Editor:
Re: Surrey’s $1.8-billion transit bid derided, Dec. 3.
I have never found Surrey’s light-rapid-transit vision worth supporting. LRT supporters in Surrey like to hide the proposal’s many downsides, like:
• Slower services: Bound by at-grade speed limits of 50-60 km/h.
• Linear, not regional: Less fare to improve the broader bus network.
• A negative business case: LRT is expected to generate less in transportation benefits than it costs to put it in – a dismal reality.
The TransLink study indicates that even with three new LRT lines in Surrey – and a 30 per cent increase to the cost of driving – 65 per cent of us will still find driving to make the most sense, which isn’t enough.
It’s clear that Surrey’s and the region’s needs warrant something much bigger than LRT.
The feds likely will deny funding for an LRT project and, if so, the possibility of any rapid transit for this city may be doomed.
Surrey stakeholders should support SkyTrain over LRT. It generates significant transportation benefits; it has worked in Vancouver to reduce motor-vehicle use; its driverless advantage means more off-peak and weekend service; and its consistent 97 per cent on-time reliability.
SkyTrain is the best catalyst for transit-oriented urban growth and slum revitalization when compared to other cities around the world
Daryl Dela Cruz, Surrey