New report says LRT is best option for Surrey

SURREY (NEWS1130) – A few weeks before transit vote ballots are due, a new study is touting the thousands of jobs and the development that would result from the construction of an LRT line in Surrey.

The plan is to ultimately build a Light Rapid Transit line from Surrey City Centre to Langley Town Centre, which the report points out will be cheaper to build than SkyTrain and generate 24,000 direct jobs.

But a long-time proponent of LRT says the plan, which figures prominently in the list presented to voters in the transit plebiscite, is a weak one.

Malcolm Johnston of Rail for the Valley says the problem is the project is designed to feed the Expo Line.

“This is not going to work. You are forcing people to transfer from bus, to light rail to SkyTrain and you lose about 70 per cent of your ridership per transfer.”

It’s a sentiment recently voiced by a Langley Township planner, who also fears the line will only serve people moving within Surrey, not beyond it.

Johnston believes a more extensive LRT line is the way to go.

“If you really want people to get out of their cars, you’d have to extend light rail into Vancouver. It is possible. They’ve done it in Karlsruhe, Germany. It’s called tram-train technology.”

In fact, Johnston espouses LRT rather than a subway along the Broadway corridor. He says having dedicated traffic lanes for LRT would definitely deter people from driving along that route.

 

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