Cws EDITOR ASHLEY VIENS THE VOICE, THURSDAY, OCTOBER 11, 2012 2 Higher fares may reduce commuter ferry traffic Vancouver Island and Lower Mainland residents may reduce ferry trips due to an increase in fare rates By KATJA De BOCK tougher with BC Ferries’ ongoing service cuts and price hikes planned for April 2013. Catharine O’Brien-Bell, photo-imag- ing chair at Langara College, has lived on Vancouver Island for two years. “It was a change in lifestyle that I chose. And the price I pay for that, I suppose, is the ferry fares,” said O’Brien-Bell. “There are people that pay thou- sands of dollars for cruises to get that kind of scenery.” On Oct. 1, BC Ferries commissioner Gord Macatee announced a rate in- crease of 12 per cent to be spread over the next three years. Creve B.C.’s coasts will become A decrease of service on less fre- quented routes was decided upon after a public consultation process. “Some [vessels] have no vehicles at all,” said Macatee. “Some have less passengers than crew.” Peter Huron, audio visual technician at Langara’s instructional media ser- vices, chose to live on Hornby Island when he was in his 20s. The island’s economy depends on tourists, he said, adding that past fare hikes “have completely wiped out the day trippers.” STEVEN CHUA photo Langara student Annie Ellison crouches under a desk to help demonstrate emergency procedures that will be used during the ShakeOut simulation. ShakeOut BC is part of the international ShakeOut which happens annually with schools, businesses and individuals. Students get ready to rumble ShakeOut BC will help raise awareness of earthquake preparedness Huron and his wife cannot afford regular trips to the island anymore. A round trip, car included, currently costs $235 and takes about five hours. Huron’s island neighbour Tony Law worries about the greater picture. “Tt’s expensive, but good transporta- tion is essential for the social and eco- nomic wellbeing of our communities,” said Law. BC Ferries needs to find another $54 million to supplement reduced staff costs and to fund a gradual upgrade to vessels powered by liquid natural gas are intended, said BC Ferries spokes- woman Deborah Marshall. The government of B.C. will be hold- ing more public consultations shortly, to be held at various ferry terminals. Marshall encourages the public to attend the consultations to voice their opinions in person. By STEVEN CHUA n Oct. 18, Langara College will join over half a million partici- pants from across the province for ShakeOut BC, part of the an- nual international earthquake drill. Starting at 10:18 a.m., participants will meet in the foyer of Building A to practice ducking and crouching under desks and tables until the simulation ends. Video projections and speakers will be used to mimic the sights and sounds of such natural disasters. Event organizer Dan Krefting, Lang- ara’s facility safety manager, is bring- ing ShakeOut to campus for the first time because he wants to test Langa- ra’s emergency procedures “Just like any campus, [Langara’s] safety programs need to continuously improve and evolve,” he said. Krefting wants to raise awareness of earthquake danger and to gauge how prepared the college is for disaster. The first 80 participants who show up will also receive a secret treat, said Krefting. Event volunteers will be on hand af- ter the simulation at information booths with tips to stay safe during an earthquake. UBC earthquake seismology expert Michael Bostock observed ShakeOut BC last year at UBC and said the drill is a good way of preparing people for di- saster. “The ShakeOut exercise reminds people of imminent danger, and it’s a good thing,” he said. “Integrity of buildings is the most important thing,” Bostock added, stat- ing that earthquake safety is better en- sured when people are in seismically upgraded buildings when disaster hits. Presently, the seismic upgrades for Langara’s gym and Building A do not measure up to current building safety codes, said facilities director Wendy Lannard in an email. Langara students have mixed feel- ings about the drill, with some ques- tioning its effectiveness. “Yeah I think the drill will help out,” says Greg Sit, a nursing student. “It should raise awareness.” Nursing student Israel Alcoreza said most people don’t even know about the drill. “Well if there’s going to be drills like this then sure, people are going to be more aware of earthquakes,” said Al- coreza, “but this is the first time I’ve heard about this drill, so I would say right now, I kind of doubt it.” Earthquake Safety Tips Hi ifindoors, stay there. Drop cover and hold. Get under a desk or table, or stand in an archway or corner. Avoid the elevator. HE if outdoors, get into an open area away from trees, buildings, walls and power lines. HE ifdriving, pull your car to the side of the road and stop. Avoid overpasses or power lines. Source: Ministry of Public Safety, B.C. Government Affordable housing pilot planned in Marpole area Vancouver city council voted last Tuesday to consider thin streets but residents are wary of the possible consequences of the project Image courtesy of re:THINK HOUSING The diagram shows how city land would be divided into affordable housing projects and single-lane streets. By BRANDON KOSTINUK neouver’s answer to affordable Yoorsin may rely on thin streets, but Marpole residents don’t see this idea suiting their community. Last week, Vancouver city council voted to consider three communities as pilot sites: Marpole, the West End and Grandview-Woodland. The plan, coming from the Mayor’s Task Force on Affordable Housing, pro- poses halving north-south streets, cre- ating single lane with alternating right- of-ways with additional parking room. The proposal said it eliminates the greatest impediment to affordability: the cost of land. Since the City already owns the street there is no purchase price for the new lots, which helps re- duce housing costs. Mayor Gregor Robertson was diplo- matic on the issue in a “Twitter town hall” meeting Thursday afternoon. Robertson posted: “Thin streets won't be forced, people can opt-in. Idea has merit but neighbourhoods need to decide,” adding that incentives to opt- in will not be provided. But residents of Marpole are hesi- tant to accept council’s plan. “The land’s not here for that type of development,” said resident Brad Fra- ser. “What are they going to do, expro- priate people’s property in order to put thin streets in?” “The congestion as far as [traffic] is concerned would become absolutely horrendous,” he added. Marpole resident Brian Williams said he supports densification but doesn’t think thin streets are the solu- tion, especially in Marpole where traf- fic congestion is already high. “So we’re going to have little thin, narrow streets like Europe?” asked Williams. “It’s just going to make traf- fic worse.” Brendan Hallinan and his wife, hav- ing lived on their corner lot for 23 years, expressed concern that the thin street design will shifts their lot one place over, changing their position on the block. “We have a view of the street, a view of the trees,” said Hallinan. “If they built a house here, we’d be looking straight at the next-door neigh- bour’s house.” Besides, Hallinan said, he and his wife wouldn’t have bought their home if it weren’t a corner lot. Claudia Laroye, executive director of the Marpole Business Improvement Association, said that Marpole wants an assurance that an open dialogue with the city can be had and that any changes made should reflect the local needs and desires.