CAMPAIGN UPDATE
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE – June 3, 2019 – Langley, BC
TransLink is proceeding with a number of improvements that will assist in building transit ridership in advance of future SkyTrain on Fraser Highway from Surrey to Langley. As part of this, the introduction of dedicated bus priority lanes in Langley City (along Fraser Highway, 203 Street and Logan Avenue) has been proposed.
These improvements are being proposed despite TransLink’s cancellation of a Fraser Highway B-Line route, which is due to the acceleration of project development on the Surrey-Langley SkyTrain project. According to TransLink, as many as 55 buses per hour utilize these roads in Langley City during peak times, and several bus routes will benefit significantly from the bus priority lanes, which are likely to remain in place even after the Surrey-Langley SkyTrain is built.
TransLink is currently consulting the public on the proposed bus priority lanes. Riders can express their thoughts and support on TransLink’s website at engage.translink.ca/langley-transit-priorities, from June 3 to June 10. In addition, there is an information session at Langley City Hall on June 6, 3PM to 7PM.
This is a critical step and an important precursor to future SkyTrain, so please show your support!
In addition to these improvements, TransLink has decided to go ahead with all-day express bus service connecting Aldergrove, Langley and Surrey on route 503, bringing a B-Line style service with limited stops, articulated buses, and frequencies of 8-9 minutes between buses during peak hours. Although new B-Line projects throughout the region have been delayed to January 2020, the improved Fraser Highway bus service has remained on-schedule for a September introduction.
Recently, TransLink affirmed significant public support for the future Surrey-Langley SkyTrain. In a survey that attracted a record 21,267 survey responses, more than 85% of Surrey/Langley residents were in support of SkyTrain. The high level support has since been verified with two additional market surveys, including one finding that the Surrey-Langley SkyTrain is one of the most highly-supported transit projects in the Metro Vancouver region.
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.
Daryl Dela Cruz – Founder, SkyTrain for Surrey
Phone: +1 604 329 3529, [email protected]
Be sure to subscribe to TransLink's their mailing list (on the contacts page of the Surrey-Langley SkyTrain website) for official project updates! There is also now an official project email to get in touch with the planning team: [email protected].