6 — Friday, July 24, 1998 - North Shore News

T would be a welcome photo fin-

ish. A story in the daily press on

Monday reported that Victoria has decided against expanding its con- troversial and marginally effective photo radar program.

The story stated that plans for a 25% increase in the number of photo- radar police vans have been put on hold. Good news.

Better news would be to put the entire photo-radar program on hold.

When it was initiated in 1996, it was rammed down the throats of assorted local municipalities, who failed to see the value of the plan.

West Vancouver, for example, argued that it did not have problems with speeding, so the program was unnecessary.

Other municipalities wanted a direct slice of the cash pie generated

mailbox

Dear Editor:

’ Larco, owner of the Park Royal Shopping. Centre, is apparently thumbing its nose at the concerned citizens on

Shore. °

north shore news

VIEWPOINT

Speed demon

from photo radar. Watching it disap- pear into the gaping maw of general revenues was unacceptable to the areas that were allocating police resources to photo radar’s operation.

Groups aligned against the plan called it a cash grab from the start.

According to SENSE (Safety by Education Not Speed Enforcement) speeding is the primary cause of only about 3% of all accidents in B.C.

The photo radar technology has also proved to be suspect and ineffi- cient. And according to news reports, the whole program has been a finan- cial bust: it has generated approxi- mately $33 million in fines since August 1996, which does not even cover the $35 million required to set the photo radar system up.

Ineffective, inefficient and inept.

A. photo finish that is long overdue.

LESSONS and reflections regarding West Vancouver's “western” community centre imbroglio:

1. A lesson for me. I used tu think “western” separatism in our smallish town was a joke. But evi- dently some people west of 30th Street or so really feel alienated, as if they’re Alberta and Ambleside is their Ortawa,

1 live in the “west” — oh, about the equivalent of Saskatchewan on this scalc -—-and I can’t believe

and you get a recreation bill totalling at least $3 million more than the town cur- rently has in the till ior capital expendi- tures. . I'd love to know whether the other claimants to new or

seseeacsesneseasageesees sone updated facilities — fire-

men, policemen, arts activists ctc. — quietly lobbied town leaders not to hand over all the bucks to the communi- ty/rec centre drum-beat- ers. And that ambiguity of name reminds me ... 4. During the years of lobbying by any name, a significant semantic

rol past

oo Until all this gets sorted out, traffic along this vital corri- dor might also be helped if all of us resolved to do more of

‘our shopping at the-nearest neigh! illage, Capilano Mall, Ambleside, Dundarave,

"Edgemont and Caulfeild Village.

Lée O'Neill

West Vancouver

ry

north shore

borhood centre, such as

Worth Shore Hews. founded in 1969 a¢ an independent suburban newspaper and qualified under Schedule 111, Paragraph 111 of the Excise Tax Act, ts published each Wednesday, Friday and Sunday by North Shore Free Press. ‘Led. and distributed to every door on the North ‘Shore. Canada Post Canackan Pubbcahons tAait ‘Sales Product Agreement No. 0087238

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the squawks that the 22nd Street com- plex is too far away, or inhabited by strange tribes.

__. We have excellent east-west road links

in West Van — the Upper Levels and stunning, Marine Drive, a scenic delight. Which leads to ... ;

2. Council, granted that the decisive mecting was chaotic, including cries of

» “Point of order!” from the public gallery,

made the right decision: Not to try to marry the proposed centre and the bucol- ic Gleneagles golf course. Both would have been compromised. And_I stick to my view that spending $450,000 for a new bulge in Marine Drive to rope in enough: land for the project would be bananas. Which grow on crees. Unlike tax dollars.

3. Speaking of which, late in the con- troversy the other shoe dropped: Updating 22nd Street would cost $13 million. Add the (underestimated, be sure

of it) $8.6 million for the western centre, -

Human Resources Manager

PETER SPECK ublisher 965-2101 (17)

985-2131 (101)

Entire contents © 1997 North Shore Free Press Led. All rights reserved,

metamorphosis occurred: From “recre- ation centre” to “coramunity centre.”

To me, the first means something weighted toward sports facilities for chil- dren and the sweaty of all ages but includes other uses. “Community centre” — I won’r make friends here — means somedhing that includes sports facilities . but shifts the centre of gravity toward the artsy-craftsy, miveting rooms, a restaurant with drinks and a patio, dance nights, auctions and other fundraisers. Flatly, more for schmoozing adults than for sweating kids.

And the very location — on the site of

a golf course’s supposedly decaying (looks substantially sound to me) club- house — makes me wonder if ...

5. The vision crept in of'a taxpayer- supported country-club atmosphere for people who couldn’t afford private coun- try clubs like Capilano and Hollyburn.

I told you I'd make no friends.

6. On the other hand, West Vancouver

LVL BUDDY, Tele ME AGAIN:

ma -—— WV recreation lessons learti ‘Larco should heed expansion concerns

and Capilano club mem likely to give a damn a ation facilities — mea: } for something they don’t t

7. As stated here before, there sober lessons for politicians: Don’ commit. Don’t invest 100% ical capital without 100% of 1 é figures. You don’t buy 3 house with knowing the toral price. 2

8. More political advi grumpy old men in a room cont many old men. It may make them grumpy. ;

9. I repeat: One big full-servicein ation centre is better, and. cheapei two half-asked ones. (Half-asked; be the western one was onl by western residents. An

objectivity: Ido : skate or otherwise get can’t be chilled by.a cou

‘The much-r ’

~ who retired as'a

1990, hias’added to. gathered by former | f municipal manager Doug Alla “His integrity is iinpeccébl esty is apparent, as is known throu the Lower Mainland. .., 1 say.with uestion in my mind that there’ ner citizen in West Vancouver. Many would protest that there’: least one: Alex Brokenshi

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