IMMEDIATE RELEASE – October 9, 2015 – Surrey, BC
SkyTrain for Surrey is calling out the City of Surrey for misleading stakeholders about LRT and rapid transit in a CitySpeaks citizen survey released this morning.
The survey, conducted by the city in conjunction with consultant Steer Davies-Gleave, asks survey participants to compare express buses and LRT based on a subset of pre-selected criteria. The criteria suggest that an Express Bus cannot support LRT features like all-door boarding or real-time information, which is misleading.
Bus Rapid Transit supports all of the same features as LRT – including multi-door boarding, real-time arrival displays, lighted stations, and traffic-signal priority. These can be added as upgrades to the existing 96 B-Line at a much lower cost, at a gradual pace and with fewer construction inconveniences.
Other bus routes in Metro Vancouver, such as the #3 Main (real-time arrival displays) and #99 B-Line (all-door boarding) are already employing these features.
Bus Rapid Transit can also make use of hybrid diesel-electric buses or be electrified (i.e. trolley buses) to offer smooth, quiet rides like LRT. Many modern, hybrid articulated buses are already in service in Metro Vancouver, operating out of the Richmond bus depot on routes such as the #403, #480 and #49.
“Attempts to mislead transit commuters and stakeholders about this are precisely why residents need to get together now and reject the proposed Surrey LRT.”
Daryl Dela Cruz, Campaign Manager and Founding Director of SkyTrain for Surrey.
SkyTrain for Surrey is a local grassroots organization calling for a SkyTrain and Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) network instead of the currently-proposed on-street Light Rail system in Surrey. Our campaign has called on decision-makers to build the Langley Extension of the SkyTrain Expo Line, in conjunction with an extension of the 96 B-Line to Coquitlam Centre and White Rock as a Bus Rapid Transit system.
For further information, contact:
Daryl Dela Cruz, Founding Director
Phone: +1 604 329 3529, [email protected]