IMMEDIATE RELEASE – Surrey, BC
In light of rumours that Conservative Party Leader Stephen Harper would be announcing funding for proposed Light Rail in Surrey, local advocates in Surrey have warned the Conservative Party that a business case analysis has not been finished for Surrey LRT.
“It would be short-sighted, and irresponsible, to commit the money to a transit project whose feasibility has not been thoroughly assessed at this time. Surrey City Council has ignored numerous local residents and advocates who have raised LRT issues. That doesn’t deserve to be rewarded with a blind funding commitment,” says Daryl Dela Cruz, leader and campaign manager at SkyTrain for Surrey, in a letter to the Conservative Party.
At this time, there is no finished business case for the proposed Surrey LRT. However, a previous TransLink joint study suggested that a ground-level Light Rail system in Surrey would have a negative business case, with a benefit-cost ratio of 0.69:1.
The City has failed to address concerns with transit and traffic impacts during construction, and has not attempted to discuss how an annual, $22 million operating cost deficit will be paid. The first phase of the proposed LRT is only a 1 minute improvement over existing B-Line express buses, which use dedicated lanes on King George Blvd. The “economic study” the City released to defend LRT failed to assess and consider transportation outcomes.
Surrey citizens deserve better than a short-sighted transit solution that hasn’t been thoroughly reviewed by city planners, and has issues that are constantly ignored by City Council.
SkyTrain for Surrey has been relentless in raising LRT issues, and advocates for a combination extension of existing SkyTrain and new Bus Rapid Transit. This would offer faster, safer and more reliable service, rewarding citizens with 2x the overall travel time savings and generating 2x the amount of new transit trips.
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For additional info, contact: Daryl Dela Cruz, Campaign Manager – Better Surrey Rapid Transit.
Email us at: [email protected]
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ATTACHED LETTER – sent 4th September, 2015
Read our letter to the Conservative Party now on our website at [OPEN HERE]
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