SkyTrain for Surrey, not LRT!

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Is LRT unable to compete with the automobile?

  • Reality Check

The car.  85% of South of Fraser commuters, according to Translink, currently commute point-to-point by vehicle.  If we want to expand rapid transit in Surrey, then we must remember this crucial fact: transit competes with automobile travel.

Translink expects and sets a goal of having 50% of all south of fraser trips by transit in 2040, but will they ever meet that goal with LRT?

SkyTrain from Coquitlam to Downtown Surrey to White Rock

Let’s put the Coquitlam-White Rock corridor (via Guildford, Whalley and Newton) into perspective. Between Douglas College and Semiahmoo Town Centre Station using 104 Avenue and King George Boulevard, the distance is 37km.

  • To drive this route takes 50 minutes according to Google Maps (expect this to be closer to 60 minutes with traffic through Whalley).
  • To drive via the fastest possible route (straight down 152 Street): 48 minutes
  • For the Bus/B-Line connection, to be introduced w/ the 2012 Moving Forward Transit Plan [1]: 80-90 minutes
  • For LRT and BRT as with the Surrey Rapid Transit Study plans [2][3]: est. 80-90 minutes*
    •  not counting transfer time between buses and LRT trains at Guildford Town Centre Exchange and Newton Exchange

(to drive is nearly 2x as fast!)

  • If LRT were built along entire corridor [1] – 73 minutes
  • If SkyTrain were built along the entire corridor, at 45km/h average speed incl. station stops: 45 minutes end-to-end
Footnotes
  1. Bus connections assume the same average speed as the 97 B-Line (24 km/h)
  2. LRT assumes the same average speed as the Portland MAX (19 mph or 30.5 km/h)
  3. LRT along the north-south corridor, following the Surrey Rapid Transit Study plans, will be implemented between Guildford, Whalley and Newton town centres only. Two transfers will be required between buses and trains in Guildford and Newton. Transfer wait times have not been accounted for, but may increase overall travel time and inconvenience even further!

Everywhere in North America, LRT is failing.

In Seattle, an even bigger city than Vancouver, LRT servicing mostly airport commuters has 1/5th of the ridership of our Canada Line.

In Portland, traffic levels on an adjacent freeway continued to increase after the introduction of light rail.

Los Angeles spent tons of money on light rail lines that are 11 times less cost effective than freeway lanes (which can be dedicated to HOV/bus lines), only to receive one third of the predicted ridership. This resulted in the rise in bus fares and the cutting of bus service, with the ultimate outcome of lower overall ridership for the entire transit system.

In Dallas, faulty ridership predictions for their light rail system have caused a major financial disaster. The light rail system in Dallas now has less ridership than when it first opened.

In these North American cities, light rail has proven itself unworthy as that competition.  Sadly, we point out the result may be the same in Surrey/the South of Fraser.

We have the facts:

  • LRT will not serve as a suitable alternative to the automobile due to the lower speed
  • LRT under the Surrey Rapid Transit Study plan will provide no travel time benefit
  • Even if LRT were built in a single straight line from Coquitlam to White Rock while bypassing Surrey City Centre, it would still be unable to compete with the automobile
  • LRT impacts major automobile and freight corridors by reducing traffic capacity
  • LRT has higher operating costs due to the requirement of drivers, lower frequency capability, and lower flexibility for expansion
  • LRT may require a more time-consuming transfer to get where you want to go

Most people in the South of Fraser would rather pay for gas than pay for transit, no matter what the premium, due to the convenience of automobile point-to-point travel. Meaning LRT may not successfully attract the average Surrey automobile commuter and entice people to make a change in commute type.

Why SkyTrain is better

  • Coquitlam Centre to Semiahmoo Town Centre in 45 minutes 
  • A new way to get to White Rock via an all-SkyTrain rapid transit ride from Metro Vancouver via Surrey City Centre
  • Enhances development between Guildford, Whalley and Newton
  • Enhances Surrey’s image as regional transportation centre (two SkyTrain lines running through Downtown Surrey, creating a regional transit centre that is easily accessible from all directions)

Reality Check

Reality Check is the online blog run by the founder of SkyTrain for Surrey, a BC-based community organization that has advocated for the expansion of the Vancouer SkyTrain system, including our successful advocacy for the under-construction Surrey-Langley SkyTrain extension.

Media Contact: Daryl Dela Cruz ​– Founder, SkyTrain for Surrey ・ Phone: +1 604 329 3529, [email protected]

Is LRT unable to compete with the automobile?