Stephanie Ryan: Surrey residents deserve fair share of transit service—now

by Stephanie Ryan on November 15th, 2011 at 3:31 PM

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Public transportation has become a key issue in many Lower Mainland civic elections, but nowhere is the lack of service more acute than in Surrey .

Surrey has become a have-not city when it comes to public transit. Residents are understandably fed up with abysmal transit service.

We are not prepared to wait any longer. It’s time to get our fair share now.

For two decades, Surrey has been growing at an unbelievable pace of over 10,000 new residents each year. But transit—like schools, hospitals, and other infrastructure—has not kept pace.

Surrey has become the poor cousin in TransLink negotiations, and receives only 25 to 30 percent of the service that communities north of the Fraser do.

This is patently unfair. Data on growth shows that Surrey has grown at nearly three times the rate of Vancouver, Burnaby, and New Westminster since 1986, when those cities first welcomed the opening of SkyTrain.

Even with the newest two-cents-per-litre gas tax plan, which Surrey council proudly boasts will allocate 45 percent of new bus service hours to the city, Surrey will receive very little, dollar-for-dollar, compared with communities north of the Fraser.

The Evergreen Line to the Tri-Cities, with a population half that of Surrey, is expected to cost $1.4 billion while the new bus service hours coming to Surrey will cost about $194 million, which is less than 10 percent of Translink’s two-cents-per-litre gas tax plan.

But not only do Surrey residents receive less service, we have to pay more than our counterparts to the north. Surrey residents will pay the same extra two-cents-per-litre as everyone else but are more reliant on their cars and have to drive greater distances. Add to that, the fact that TransLink has added an additional fare zone for those who cross the river into Surrey and, finally, all three bridges leading north over the river are expected to be tolled in the years ahead.

It’s a triple whammy for Surrey that applies nowhere else in the province.

Surrey mayor Dianne Watts chaired the TransLink mayors’ council for a year but failed to fix any of the funding inequities.

Meanwhile, her Surrey First councillors nod along, toeing the line, gratefully accepting whatever TransLink happens to throw their way. That just isn’t good enough.

Surrey residents can no longer afford to wait with Watts as she dithers over transit service. We have been paying into TransLink for years without receiving our fair share of service. It is time to start playing catch-up with those cities that receive many more service hours per capita than we do.

Whether it’s tolls, gas taxes, fare zones, or a proposed vehicle levy, it is time Surrey reaped the rewards of a system we have been paying into all along.

Surrey residents should reasonably expect their city council to take a more aggressive stance at the TransLink bargaining table, pursuing an expansion of bus service, bus rapid transit, and light rail service now—not just when it is politically convenient.

In politics, you get what you negotiate and that means taking risks, being bold, building alliances, and not accepting “no” for an answer, particularly when the people you represent are being treated as unfairly as Surrey residents are.

What does Surrey need? More tough negotiating with the province, and fewer celebrity “love ins” with world leaders.

Stephanie Ryan is a candidate for city council with the Surrey Civic Coalition.

Comments

10 Comments

Steve K

Nov 15, 2011 at 7:04pm

Did it ever occur to this woman that perhaps people north of the Fraser are attempting to limit the methods of access from Surrey?

Shepsil

Nov 15, 2011 at 8:42pm

First off, @Steve K, only 15% of Surrey residents leave town on any given day. This about Transit "in" Surrey.

Diane Watts is clearly more concerned with staying in the good books of conservative politicos than she is in doing the bidding required by Surrey residents to have an accessible city for all.

Surrey is the largest City in the CommonWealth with 311 sq.km. Stephanie Ryan is absolutely right in her article, in suggesting that Surrey Muni Hall has not done their job, they have taken the easy road and pandered to the elite.

If Mayor Diane Watts were Marie Antoinette, I am sure she would have said, "Let them walk".

RealityCheck

Nov 15, 2011 at 9:30pm

This is hardly the approach to take for better transit in Surrey. At least Watts is working with the province on this...not screaming at them.

Thien Ternet

Nov 15, 2011 at 9:37pm

It's rather disingenuous to compare population numbers between Surrey and municipalities north of the Fraser without looking at the spatial distribution of the population. The style of development matters a great deal.

Tom S.

Nov 15, 2011 at 10:42pm

TransLink is one of the best transit companies in the world. Stephanie is off track and an upstart taking cheap shots at TransLink.

SkyTrain can't be beat and has a 95% availability. It is much cheaper than Calgary LRT. Wait until the Evergreen Line starts up. Thousands of cars will be removed from the roads and gridlock will end.

Concerned Citizen2

Nov 16, 2011 at 9:26am

Stephanie needs to get her facts right, including the role of the Mayor's Council, before she spews off as if she know the magic formula. TransLink is clearly one of the best run transit organizations in the world. It won many international awards including one for sustainability. Surrey is in an excellent financial position under Mayor Watts with no debt and is able to afford many of the faciities and local transportation improvements which Stephanie no doubt uses. Get your facts right Stephanie!!

Evil Eye

Nov 16, 2011 at 10:34am

@ Tom S.

Either you are a PAB or a TransLink employee as your comment are so wrong.

Modern LRT has about a 99% availability, in fact modern LRT has less down time than SkyTrain (the Expo Line crapped out on Saturday last). As for costs, the original Calgary LRT cost about one half per km. to build than SkyTrain.

To date, the Vancouver Metro region has spent over $8 billion on three metro lines, while Calgary has spent just over $1 billion on their LRT line (TransLink doesn't include debt servicing, while Calgary does!)

Who builds with SkyTrain? Very few, as there are only 7 such SkyTrain transit systems operating (soon to be 5 when Toronto's and Detroit's SkyTrain's are torn down) in the world, compared to almost 500 light rail systems in operation.

As for taking cars off the road, TransLink has never divulged any numbers for modal shift from car to SkyTrain.

Tom S.

Nov 16, 2011 at 12:25pm

Evil Eye, what is a PAB?

LRT can't have a 99% availability. LRT operates in a severe winter climate for four months out of the twelve. SkyTrain operates in a mild climate and must have a much higher availability than LRT, check your facts, sir !

Millions of people ride transit every day in Vancouver. I take transit and work on Broadway. At least 100,000 people take transit on Broadway and another 100,000 people take transit on the Canada Line. Without SkyTrain, there would be gridlock and all the people on transit would be driving.

Evil Eye

Nov 16, 2011 at 9:29pm

@ Tom S.

PAB = Public Affairs bureau or the official office of spin doctoring.

Millions of people ride transit everyday you say? Think not, about 15% of the metro region (population about 2.5 million) use transit.

You make the assumption that a winter climate makes it hard to operate light rail - think not. The only two weather conditions that have great effect on modern LRT are ice storms and leaf fall (snow is not a big problem at all), which would also cause great problems for SkyTrain as we have recently seen.

You sir, should check your facts before you accuse others.