Surrey, B.C., group opposed to light rail plan says SkyTrain option better

A grassroots group ofSurrey and Langley residents opposed tothe plan for a light rail (LRT) system in Surrey says it hasdelivered a petition to the Mayors' Council chair with 3,500 signatures from like-minded residents.

The group, called SkyTrain for Surrey, says Surrey should pursue an extension of the Expo SkyTrain along Fraser highway into Langley instead of light rail.

It's also calling fora bus rapid transit system (BRT) along King George Boulevard and 104 Avenue.

• Surrey Mayor Linda Hepner promises LRT under construction by 2018

"A street-level LRT is not the system that will serve Surrey best in the future. With its total costs now topping $2.6 billion, it will be the most expensive mistake in our region's history,"the petition states.

The first phase of Surrey's plannedlight trail system includes a 10.5-kilometre,11-stop Surrey Newton Guildford line that will run west from 152nd Street in Guildfordto the Newton terminus near 71 Avenue and 136bStreet, according to the city.

Evaluating alternatives

Among the reasons listed for its opposition to light rail, the group cites a 2012 Translink report evaluating Surrey rapid transit alternatives.

The report looked at 12 alternatives, including bus rapid transit, light rail andthe SkyTrainproposal, which it favoured.

Top marks were awarded to the SkyTrainplan, while the light rail plan received some of the lowest marks.

"In a cost-benefit analysis, the LRT would not save significant costs and it would also generate much lower ridership, you'd have much lower benefits in terms of travel time savings, among other things," said group chair, Daryl Dela Cruz on CBC's The Early Edition.

New blood in Mayors' Council chair

Dela Cruz says he hopes the newly elected Mayors' Council chair, Derek Corrigan, would be open to altering the Surrey-Newton-Guildfordlight rail project.

Corrigan has been critical of previousMayors' Council megaprojects, including the Pattullo Bridge, an extension of the Millennium Line to Arbutus Street and the Surrey rapid transit line.

Surrey Mayor Linda Hepner says she doesn't think the change in leadership at the Mayors' Council will affect the light railproject.

"I'm not so worried about Chair Corrigan's comments because he doesn't have the mandate to shift anything. That has got to be done through a resolution of the Mayor's Council," said Hepner.

Based on herconversations with other mayors, Hepnersaid there is no desire for a change in direction.

"When the mayors council chose 27 kilometres of light rail, it was because of all of those factors,"she said.

With files from The Early Edition