pick up kids as they go. The onus is on che kid to be at the appointed location at the appropriate time,” said Beaudoin. At the beginning of the school year there were up to 446 cars clogging the cul-de-sac near the schaol during, drop-off and pick- up times. Now, — said Beaudoin, there are usually less than 20. “It’s taken off like a house on fire,” said Beaudoin. “Now most of the parents get to stay home and watch Oprah.” The Walking School Bus runs rain or shine, he said, because the children have so much fun walking with their friends they don’t want to be driven to school. “It’s one of the best things I’ve seen in 20 years of policing,” he said. “But the school can’t do it and the RCMP can’t do it, It has to be parent-dri- ven.” ~~ Deana Lancaster i‘ body Canadian Amphibious Search Team looks for Grind victim Bob Mackin News Reporter THE parents of an Ontario man killed in January by an avalanche on the Grouse Grind have hired a private Abbotsford-based group to find their son’s body. The Canadian Amphibious Search ‘Team (CAST) is searching for the remains of 25-year-old hiker Rory Manning separately from a joint Nerth Vancouver RCMP/North Shore Rescue oper- ation. North Vancouver RCMP Insp. Keith Thorn said CAST’s mis- sions in the off-limits u-il are not endorsed by his force. “We advised them very strongly not to go in there based on the safety issue,” Thorn said. But CAST has the Greater Vancouver Regional District’s (GVRD) blessing to be on the popular hiking trail, said Ken Juvik, the GVRD"s watershed forester who oversees the Grouse Grind. CAST members have signed liability waivers with the GVRD and Grouse Mountain. The Grouse waiver was required, said the mountain’s general manager Stuart McLaughlin, because CAST members are using Grouse property to access the area where Manning’s body is believed to be located. “We view the RCMP and NSRas the official people,” North Shore Rescue team leader Tim Jones said the trail remains treacherous, Snow levels, he said, range fronv six to 40 feet deep. He declined to comment about CAST, an independent group not registered with the Provincial Emergency Program. CAST founder Tim: MacFarlane is a member of the Canadian ‘Coast Guard and is stationed ar the Sea island hovercraft base in Richmond. CAST, he said, is a “search and recovery unit, emphasize the recovery, whose primary mandate is to assist families secking clo- sure, that’s our mission statement.” All members are trained in various outdoor rescue disciplines, MacFarlane said. MacFarlane claimed CAST invited the RCMP and NSR to join its operation, but the offer was refused. ; “We have no intention of stepping on toes, but we still hope thar at the end of the day that all agencies can work together in cooperation and mend some fences,” MacFarlane said. “] would like to see CAST, NSR and RCMP, all three agencies, working ‘ together on this to end the pain for the Manning family.” MacFarlane said Manning’s parents are paying for CAST°s expenses, Beyond that, no fees are being charged. He said Manning’s parents do not wish to speak to the media at this time. He said the snow is melting rapidly with assistance from rain- fall, so the search is getting closer to its conclusion. “Tt can’t be that much longer,” MacFarlane said. “Shortly, this will all be over and we can all get on with our lives. It’s been a nightmare all around, especially for the family.” Manning and four others were hiking on the 2.9-kilometre trail early in the afternoon of Jan. 27 when an avalanche roared down the mountain. Student streakers arrested in West Van PAMPLONA, Spain has the running of the bulls. West Vancouver has the running of the naked high school students. The annual traditien took place last Saturday around West Vancouver and on the Lions Gate Bridge. West Vancouver Police Const. fan Craib said seven teenagers were arrested during a day-long car rally and scavenger hunt by students of West Vancouver sec- ondary. “There will be no charges,” Craib said. “Parents have been addressed of the behaviour of these people that we did catch.” Two male students were seen streak- ing around the Caulfeild Village parking lot around 10:30 a.m. Saturday while a female captured the stunt on videotape. Later in the afternoon, Lions Gate Bridge traffic was slowed when two female students bared all on the bridge’s sidewalk. Craib said it’s become an annu- al tradition that police have tried to pre- vent. ‘ West Vancouver secondary principal Dave McMaster denied the students were from his school: “If they were, it’s not a school-sanctioned event. We don’t have any information here, not that ?’'m aware of.” — Bob Mackin