COMMUTER CHAOS STORY
RCMP cruiser crash would have shut down Surrey LRT for 4 hours
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE – April 26, 2018 – Surrey, BC
A recent collision between a marked RCMP SUV and a Mustang convertible would cause a major shut down of the proposed Surrey Light Rail Transit system if it were built.
According to Global News and the Surrey Now-Leader, the crash occurred at the intersection of 104th Avenue and King George Boulevard at approximately 7:30PM on April 25, 2018. The incident and ensuing emergency response closed down the intersection, disrupting traffic and transit services on both roadways.
As a result of the closure of the intersection, TransLink began to detour several transit services – including the 96 B-Line – around this area starting at 7:44PM. These transit services were not restored to their regular routes until 4 hours later at 11:43PM.
#RiderAlert 501 Langley Ctr/320 Langley Ctr/96 Guildford detour: From Surrey Ctrl via University, 108 Av, 140 St, 104 Av reg route (MVA) ^LA
— TransLink BC | Masks Mandatory (@TransLink) April 26, 2018
#RiderAlert 320, 501, 96, and 502 detour has cleared, back to regular route (MVA) ^LA
— TransLink BC | Masks Mandatory (@TransLink) April 26, 2018
The proposed Light Rail system that will replace the 96 B-Line will run at street level on both 104th Avenue and King George Boulevard. Numerous photos of the scene have shown that damaged vehicles and accident debris were strewn throughout the intersection, occupying the areas where LRT tracks would be placed at-grade. This segment of the LRT would have had to be shut down.
With the time required to clean up as well as for police to investigate the potential causes, it often takes several hours from the time an accident happens to the time that surrounding roadways are reopened to traffic. This accident would have disrupted services on the Surrey-Newton-Guildford LRT for 4 hours.
Above photos by: Shane MacKichan
This incident highlights a major, fundamental flaw of the proposed street-running light rail system endorsed by TransLink, the Regional Mayors’ Council, and the City of Surrey. All of the proposed Surrey LRT lines run in the medians of major arterial roads, and would cross through several busy intersections at street level.
Any one of these busy intersections could be blocked and shut down if there is an accident.
SkyTrain for Surrey has called for the cancellation of the Surrey-Newton-Guildford LRT project, the conversion of the Surrey-Langley LRT into a SkyTrain extension of the Expo Line, and the construction of Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) on King George Boulevard and 104th Avenue (instead of an LRT).
With BRT’s ability to detour around accident areas, and SkyTrain’s ability to simply pass overhead, a rapid transit system built on SkyTrain and BRT would not be subject to total disruptions.
Surrey residents expect their future rapid transit system to be a trustworthy and reliable service. A street-running LRT system will not deliver one.
About SkyTrain for Surrey
SkyTrain for Surrey is the community organization that advocated for the Surrey-Langley SkyTrain extension, and continues to push for high-quality rapid transit projects in Surrey and Langley. We began as a petition calling for the scrapping of a street-level LRT proposal, which eventually amassed more than 6,000 signatures, and later contributed to making SkyTrain an election issue as a registered third-party advertiser. SkyTrain for Surrey continues to call for high-quality projects that offer a positive return-on-investment and recognize the rapidly increasing demand for transit.
Media Contact:
Daryl Dela Cruz – Founder, SkyTrain for Surrey
Phone: +1 604 329 3529, [email protected]
A recent collision between a marked RCMP SUV and a Mustang convertible would cause a major shut down of the proposed Surrey Light Rail Transit system if it were built.
According to Global News and the Surrey Now-Leader, the crash occurred at the intersection of 104th Avenue and King George Boulevard at approximately 7:30PM on April 25, 2018. The incident and ensuing emergency response closed down the intersection, disrupting traffic and transit services on both roadways.
As a result of the closure of the intersection, TransLink began to detour several transit services – including the 96 B-Line – around this area starting at 7:44PM. These transit services were not restored to their regular routes until 4 hours later at 11:43PM.
#RiderAlert 501 Langley Ctr/320 Langley Ctr/96 Guildford detour: From Surrey Ctrl via University, 108 Av, 140 St, 104 Av reg route (MVA) ^LA
— TransLink BC | Masks Mandatory (@TransLink) April 26, 2018
#RiderAlert 320, 501, 96, and 502 detour has cleared, back to regular route (MVA) ^LA
— TransLink BC | Masks Mandatory (@TransLink) April 26, 2018
The proposed Light Rail system that will replace the 96 B-Line will run at street level on both 104th Avenue and King George Boulevard. Numerous photos of the scene have shown that damaged vehicles and accident debris were strewn throughout the intersection, occupying the areas where LRT tracks would be placed at-grade. This segment of the LRT would have had to be shut down.
With the time required to clean up as well as for police to investigate the potential causes, it often takes several hours from the time an accident happens to the time that surrounding roadways are reopened to traffic. This accident would have disrupted services on the Surrey-Newton-Guildford LRT for 4 hours.
Above photos by: Shane MacKichan
This incident highlights a major, fundamental flaw of the proposed street-running light rail system endorsed by TransLink, the Regional Mayors’ Council, and the City of Surrey. All of the proposed Surrey LRT lines run in the medians of major arterial roads, and would cross through several busy intersections at street level.
Any one of these busy intersections could be blocked and shut down if there is an accident.
SkyTrain for Surrey has called for the cancellation of the Surrey-Newton-Guildford LRT project, the conversion of the Surrey-Langley LRT into a SkyTrain extension of the Expo Line, and the construction of Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) on King George Boulevard and 104th Avenue (instead of an LRT).
With BRT’s ability to detour around accident areas, and SkyTrain’s ability to simply pass overhead, a rapid transit system built on SkyTrain and BRT would not be subject to total disruptions.
Surrey residents expect their future rapid transit system to be a trustworthy and reliable service. A street-running LRT system will not deliver one.
Cover photo by: Shane MacKichan