Thursday February 2, 2012 (Vol. 37 No. 10)
V O I C E
O F
W H I T E
R O C K
A N D
S O U T H
S U R R E Y
w w w. p e a c e a r c h n e w s . c o m
Helpful hobby: South Surrey elementary school student Harrison Shoemaker, 10, is raising money for the Right To Play charity by knitting custom tuques. � see page A11
Mayor’s support does little to calm upset residents
‘Too little, too late’ along 32 Avenue Dan Ferguson Staff Reporter
Dan Ferguson photo
A big rig rumbles past the townhouse complex of 32 Avenue resident Maggie Bernet on Wednesday morning in South Surrey.
More than three months after residents of 32 Avenue were promised a letter of support from the City of Surrey for their fight to have big trucks moved off their street, Mayor Dianne Watts has sent a note to TransLink. But its message wasn’t strong enough for at least one resident, who said the delay has harmed their campaign. Surrey council voted Oct. 17 to back the 32 Avenue Community Alliance with a letter of support, but the letter didn’t go out in time for a Dec. 7 TransLink board meeting. The missing endorsement surprised members who attended the trans- Dianne Watts portation authority meetSurrey mayor ing on the mayor’s advice. “We were really quite embarrassed,” alliance member Pauline Cremin said at the time. Council minutes for the Oct. 17 discussion show it was Watts who suggested the alliance take their case directly to TransLink. The letter sent by Watts is dated Jan. 23. The missive notes TransLink previously decided against removing 32 Avenue from the Lower Mainland truck route network between 1999 and 2003. “However, on behalf of the 32 Avenue Community Alliance, I would like to request that TransLink reconsider removing 32 Avenue, between 152 Street and 176 Street in � see page A4
Witness accounts of luxury-car racers fail to meet court standards
Judge overturns driving ban based on hearsay Dan Ferguson Staff Reporter
A 19-year-old from Vancouver has regained the driver’s licence he lost for allegedly racing his Ferrari against several other highend sports cars during rush hour traffic on Highway 99 through Delta. Cheng Jie Wang was stripped of his right to drive for two years after RCMP in White Rock and South Surrey intervened to halt what witnesses described as “highly aggressive” jousting last August by a pack of pricey cars that included Wang’s 2007 Ferrari 599, as well as a Nissan GTR, two Lamborghini Gallardos, an Aston Martin DB9 and a Mer-
cedes SLS. The vehicles had an estimated lead to suddenly accelerate in a short race.” One witness with racetrack experience combined value of nearly $3 million. Surrey RCMP stopped six of the vehicles; estimated speeds reached “easily over 200,” White Rock officers stopped another seven. the officer said, noting that since the story According to court docuhit the news, “the public has ❝We (don’t) substitute ments, a Sept. 19 letter from a been in an uproar over the police officer to the superin- arbitrariness for due actions of these drivers.” tendent of motor vehicles seek- process because the He added police “feel that a ing Wang’s licence suspension public is in an ‘uproar.’❞ very strong message needs to said the cars “would take turns be sent…” Justice Mark McEwan blocking traffic and slowing The officer added he was B.C. Supreme Court approached by several memdown to as much as 20-30 km/h in the posted 100 km/h zone so as to create a bers of the public “asking why the drivers vacuum ahead, which when it reached a cer- didn’t seem to care and were seen laughing tain size would permit the two vehicles in the and acting as if what was happening was of
MLA Gordon Hogg invites you to meet the
BC Lions and see The Grey Cup! GEROY SIMON • ANGUS REID • JR LAROSE on Saturday, February 4, 1:30-2:30 pm
Ocean O ceaan Park Community Hall for Pictures and Autographs!
no great concern.” The letter was filed after 13 cars were seized by police and their drivers were issued tickets for driving without consideration, an offence that carries a $196 fine. Six of the 13 drivers cited did not have their full Class 5 licences; some were displaying novice-driver ‘N’ decals on their vehicles. B.C. Supreme Court Justice Mark McEwan ordered the reinstatement of Wang’s drivers’ licence in a written Jan. 24 decision that was posted online Monday, saying the police and the superintendent of motor vehicles acted prematurely. � see page A4