Surrey Council directs staff to identify city land for truck parking sites

Surrey, BC – Surrey City Council is taking action to alleviate the lack of truck parking facilities in Surrey. Staff will identify city land that could potentially be utilized for truck parking and issue a Request for Proposals for proponents to lease and operate truck parking facilities.

“I’m happy to see concrete steps finally being taken on this issue, which has plagued Surrey for more than a decade,” said Mayor Brenda Locke. “Council has directed staff to identify city lands that can be leased to truck parking operators. Many truck operators live in Surrey and the trucking industry is vitally important to the supply chain and provides significant economic benefits. That is why this Council is making this a top priority, and we are committed to finding solutions.”

“Today we stand with the trucking community in our City,” said Councillor Harry Bains, Chair of Surrey’s Investment, Innovation and Business Committee. “A large portion of industrial lands in the region are located in Surrey, yet there’s been a systemic failure to support truckers who support those industries. This is an amazing first step that will create hundreds of new parking spots sooner rather than later. We will continue to work to create more truck parking infrastructure in our City.”

A shortfall of available industrial lands in the region has created pressures in the trucking industry in Surrey and areas south of the Fraser, including a lack of truck parking facilities. This has resulted in a number of unpermitted truck parks in the City of Surrey that have created a myriad of issues such as noise complaints, safety concerns, damage to road infrastructure and more.

Staff will liaise with the BC Transportation Financing Authority to determine the availability and feasibility of utilizing Provincially owned lands for this purpose.