SURREY LRT IS WORTH IT

The emergence of Surrey’s already greenlit LRT project as a top issue in that city’s municipal election campaign is a bit of a head scratcher. Former mayor Doug McCallum, seeking to win back the job he lost in 2005 as the Safe Surrey Coalition mayoral candidate, has vowed to kill the $1.65-billion, 10.5-kilometre, at-grade, light-rail transit line that would link the Surrey town centres of Guildford and Newton to the City Centre.

But only four years ago, McCallum supported LRT, which is scheduled to begin construction in 2020 and be in service by 2024.

Now he is pushing for SkyTrain to be extended down King George Highway to Langley and for improved bus service within Surrey.

Surrey Coun. Bruce Hayne, the Integrity Now mayoral candidate — who just a month ago said LRT “probably won’t and can’t be changed at this point” because too much work had been done and funding was in place from all three levels of government — now says he would like to “push the pause button” on the project.

Coun. Tom Gill, Surrey First’s mayoral candidate, is the only front-runner who supports LRT, and calls his opponents hypocrites for their 11th-hour opposition to the transit project, which he says is sorely needed.

While polling suggests Surrey residents strongly support extending SkyTrain to Langley, voters really need to think about what they are putting at risk if they support candidates who oppose LRT.

The reality is that deciding between Surrey LRT and SkyTrain is a false choice — they serve different purposes and are not mutually exclusive. LRT is designed to improve transit options within Surrey, support economic development of the town centres and alleviate traffic congestion. It will also help transit users connect to SkyTrain for commutes into Vancouver and other parts of the region. It is critically needed.

A SkyTrain extension would primarily serve commuters to and from Langley and there is no reason that it can’t be built in the future if LRT goes ahead. Some Surrey residents may feel that LRT is a second-rate system or that Surrey is being shortchanged by TransLink compared to other Metro Vancouver communities, but this isn’t the right way to consider the issue. Do North Vancouver residents feel second-class because of SeaBus?

After years of planning, Surrey LRT is ready to go. The $1.2 billion from Victoria and Ottawa is committed for this project — not SkyTrain. All the money and work will disappear if Surrey voters reject LRT. It would be a great opportunity lost and delay for many years transit improvements in B.C.’s fastest-growing city.