With all the focus on growth in Surrey, not too many people would guess that Surrey has 7,800 acres of parks and wildlife areas and has the largest urban wildlife corridor of any major city in Canada.
However, Mayor Dianne Watts is committed to ensuring that the agricultural heritage of Surrey is preserved and farmland remains protected. “Since I have been Mayor not a single acre of land has been removed from the Agricultural Land Reserve for residential, commercial or industrial development and 35% of Surrey’s land base remains agricultural.”, stated Watts.
Councillor Barbara Steele agrees that balancing new job creation with the preservation of farmland is the foundation for sustainable cities.
“I am extremely proud that while we have invested $128 million in improving local roads we have been able to create a substantial network of walking and cycling opportunities for residents.”, Barbara Steele stated.
Indeed, Surrey has expanded its cycling capacity significantly in recent years:
· 29 km of pedestrian and cycling paths,
· 92 km of on-street bike lanes,
· 28 km of park paths,
· New pedestrian and cycling links – Tynehead overpass across Hwy #1 and the Pioneer overpass across Hwy #99.