The North Shore traffic snarl up – things will get much worse

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Did you know the Second Narrows Bridge is the busiest bridge in the lower mainland? The Port Mann used to carry more traffic up until 2009. Now traffic has fallen off significantly from the Port Mann crossing while the Second Narrows still continues to carry nearly 120,000 vehicles a day.

The news was carried in a Vancouver Sun analysis on December 16 which can be found here:

http://vancouversun.com/news/local-news/north-van-the-new-port-mann-north-shore-bridges-at-tipping-point

The article goes on to describe the North Shores ongoing transportation woes. One transportation authority is quoted as describing a “tipping point” when even a small amount of extra traffic causes blockage. The DNV’s general manager of engineering is quoted as saying, Perhaps we should have seen it coming. Highway 1 was upgraded to eight lanes, while the North Shore’s section of road is just four. It was like squeezing a big pipe into a smaller one.

Eric Andersen, President of the Blueridge Community Association says, “It’s not worth my while. I don’t want to be anywhere near Highway No. 1 after 2 p.m. Chances are I’m going to sit in traffic and steam…What used to take 20 minutes now takes one-and-a-half hours. It’s horrible.”

DNV Councillor Lisa Muri says “It’s going to get much worse.” The article says Muri “believes development should be held back to give time for road-building and bus routes to catch up. But her views won’t likely be heeded because she’s in the minority on council.”

It may indeed get much worse with significant growth planned aon the North Shore and in communities north of here.

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Loss of provincial homeowner property tax grant a provincial tax grab

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It looks like some people in the Delbrook area may be paying a lot more in municipal taxes this year and it will have very little to do with the District of North Vancouver raising their taxes.

Over the past few years more and more homeowners in Metro Vancouver and on the North Shore are losing access to the province’s homeowner grant as they see their property values rising beyond the threshold where the grant is eliminated. That can mean a bump in your taxes of more than $500.

On December 15th both the Vancouver Sun and the Vancouver province ran stories on this issue. The Vancouver Sun story may be found here:

http://vancouversun.com/business/real-estate/100000-in-metro-vancouver-could-lose-homeowners-grant-unless-province-ups-cutoff-limit

According to the Vancouver Sun, this year 14,000 people on the North Shore will lose the grant. They will lose access for two reasons. First, escalating home prices are pushing home values beyond the limit for the grant. But just as important, the province is reducing the proportion of the population eligible for the grant.

The grant was originally set up so that 95% of home owners in the province would receive it. By last year the provincial government had reduced the figure to 91% and most of the people losing their grant were in Metro Vancouver. According to the Sun article, “Port Coquitlam Mayor Greg Moore, who is also chair of the Metro Vancouver board, has said that percentage dropped to 46 per cent in Metro Vancouver.”

In effect, it is a tax grab by the province on Metro Vancouver residents including many people in the District of North Vancouver.

But, this is an election year. We just might see the threshold rise before the election in May.

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NS News honours 60 year Delbrook resident and parks advocate Diana Belhouse

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On December 5th The North Shore News honoured long time Delbrook resident and Delbrook Community Association (DCA) member Diana Belhouse. And Diana took this opportunity to do something she has been doing for almost 60 years – fighting for a proper park for Delbrook residents.

She called a park on the Delbrook lands, “The chance of a lifetime,” for a park where people can picnic and play, enjoy open-air concerts and enjoy the beauty and peace of nature.

The article by reporter Laura Anderson provided a history of both Diana Belhouse and the Delbrook community.

Over the years, Diana evolved into a respected advocate for her community. She worked as a volunteer at the library in Edgemont Village until libraries were established in the municipal system. Four years on the district’s Waterfront Task Force led to the North Vancouver Save Our Shores Society, which advocates against residential and other encroachments on the public foreshore. Membership in both the Delbrook and Upper Lonsdale Garden clubs led to Diana’s appointment by then-district mayor Marilyn Baker as the first chair of the North Vancouver Parks Advisory Committee.

Diana pushed back against demands that the Delbrook lands be used for housing saying,

“You have to be optimistic, and I am. During the discussion about the district’s OCP at (a recent) council meeting, one councillor spoke about the need for housing for today’s citizens, their children and their children’s children. There is a need for such housing on the North Shore. Access to green space is equally, if not more, important for future generations.”

It is a great article honouring a great person. The whole article can be found here:

http://www.nsnews.com/living/seniors/memory-lane-advocate-sees-oasis-of-tranquility-for-delbrook-1.3780896

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Meeting cancelled – Save the new date for meeting on delbrook lands

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The December 12 District of North Vancouver Council workshop to discuss plans for what ill happen to the current site of the Delbrook Recreation Centre has been cancelled.

The tentative new date for the report back on the Delbrook Lands is January 17^th at 5pm. Save the date.

In other news, at the November 29 Council workshop on a review of the Official Community Plan Mayor Walton promised community associations would be consulted. Community Associations, look for your invitations in the mail.

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