ISSN 0382-2141 PUBLISHED BYTHE BRITISH COLUMBIA MINISTRYOFTRANSPORTATION AND HIGHWAYS SPRING 1982 VOLUME 19, NUMBER 2 MOTOR CARRIER BRANCH REORGANIZED Four new managers were appointed for the Motor Carrier Branch recently in an effort to streamline carrier operations for better service to the motor carrier industry. The four are Meredith Rowden. Manager of Passenger Licences and Safety; Dave Hammell. Manager of Freight Licencing for the Lower Mainland and Vancouver Island; Ken Knott . Manager of Motor Carrier Compliance within the Province; and Don Murray. Manager of Freight Licencing for the Provincial Region. As part of the change. Doug Tyson. Deputy Superintendent becomes responsible for the Office Managers. Manager of Compliance. and Manager. Financial Investigation (Rates Examiner). All four will remain based at the Burnaby Headquarters, 4240 Manor Street. Ministry Profile AL FITCH--SUPERINTENDENT MOTOR CARRIER BRANCH When AI Fitch. Superintendent of the Motor Carrier Branch started out as a junior office boy 35 years ago his pay cheque was $65 a month plus a cost of living bonus of $ I5. His total yearly salary came to $780. The branch at that time came under the Public Utilities Commission and the Superin­ tendent was Major R. M. Taylor whose staff in­ cluded an Assistant Superintendent, Rates Exam­ iner and Assistant, Accountant, Chief Clerk, general office staff and seven Field Inspectors located at Cranbrook, Nelson, Kelowna, Kamloops, Vancouver and Victoria . Today Head­ quarters are located at 4240 Manor Street. Burnaby, and there are field offices located in Nanaimo, Prince George. Cranbrook, Dawson Creek, Kamloops, Kelowna and Victoria. Al has the distinction of being the youngest Inspector ever appointed at 22 years of age and the youngest Superintendent at 44. He served in Vancouver as an Inspec­ tor from 1952 to 1956 then spent 10 years at the Prince George field office from 1956 to 1966. In eight years he rose from Inspector to Administrative Officer to Assistant Superintendent to Superintendent. Left to right. Don Murray, Ken Knott, Meredith Rowden and Dave Hammell. The Motor Carrier Branch is the administrative arm of the Motor Carrier Commission with headquarters at 4240 Manor Street, Bur­ naby, and seven field offices located at Victoria, Nanaimo, Prince George, Kelowna, Dawson Creek, Kamloops and Cranbrook. The branch receives all applications from persons planning the commercial transportation of goods or people on B.C. highways . If someone wants to operate a taxi business, bus service, or haul freight, they must submit an application for licence to the branch. together with the rates to be charged, time schedules, etc . Branch personnel investigate the application and send a report to the Commission for a decision. If a licence is granted, the Commission will specify terms and conditions under which the person is allowed to operate and the application is then returned to the Branch for administrative processing. Between them the new managers have a total of 41 years service. It's not every day the R.R . & C. is able to take a picture of all Meredith Rowden spent 25 years with the Royal Canadian Mounted Transportation Engineers and Inspectors responsible for pipelines Police before becoming a Motor Carrier Inspector I I years ago. Dave under provincial jurisdiction . This study group assembled at engi­ Hammell served with the branch as an Inspector for six years in Prince neering headquarters in Burnaby recently to update everyone on the George and as an Administrative Officer for 10years in the Vancouver latest technical and legal requirements of pipelines in order to area. Ken Knott is a Journeyman Mechanic and worked one year as an achieve standardization in knowledge and enforcement. The sessions Inspector with the motor vehicle inspection station on Georgia Street, were chaired by Jim Colgan, left, Assistant Chief Engineer. Next to Vancouver, before becoming a Motor Carrier Inspector II years ago . Jim. left to right. is Stan Bengston, Design and Investigation Engi­ He first served at Burnaby Headquarters, worked for short periods at neer. Burnaby; Ken Krause. Inspector. Burnaby; Fred Leigh. Inspec­ Nelson and Cranbrook and latterly at Burnaby. Don Murray worked tor. Kelowna; Ev Crowder. Inspector, Burnaby; Nick Kreklywich, for 23 years with Northland Navigation at Kitimat and was a part-time Inspector, Prince George; Dave Montgomery. Inspector. Fort St. judge for II years and coroner for 19 years before becoming a Motor John; Wally Hendron. Sr. Pipeline Inspector. Burnaby; and Ralph Carrie r Inspector at Prince George in January, 1979. Likes, Inspector. Fort St. John. 2 MINISTER'S MESSAGE T HE ROADRUNNER m & CA RRIER Province of Spring 1982 Volume 19 British Columbia No.2 i:r i:r i:r Published Quarterly by the Ministry of Transportation and Highways We have come through a tough winter and our crews have Victoria, British Columbia done a commendable job in keeping our highways open . Ray Baines. Executive Editor Slides , washouts and avalanches have been handled with dis­ Arthur 1. Schindel, Editor patch and for that I wish to thank those who have worked so C . N. Shave, Co-Editor hard to keep the traffic moving. However, with the approach ofspring and early summer we i:r i:r i:r are nowfaced with a new season ofroad maintenance work and increasing traffic loads and therefore we cannot let down on Field Correspondents our attention to safety and the pride of accomp lishment which Paul Morrison Geotechnical Operations, Burnaby characterized our past efforts . W. S. Boughey.. .. Victoria At the same time we have to constantly remind users of our Herb Gutteridge Regional Electrical Crew highways that they have a responsibi lity as well- to drive the Eric Eastick.. Centerline Marking, Cloverdale road system safely and within limits. To do this we have to set May Colter Chilliwack an example with our own activit ies , including our own be­ Geza Benko ... Saanich haviour behind the wheel and on the job. Ed Hemmingsen Port Alberni Drivers whom we help to regulate and control watch us too . Harby Grewal .. Nanaimo If our road behaviour in marked Ministry vehicles is not Jae Carpenter Nanaimo exemplary we are bound to hear about it, and with justifica­ Dan Bowen..... .. Courtenay tion. Let's not be accusedofasking people to "do as we say, not Les lie Hutchinson .. Ferries District as we do ." Me nno Martens North Vancouver Bob Neall .Dock Branch ALEX. V. FRASER Mike Woodcock.. New Westminster Minister R. W. Flavelle... McBride Dave Schleppe . Kamloops Stan Paloposki Williams Lake Barry Kimble 100 Mile House Fred L, Stuart . Salmon Arm Norman Allen Revelstoke Les Johnson .. ...Vernon 1. T. Hallam .. Kelowna W. R . Coates . Penticton --- .-. Brian Niehaus Merritt Bob Corder.. .. .Lillooet - ------- R. Haworth. Grand Forks .... Marge Brown . Nelson C. W. Smith.. ...New Denver Fred Ryckman . .. Creston N. K. Mo lander Cranbrook A, R. Caldwell Fernie ~ C. M . Frank . .. .. Golden Steve Uyesugi . .. Smi thers Stan Gladysz Pouce Coupe Bob Strain... .. Fort St. John Harman Delyea.. .Terrace John Newhouse Prince George Clyde Smaaslet . ..Prince George Lloyd Trueman .. .....Quesnel B. A. Cleary ........... Vanderhoof Dave Foster . .. Burns Lake I Kevin Cutting . Prince Rupert Whayne Chappell .. .Terrace Bill Ward. ..Dease Lake COVER PHOTO Shot ofthe John Hart-Peace River Highway was taken 30 years ago The Headquarters Planning Branch ran a public information cen­ by Frank Clapp shortly after the then new highway was officially tre March 16 to 18 in Abbotsford regarding the Highway I I realign­ opened . That's Frank's 1950 Plymouth in the photo . This is looking ment project, The centre, located at Old Clayburn and Immel Roads south toward Azouzetta Lake at a point 2/0 kilometres north of Prince was manned by J,Greg Singer, P.Eng.,Supervising Transportation George and 198 kilometres south ofDawson Creek . The highway was Engineer and Maria D . Szalay, Engineer-in-Training. Maria is later paved and large sections have since been rebuilt and repaved. shown explaining the route to a local resident. (See more pictures and story - Page 17.) 3 10--7 CLUB ... W. A. (BILL) DALE, P.Eng., Design DAVID (DAVE) LOGAN, Design Engi­ NORMAN (CHUCK) BECKLEY is one Engineer with the Design and Surveys neer in Headquarters Bridge Branch, was of those 62-year-old retirees for whom re­ Branch in Victoria re­ the guest of honour at a tirement is just another tired on March 3 I, 1982 large gathering in Vic­ door into a new life and a after 13 years with the toria, on March 20th. on fresh start. " Ch uc k" . Ministry. Before joining the occasion of his retire­ Foreman 4. of the Lang­ the government Bill ment. Dave joined the ford Bridge Crew, worked in the hardwood Ministry in 1955. as a de­ Saanich District. had his and pulp business and sign engineer. and was retirement dinner. given was manager of pulp appointed to the position by his fellow workers, mills at Port Alice and of Section Supervising within a few weeks of his Woodfibre. Bill was raised on a farm in Design Engineer in 1959. Dave's wife Janet , recent marriage . He was born and raised in Saskatchewan and moved to Victoria in and their four grown children attended. Paradise Valley. Alberta. He served in the 1929. He was well known as a track star. His Dave was presented with a Meritorious Navy. drove a taxi in Victoria. and worked running ability earned him a scholarship at Scroll from the Provincial Government by in construction as a carpenter all over B.C. Washington State University where he re­ the Deputy Minister, R. G. Harvey. Len and the Yukon . In 1969. he was hired by the ceived his engineering degree but only after Johnson. Director of Bridge Engineering. Ministry for the Revelstoke bridge crew. He taking a year leave of absence to win a gold presented the guest of honour with a gold transferred in 1975 .