Seniors’ safety Mounties offer tips to avoid falling victim to scammers. PAGE 18 Gospel groove Favourite music helps heal career-threatening injury. PAGE B1 New attitude Senior A Timbermen looking to become playoff contender. PAGE 7
Tour team unveiled PAGE 3
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THURSDAY, MAY 17, 2012
VOL. 24, NO. 8
City taking over enforcement of parking in core
Challenge win goes to cyclists
BY TOBY GORMAN THE NEWS BULLETIN
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KICKOFF EVENT promotes participation in Bike to Work Week May 28 to June 3. BY CHRIS BUSH THE NEWS BULLETIN
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ompetitors timed in at Diana Krall Plaza Tuesday in friendly bike-versus-car races across town to see which form of commuter transport could get downtown the quickest. The Commuter Challenge pitted drivers against cyclists on two courses to downtown, starting from Brooks Landing and Vancouver Island University. Each route wound through neighbourhoods and past elementary schools to drum up awareness with kids about the event and Bike to Work Week (May 28 to June 3). Doug Routley, Nanaimo-North Cowichan NDP MLA, led the pack, cycling downtown in 14 minutes 30 seconds from Brooks Landing. Kurt Fischer, who drove from Brooks Landing in the Nanaimo Car Share car, timed in at 18 minutes, 40 seconds. Nanaimo Car Share was nearly knocked out of the competition by a flat tire prior to the event, which was fixed by Kal-Tire in time for the start. Ralph Nilson, Vancouver Island University president, cruised in on his old Raleigh hybrid bike 24 minutes, 38 seconds after leaving the Nanaimo campus. His rival, Nanaimo Mayor John Ruttan, ran into a snag at Fairview Elementary School where RCMP Cpl. Norm Smith
CHRIS BUSH/THE NEWS BULLETIN
Ralph Nilson, Vancouver Island University president, left, and Doug Routley, Nanaimo-North Cowichan NDP MLA, bask in the glow of the sun and victory at the Commuter Challenge event Tuesday. Both men cycled their respective routes to Diana Krall Plaza faster than their cardriving competitors to win the challenge, a kickoff for Bike to Work Week May 28 to June 3.
was lurking, radar gun in hand, to issue Ruttan a warning ticket for allegedly speeding in a school zone and further delayed his progress with a thorough vehicle safety inspection. Ruttan jogged into the plaza, ticket in hand, almost 36 minutes after starting. “Well after he finished checking everything over, we were finally able to get back on the road,” Ruttan said. “Fortunately I have my own private parking spot nearby,
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so I didn’t have to run too far.” Bike to Work Week is held each year to promote awareness about alternate commuter transportation, especially cycling, and features cycling-related events and prize giveaways to participants throughout the week. For more details or to register, please visit the Bike to Work Week website at www.biketowork.ca/nanaimo. photos@nanaimobulletin.com
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City hall will take over parking enforcement in the downtown core at the end of 2012. Robbins Parking currently enforces downtown parking on a month-tomonth contract, but Randy Churchill, the city’s manager of bylaw, regulation and security, said various studies suggested efficiencies could be found by moving downtown parking enforcement in-house. “We perform a security function as well which is bylaw-oriented, and we also use the private contractor Footprints Security on our streets,” said Churchill. “By making this change we see it as wearing three hats and creating an efficiency by doing that. We integrate our services so that person is a bylaw officer, we’re doing parking enforcement, and they also act as an ambassador for the city at the same time.” Churchill added a bylaw and security presence would still be in the downtown core on Sundays under the new system, even though parking meters are free that day. The level of enforcement will remain consistent. The start-up cost of implementing the in-house parking strategy will be about $50,000 in the first year, and become revenue neutral after that. A new parking manager, three new bylaw enforcement officers and one administrative position is required for the move, and will be paid as per union agreements. Churchill said those positions factor in to the revenue neutral framework. ◆ See ‘SEVERAL’ /4
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