midweek edition WEDNESDAY, JAN. 19, 2011 Vol. 102 No. 5 • Established 1908 • West
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Theatre for your ears
Yoga match
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Main Street intersection punishing cyclists ICBC stats reveal high collision rate Mike Howell Staff writer
Cyclists pass the intersection at East Second Avenue and Main Street.
photo Rebecca Blissett
Cyclists were more likely to collide with a vehicle at or near East Second Avenue and Main Street than any other location in the city over a five-year period, according to statistics from the Insurance Corporation of B.C. A total of 22 collisions involving cyclists were reported to ICBC between 2005 and 2009 at or near the intersection, which is not on a designated bike route. ICBC didn’t release the cause of the collisions, type of injuries or who was at fault. “I’m surprised about that one,” said Arno Schortinghuis, president of the Vancouver Area Cycling Coali-
tion. “I sometimes use that but typically you wouldn’t have to because East First and Main is a bike route and Ontario is a bike route. So why would somebody go down Main? I don’t know.” The ICBC data identified the top 10 locations in the city where cyclists were involved in collisions with vehicles. Of the 10, six were along the Burrard Street corridor, including Burrard and Davie, which ranked second on the list with 18 crashes. In July 2009, the city implemented separated bike lanes on the Burrard Bridge, which led to a huge boost in ridership, according to the city’s engineering department. See BURRARD on page 4
Team skips high school hoops tourney amid transfer hullabaloo Tournament organizers question motivation of John Oliver Jokers head coach Megan Stewart Staff writer
A senior girls high school basketball team won’t be playing at an elite city tournament featuring private and public schools this week after their head coach rebuffed the invitation.
The John Oliver Jokers will sit out because their head coach is believed to feel “slighted” after a former player transferred to York House and was allowed to compete without forfeiting a year of eligibility. The York House Tigers senior girls team is entering the fourth
annual Telus Vancouver Girls Basketball Challenge as three-time defending champions. In Thursday’s opening round, the Tigers were slated to meet the Jokers, and the team’s absence is interpreted by one event organizer as a form of protest. “J.O. was supposed to be in this tournament
but they dropped out,” said Ana Lalic, a board member with the Vancouver Girls Basketball Association. “They made a statement and dropped out.” Lalic said she didn’t know the specific reasons Pat Lee, the head coach of the Jokers, refused the invitation to play in one of the rare
city tournaments that sees competition between Vancouver’s top four public and private schools, but she believed it amounted to hurt feelings and a sense of betrayal. Lee did not respond to the Courier’s repeated requests for an interview. See PRINCIPAL on page 4
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