Light Rail supporters get facts wrong again

Today, we are debunking the following 3 statements by Light Rail Links coalition chair Anita Huberman in a letter to the Surrey Leader:

MYTH: For the approximately $2-billion cost of 27-kms of LRT, only 17 kms of SkyTrain on Fraser Highway could be built.

• 17 kms of SkyTrain AND 10 KM OF BUS RAPID TRANSIT could be built for the same cost.
• This proposal would have the same travel time benefits at a lower operating cost of just $6 million.
• LRT’s annual operations cost bill of $22 million would put an end to further expansion of bus services
• SkyTrain on Fraser Highway would generate 72% higher ridership over LRT on the same route.
• BRT on the “L Line” corridor would offer the same travel time benefits and ridership increases.

MYTH: According to a 2013 survey, 80 per cent of Surrey residents support LRT and almost two-thirds say they would use at least one of the proposed LRT lines.

• No such survey has ever been released by the Light Rail Links organization or the City of Surrey.
• High public support for SkyTrain in Surrey has been demonstrated in numerous media surveys.
• Even light rail advocate Paul Hillsdon has expressed his support for SkyTrain on Fraser Hwy.

MYTH: In LRT’s first year of operation, the peak hour demand on King George Boulevard is expected to equal what is carried on Vancouver’s Broadway B-line today.

• A full BRT system would offer higher capacity than Broadway B-Line services.
• Double-articulated buses, such as the Hess lighTram, can offer an LRT-like high capacity with space for between 250-300 passengers.
• Surrey has time to foresee & prevent Broadway-like overcrowding through effective zoning policies.

Light Rail supporters continue to ignore issues like potential for vehicle-train collisions

Once again, Light Rail supporters in the City of Surrey are demonstrating that they can’t be trusted to tell the truth. Surrey deserves better than a second-rate transit system, promoted by supporters who can’t present accurate facts and continue to disregard major issues.

Our transit vision for SkyTrain on Fraser Highway and Bus Rapid Transit on the “L Line corridor” would avoid many of the issues presented by an on-street LRT system, while offering advantages such as faster travel times, less transfers, lower operating costs and more expansion potential.