Light rail is an idea whose time has come not only for Surrey but for the region according to Mayor Dianne Watts. “Yes, we need to continue to invest in new roads and infrastructure like the 78-year-oldPatullo Bridge, but let’s be honest, we will not be able to build enough roads to ease the looming traffic crunch coming as Metro Vancouver grows over the next 20 years.”
The last Skytrain Station was built in Surrey in 1994 and since that time the community has grown dramatically. The lack of spending on public transit from senior levels of government has been a point of contention for Watts and her Surrey First colleagues.
For Councillor Barinder Rasode light rail is an important part of the suite of transportation and transit choices that are necessary if we are to have a sustainable system of moving people within Surrey and around the region.
“It’s much cheaper than Skytrain, and, since 80% of the commuting trips that start South of the Fraser end South of the Fraser, this is an approach that will work for Surrey residents.”, said Barinder Rasode, a member of Surrey’s Transportation Committee and a long-time advocate for a light rail system in Surrey.