How do we solve gridlock in Surrey’s Crescent Beach?

It is a warm weather tradition at Crescent Beach in South Surrey — traffic gridlock and parking chaos as hordes of beachgoers descend upon the popular little waterfront community.

But the City of Surrey will be looking at potential solutions to ease the seasonal friction between residents and visitors.

“As we head into summer, we’re once again seeing traffic and parking issues at Crescent Beach, it’s like clockwork this time of year,” said Surrey Coun. Linda Annis, who introduced a motion at Monday night’s council meeting aimed at resolving the problem.

“These issues are regular and ongoing every year, and they’re only getting worse as the popularity of Crescent Beach continues to grow.”

“The fact is, the neighbourhood was never designed for the sort of traffic and crowds we see today, and it’s about time we dealt with the issues in ways that accommodate residents and visitors alike,” she said.

Annis wants city staff to come up with options for a “comprehensive plan” to address traffic jams and battles over parking.

Her suggestions include approaching TransLink to provide a special summer shuttle to Crescent Beach from park-and-ride lots, or perhaps parking stickers for residents to guarantee a single spot in front of their homes since many of the original houses do not have driveways.

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“We need to find a balance that provides easy public access to Crescent Beach while not turning the neighbourhood into a gridlocked parking lot every summer,” Annis said in a statement.

Crescent Beach isn’t the only Metro Vancouver community that has been a victim of its own popularity.

The District of North Vancouver recently redesigned traffic flows in its Deep Cove neighbourhood. It added more restrictions, and created overflow parking to unclog streets and release residents from gridlock caused by fair-weather visitors.