IMMEDIATE RELEASE – March 23, 2017 – Surrey, BC
SkyTrain for Surrey campaigners are expressing disappointment that a rapid transit project for Surrey was not listed as an “ambitious transit project” in the 2017 Federal Budget.
Although the Mayors’ Council has been quick to confirm that the transit funding in the 2017 budget could be applied to the Surrey LRT project (subject to ridership and population), the Surrey LRT project was not included among a list of “ambitious transit projects” which are “expected to transform Canada’s cities over the next decade” in the budget document. (link: 2017 BUDGET)
Unlike other LRT systems in Canada, the Surrey proposal is completely at street-level and will run through dozens of major intersections. As a result, the project offers little travel time savings against existing buses, and is expected to see considerably less ridership than previous SkyTrain extensions in Metro Vancouver.
Daryl Dela Cruz, our founding director, says:
There is no excuse for a second-rate system in British Columbia’s 2nd-largest city. We deserve a transit project that is seen as ambitious.
More than 2,000 people have joined our call for the restoration of a plan to extend SkyTrain through Surrey and Langley, SkyTrain for Surrey opposes the current Light Rail Transit proposal, which will be the most expensive mistake in the region’s history.
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.
Our campaign directors: Daryl Dela Cruz (Surrey, chair), Jacky Au (Surrey), Spencer Whitney (Langley)
For further information
Daryl Dela Cruz, Phone: +1 604 329 3529, [email protected]