Editor:
It is interesting that CEO Anita Huberman and the Surrey Board of Trade believe that they as a group should decide what kind of transit system Surrey should have for probably the next 50 years (‘Without a doubt, LRT is the best system for Surrey,’ Jan. 23; Surrey Board of Trade … wants LRT commitment, Feb. 20, www.peacearchnews.com).
One would think that in a democracy, there would be a referendum so that all the citizens of Surrey could have a say.
An online poll by Peace Arch News’ sister-paper, Surrey Now-Leader, showed that an overwhelming majority of Surrey citizens who responded chose SkyTrain over LRT streetcars. Yet, for years Huberman and the SBOT have pushed former mayor Dianne Watts and Mayor Linda Hepner to impose train tracks on the streets of Surrey.
Surrey has never held a referendum to determine the wishes of voters regarding SkyTrain versus LRT streetcars.
There are some obvious advantages of SkyTrain that Huberman and our mayor ignore:
1. Footprint: As SkyTrain is elevated, its footprint on the ground and its impact on traffic flow is minimal compared to taking out lanes of traffic in order to lay down train tracks for streetcars. SkyTrain travels over traffic. LRT streetcar train tracks take over space where vehicles could drive. Eliminating two lanes of vehicular traffic on 104 Avenue in order to impose two lines of train tracks is asinine.
2. Safety: SkyTrain does not run over pedestrians or crash into cars. Unfortunately, sometimes streetcars do.
3. Speed: People want to get where they are going quickly. SkyTrain is far more rapid than LRT streetcars. By travelling over traffic, SkyTrain does not impede traffic and is not slowed by traffic. If there is a tie-up at an intersection, SkyTrain is not affected. The same may not be the case for LRT streetcars. LRT streetcars stop at traffic lights. SkyTrain does not.
A report from an infrastructure expert with an international record suggests that Surrey is not on the right track when it comes to light rail. He gave LRT a poor score.
“In reality, there is a meaningful risk that a project undertaken without a proper business case could end up making citizens lives worse,” he writes, arguing that the Canada Line and Millennium Line Evergreen Extension show “significant value creation,” whereas the first phase of the Surrey LRT “is expected to destroy value.”
Hepner said his report “sounds biased.” It is Hepner and Huberman who are biased.
The best route for Surrey is to expand SkyTrain, like our neighbouring municipalities have.
Dennis Hutton, Surrey