Surrey Transportation Plan Engagement Findings Released

Surrey, B.C. (February 1, 2022) – City staff presented the Surrey Transportation Plan phase 3 public engagement findings to Surrey City Council at last night’s regular council meeting.

Over 5,000 community members participated in engagement and were involved in providing direct feedback including 4,100 responses to an online public survey in addition to 60 focus group and stakeholder interview participants. To validate the results, the City conducted a scientific representative sample survey of over 1,000 randomly selected Surrey residents. The results are balanced to match the City’s demographic profile according to the most recent Census information and are accurate within +/- 3 percentage points, 19 times out of 20.

According to the scientific survey—with almost no variation across demographics—81 per cent of respondents either support or strongly support the draft transportation vision. The primary suggestions for improvement were to address affordability, equity and accessibility which have been incorporated by adding inclusive into an updated Vision statement: Connecting a million people and places with safe, inclusive, convenient, and green transportation choices for everyone.

There was a range of only 3% to 10% opposition to the four proposed “bold moves”:

• Put Safety First
• Support 15-Minute Neighbourhoods
• Connect Communities with Rapid Transit
• Invest in Green Transportation Choices

Put Safety First and Connect Communities with Rapid Transit received the highest level of support at 88 per cent, followed by Support 15-Minutes Neighbourhoods (83 per cent) and Invest in Green Transportation Choices (77 per cent).

“Surrey is a dynamic city that is growing quickly,” said Douglas McLeod, Transportation Planning Manager, City of Surrey. “The ability to connect people and places efficiently and safely has a direct impact on our citizens quality of life and local economy. We need a new transportation plan to address continued growth, and transportation changes both within the city and regionally.”

According to survey respondents, the top three amenities wanted within a short walk or bike ride from their neighbourhood are a park, a grocery store and frequent transit service. Frequent transit was defined as a bus running at least every 15 minutes. Other popular amenities included elementary schools and community facilities. Respondents said they were least willing to walk long distances to frequent transit, with 40 per cent noting they were only willing to walk a maximum of five minutes.

The new Surrey Transportation plan will include a long-range vision and identify transportation priorities up to 2030 and is built on five pillars: grow the transportation network, prioritize human life above all else, tackle the climate crisis, innovate through technology and new mobility, and balance equity.

The fourth and final phase of public consultation will launch in the spring of 2022 and focus on the trade-offs of the proposed 2030 Actions.

View or download the full phase 3 public engagement report at surrey.ca/transportationplan.