IMMEDIATE RELEASE – May 31, 2017 – Surrey, BC
SkyTrain for Surrey has learned that a proposed city road project that will split a major city park in half is a critical component of the city’s proposed Light Rail Transit (LRT) system on 104 Avenue.
City maps show that the two roads related to the 105 Avenue connector project will cut through city park spaces and green spaces in Hawthorne Park. The City of Surrey describes this project as “important to ensure reliable and efficient access” in the local area as a result access restrictions on nearby 104 Avenue, where road capacity will be reduced from four lanes to two lanes to accommodate a street-level LRT.
The proposed Light Rail system that will replace the current 96 B-Line on 104 Avenue will bring no real improvements to Surrey’s public transit system, and will be a massive waste of taxpayer’s money. SkyTrain for Surrey reminds observers that the LRT line on 104 Avenue will:
- Offer no improvements in travel-time due to street-level running
- Add transfers for riders connecting to/from destinations beyond Guildford
- Increase travel times for commuters on non-stop express buses (337 and 509)
- Congest the entirety of Guildford and surrounding area by reducing 104 Avenue’s capacity to 2 lanes
These LRT-related roadway expansion projects and their environmental impacts to city green spaces were not made clear with Surrey citizens and taxpayers during consultation for rapid transit. Already, Surrey residents have witnessed the destruction of forest and green space in Green Timbers Forest for the 100 Avenue widening project, which was also identified as necessary for accommodating LRT.
Assault on #SurreyBC parks 2 accommodate cars 100 Ave thru @green_timbers now 105 Ave thru Hawthorne Park Mtg.June 7 https://t.co/TP8Ir9VhPA pic.twitter.com/yjkQwyITqf
— Grant Rice (@grantrice) May 27, 2017
In addition to projects related to 104th, Fraser Highway through Green Timbers will receive a huge widening project to accommodate street-level LRT, making this the 3rd instance in which green space is being compromised to accommodate the city’s plans for LRT.
In the recent past, LRT supporters – including our Mayor and Council – have pushed LRT on the basis that SkyTrain will “split the community in half”. Now they are pushing for an LRT that splits our parks in half, splits the nearby communities in half and results in the destruction of hundreds of trees. In what has historically been known as the “City of Parks”, LRT supporters have broken your trust with their assault on our city parks and their misleading promotion of an outdated transit technology.
More than 2,300 people have joined our call for the cancellation of Surrey’s street-level LRT project, in favour of restoring a plan to extend SkyTrain through Surrey and Langley. A street-level LRT in Surrey will cost billions of dollars yet offer little travel time savings, making it 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]