SUNDAY MARCH 13 2016
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The last great wilderness
North Vancouver woman embarks on Antarctic adventure BRIGHT LIGHTS 10
Readers Choice
Winners reception at The View on Lonsdale SPORTS 25
Jr. Girls hoop action Argyle Pipers win provincial championship
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Pedal-power hybrid driving change North Van co-creator aims for sustainability
BRENT RICHTER brichter@nsnews.com
It’s more than a bike – but it’s definitely not a car.
The North Vancouver developer of the Veemo is hoping the pedal-powered vehicle he’s co-created will be the missing link and the next big thing in the way we get around our cities with sustainability in mind. “We see this as modal shift – getting people out of cars and into active transportation like cycling,” said Kody Baker, chief technology officer for VeloMetro. “We wanted to take that concept of a threewheeled, stable, electric-assist, enclosed vehicle and make it more approachable, more user-friendly.” Inside the enclosed cabin, the rider straddles a transmission hump with pedals on either side. The Veemo has handlebars with front and rear brakes, as well as turning signals and a touch-screen display for navigation. Its top speed is 32 kilometres per hour. Baker, who hails from Central Lonsdale, co-founded the company with an aim to woo the demographic of people who want the functionality of a car without the greenhouse gasses. “We’re all very passionate about electric vehicles and see an electric vehicle future as one of the solutions to climate change,” he said. “We wanted to tackle the challenge of how
See Pilot page 7
North Vancouver resident Kody Baker, co-founder of VelvoMetro, shows off the Veemo – a lemon-coloured pedal-powered three-wheeled streamline baby - which he hopes will become part of a new approach to urban transportation by combining the benefits of bike and car. PHOTO CINDY GOODMAN
North Van mayor wants everyone to butt out JEREMY SHEPHERD jshepherd@nsnews.com
If the City of North Vancouver mayor has his way, he’ll put a price on all your butts – cigarette butts, that is.
That’s the message Mayor Darrell Mussatto had for all the smokers who flick their filters, stubs and cigarette butts throughout the City of North Vancouver’s streets, sidewalks and parks. In an effort to stem the yellowing tide of litter,
Mussatto is proposing a province-wide deposit on all cigarettes sold in B.C. Smokers would pay an extra $1 per pack and get five cents back for each cigarette stem returned. If working with the province isn’t fruitful, Mussatto said the city may consider a North Vancouver-wide deposit program – provided such a program is legal. “Do we have the authority to require a deposit?” he asked. “That’s what we’re going to ask … our lawyers.”
While a lack of ashtrays may exacerbate the proliferation of cigarette butts, Mussatto said he’s not anxious to bring back the bins. “We don’t want to normalize, or make smoking acceptable,” Musssatto said. “We don’t want to make it look like it’s OK.” The situation is a bit of a conundrum, according to the mayor. “On the one hand, we want to keep a clean city.
See Council page 6 $838,000 • 2 bed • 2 bath • 2 parking
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