New survey highlights Surrey choke points, suggests improvements for commuters
Posted February 7, 2024 7:02 am.
Last Updated February 8, 2024 12:02 pm.
Getting around Metro Vancouver isn’t always easy but a new report is highlighting the pain that commuters in Surrey go through daily.
The Surrey Board of Trade (SBoT) is out with its latest Surrey Roads Survey which highlights some of the problem areas.
The SBoT’s survey found widening 132 Street between 72 and 96 avenues, widening 88 Avenue between 156 and 176 streets, and blowing up the 152 Street overpass over Highway 99, are those at the top of the list.
Listen to CityNews 1130 LIVE now!It also suggests widening 88 Avenue between the city’s Fleetwood and Port Kells neighbourhoods.
CityNews traffic anchor Ryan Lidemark says it’s a no-brainer, as it’s a major east-west-connector for commuters in the region.
“It’s a good shortcut,” he explained. “At 88 Avenue you go through a bunch of farmland. The problem is that when you’re on 88 and you’re going through Fleetwood, once you get east of 156 [Street] it goes down to one lane each way.”
The survey also found that more people were driving their own vehicle to get to work in 2023 compared to the year prior, with more than 84 per cent driving compared to 79 per cent.
From those surveyed, just over one per cent used transit and one per cent walked to work. More than 11 per cent of respondents worked from home.
“We noted that the majority of respondents spend between 15-45 minutes in traffic during their average commute one-way,” the SBoT explained.
However, it wasn’t just vehicular transport the board of trade looked into. They also looked at active transportation, however found that Surrey residents don’t usually feel safe enough to use it as their main transportation.
“Surrey is spread out geographically, and the ability for commuters to use bicycling as a transportation option is not efficient to get to and from work. More respondents were willing to bicycle to work if given safe infrastructure,” the board of trade continued.
The survey respondents also showed support for more rapid transit and curbside pullouts for buses.
