6 - North Shore News - Friday, March 17, 2000

-VIEW POIN

BUS fuSS

IRANSLINK’s plan to sock it to

drivers and transit users alike

will do little to increase the number of people who choose public transit as a primary means cf moving throughout the Greater Vancouver Regional District.

Those who drive will continue to do so because they’re addicted to their vehicles. Sure, they'll grumble a bit about a $75 per vehicle surtax. They'll get a little worked up too when the parking rate increases 14% in the downtown Vancouver area.

But they'll swailow the hikes and drive on because their cars and trucks are status items, symbols of individual freedom, and. cocoons in which to shield oneself from others.

Transit users face two 25-cent per- zone transit hikes between now and 2003. The fare increase is expected to

cost an individual rider an extra $100 to $250 per year.

Transit riders will be penalized rather than rewarded for their choices.

The planned doubling of bus ser- vice (from every half-hour to every 15 minutes) during the peak afternoon and evening hours for buses travelling over the Second Narrows and Lions Gate bridges should be extended to local service as well.

Meanwhile, the plan does not pro- vide for a new ScaBus or upgrades to that end of the system. The existing technology is about 20 years old. If it fails, especially now as we enter a par- ticularly transit-challenged period during the Lions Gate Bridge upgrade, what then?

Until public transit becomes cool, reliable, inexpensive and convenient, commuting pain will only increase.

SEZ HERE THE SAP

WILL RUN WHEN THE NIGHTS

ARE BELOW FREEZING AND THE PAYS ARE AZOVE

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mailbox | We're killing the _planet bit by bit |

"Dear. Editor:

OX you young children of stay-at-home Sesame Street-

~ watching parents I need your help.

If fane width is the cause of accidents on the Stanley

_ Park causeway then why are there just as many, if not

* “more, accidents on major highways with standard-lane

widths? ©

Answer: It’s not the width of the lanes that creates a safety, hazard or causes accidents.

Aside from the fact there are boneheads out there with icences acquired from the Cracker Jack box school of brainless driving (how do you flip a van off an overpass?) the real problem is too many cars, period.

-We think adding and widening will solve this?

‘Sure; make room for more cars. We need more cars in ‘the ‘city. ~.. We sit on the bridge stuck in traffic, (by ourselves) and we think “What's with all the traffic?”

: jpanzees are more intelligent.

verywhere. On-every street, road, highway,”

riveway. They’re clogging every city, town

ge..Cars are everywhere, going nowhere fast. Meanwhile the environment, —it’s our life-support (knack, knock) don’t you get it? —

fay L remind you t é: City of Vancouver was once et chin but lush; green oxygen- -producing forest. It has been taken away;— 47 trees ata time.-~ and | replaced with feless concrete ‘and steel. Staniey Park is next. Ano “there. A concession stand

Unless we change © our way y of of thinking’ the sprobliza” $s going to get worse before it gets better, :

Theré are alternatives and they must be used. arry &s Summers - .

entered

HE APPEARS To BE RIGHT ON SCHEDULE...

Schreck has the luck of the Irish

MAYBE his original name was David O’Schreck.

St. Patrick’s Day offers an all-too- tempting occasion for noting that Schreck has had the luck of the Irish in his political career.

Schreck has landed a nice job paying about $90,000 per annum as a “special adviser to the premier.” (If you haven't quite got used to it yet, that’s Ujjal Dosanjh.)

He’s a casebook study of how the NDP (a) looks after its own, (b) awards loyalty, and (c) . shamelessly uses its politicians (and their handlers) and bureaucrats as interchange- able parts.

Schreck entered provincial politics as

‘New Democratic MLA for North

Vancouver after a career as a top bureaucrat in the health industry.

His credentials made him a logical con- tender for health minister, but he was back- benched by then-Premier Mike Harcourt. The buzz was that Harcourt’s people did- n’t think much of this somewhat nerdy, reedy-voiced guy.

In his role as minister responsible for international wade, Glen Clark had Schreck as his eyes and ears on the disastrous Pakistan power project that toppled long- time NDP insider and West Vancouver resi- an John Laxton as chairman of B.C.

Schreck’s’ eyes saw nothing amiss and his ears were plugged. But he, and Clark, miraculously ‘dodged the bullets that bit

oihers.

Beaten at ‘the polls i in 1996. eventually

Schreck was handsomely rewarded for his loyalty. Not that the job was easy: Top Apologist, running interference for then- Premier Clark as Clark tottered into sean- dal, massive incompetence, budget biarney (last exploitation in this cohunin of the Irish theme — promise!) and fiscal disaster. The nimble Schreck then lightly teapt onto anoth- er horse — the Dosanjh leadership campaign, where he served as what Province columnist * Michael Smyth describes as Dosanjh’s “main media manipulator.” Scarcely the picture of a tough old pol, with his rather fragile looks and blandly very nice manner, Schreck nev- ertheless has proven a rugged survivor. And so today, he — like fellow NDP back-

room boys Hans Brown and Chris Chilton _

— can rightly celebrate the wearin’ of the green. In their wallets.

Oops. Didn’t I promise no more Irish references? Well, if premiers can fib, so can

000 .

Dosanjh has already expanded his fib-, list. The recpening of the fast-ferry inquiry that he promised during his leadership campaign? Not. His reconsideration of the fat 29% raises (plus a scheduled further 2%) for Victoria’s top mandarins? Nor. Maybe a fall election? Not. |

I predict the Dosanjh honeymoon will soon be over. And, like a lot of other hon-

eymoons, it will be found that some litte

white lies were told on it. Qaogo0 My cup ‘of cynicism runneth over at. Crown counsel! s decision + not to proceed |

on North Van District mayoral candidate Dave Sadler’s complaint during last fall’s _ election campaign, when Sadler alleges he*=-

- caught someone red-handed taking his

campaign signs.

The man, Sadler claimed, had been seen around incumbent Mayor Don Bell's cam- paign. (Late flash: Bell denies it.)

In fact it was all but implied that Sadler. was the miscreant. The.two signs at issue (he says hundreds disappeared duxing the - campaign) were attached to a utility pole. © Private property. A no-no, supposedly, to — stick campaign posters on ‘chem. :

Sadier has a Supreme Court of Canada. decision at hand that says otherwise. He’ ‘ isn’t letting the matter rest. Goad for him. -

It should be noted that the Crown cari: >. decide not to proceed on a charge r recom- ; mended by police if, in its wisdom, it." believes there is no substantial Poss lity. of conviction. :

On one hand, this time-tested Principle makes sense — common sense. On. the other hand, it allows the Crown “wriggle room” in, ah, sensitive cases.

I say the Crown should have tet a co! decide — and that that would hav

~ the best interests of the man Sadi

gered. Now a cloud of doubt may perm:

“nently hang over him. His name has been

publicly reported: Al Casselman, ibe as a respected sports coach. and upstandin citizen. Coun. Ernie Crist sincerely.tried to. act as honest broker wheti'a contr Cassleman contacted him soon after the

Mr. Casselman migh have sed 2 C01 vineing defence and been acq cerely apologized and been very nominal); fined or given an ausolute di the incident quickly forgott Weil n

Worth Shore Kiews, founded i 1969 as an +” iedependent suburban newspaper and quaitied ndcr Schotuis 111. Paragraph 111 af the Excise Tax Ait, is puéslished each Wednesday, Friday and Sunday by HCH Publications Company snd distributed to every door on the t North Shore, Canada Pust Canadian Publications “|. Mail Sales Product Agrecment No. 0087238, | Mailing rates ava?2ble on request.

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