Crescent Beach Railway Fence
The City plans to install a fence along Bayview Street and Maple Street to reduce trespassing on railway tracks.
At the February 10, 2025 Regular Council meeting, Council directed staff to proceed with installing a fence along the railway corridor on Bayview Street and Maple Street to reduce trespassing and improve safety. It may also support future efforts toward whistle cessation if trespassing is reduced.
Along Bayview Street, the chain-link fence will be installed on top of a low profile roadside barrier to protect the fence from vehicles and respect concerns raised by Semiahmoo First Nation about ground disturbance.
Project timeline
The fence construction is underway and it is anticipated that work along Bayview Street will be completed by end of April.
The City will install a fence along Maple Street in the future as needed.
Project location
The fence will be installed on City road allowance adjacent to BNSF property along Bayview Street and Maple Street.
The City will also create a gravel shoulder along the east side of Bayview Street to improve safety for pedestrians. There will be limited on-street parking spaces where space permits.
Map: northern fence location
Map: southern fence location
Project benefits and impacts
The fence aims to improve public safety by deterring people from trespassing on the railway tracks along Bayview Street.
There is potential in the future for whistle cessation if trespassing is reduced by the fence. The City will monitor the effectiveness of the fence in achieving these objectives.
Parking impacts
Staff estimate there will be a reduction of 50 to 60 parking spaces on Bayview Street, most of which are unauthorized spaces on BNSF’s property.
The City is actively exploring opportunities to create on-street parking including:
- Providing approximately 37 on-street parallel parking spaces along Bayview Street
- Creating approximately 20 on-street parking spaces along the north side of Crescent Road, immediately east of Bayview Street, to offset the unauthorized parking loss
Maps of approximate location of anticipated on-street parking for Bayview Street
Visual impacts
The City is exploring ways to enhance the fence's aesthetics, including the possibility of incorporating decorative art along the fence and barrier.
Resources
- Corporate Report No. RO18 (February 10, 2025): Crescent Beach Railway Fence and Whistle Cessation Engagement Results
- Corporate Report No. R010 (January 15, 2024): Council directed staff to proceed with another round of public consultation regarding the fence for whistle cessation
- Corporate Report No. R119 (July 10, 2023): Whistle Cessation in Crescent Beach
This report was referred back to staff.
Contact
If you have questions or comments, please contact the Project Delivery Division at engineering@surrey.ca.