City of Surrey staff are seeking council’s approval Monday to embark on a thorough update of its “long-range” transportation plan that is now 11 years old.
According to a report to council, the 2008 Transportation Strategic plan “requires updating to reflect the significant emerging trends in transportation, as well as to respond to changes in the City’s policies and transportation network.”
“New transportation infrastructure built since the 2008 Plan includes a new Port Mann Bridge and HOV lanes on Highway 1, South Fraser Perimeter Road, and a number of significant projects to come, including an expanded Massey Tunnel, new Pattullo Bridge, and a Surrey-Langley Skytrain line,” notes the report, penned by Jaime Boan, the city’s acting general manager of engineering. “Developing a new Plan to reflect these changes is a top priority for the Engineering Department’s Transportation Division.”
Emerging trends to be addressed include “the shift to electric vehicles, micro-mobility such as electric scooters, car sharing, and connected and autonomous vehicles, as envisioned in the City’s Smart Cities Challenge bid,” Boan writes.
Other priorities are to be incorporated into the plan including the 2013 Community Energy and Emissions Plan, and the Vision Zero Surrey Safe Mobility Plan.
SEE MORE: Surrey’s Vision Zero plan aims to reduce deaths, injuries on roads by 15% in five years
“Increasingly, cities will be in a position to own and manage the data that will be used by others to deliver multi-modal mobility options and create mobility-as-a-service platforms (apps that allow users to book and pay for a variety of mobility options, such as car share, e-bikes and ride hailing services),” Boan noted.
According to Boan, the updated plan will be “inclusive, visionary and sustainable, clearly identifying community values and prioritizing safety.”
It will “outline a clear roadmap supporting Surrey’s evolution into an urbane city with a rich array of safe mobility choices that helps move the City toward the carbon limits agreed to in international treaties” he adds.
The report notes the updates plan will incorporate Vision Zero principles and have “sufficient walking and cycling policies and objectives to replace the need for stand-alone modal plans.”
It will also introduce medium-range targets and an action plan set for 10 years and will act as a bridge “between today’s transportation system and a safer, multi-modal, low carbon and automated transportation future.”
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The plan is to be updated in three phases.
Phase one is set to conclude in the fall and will include summarizing the city’s existing transportation programs and policy, capital spending categories and identifying new trends, such as electrification of the vehicle fleet.
Phase two, to being in later 2019 and conclude next spring, involves “developing hypothetical long-range scenarios for the future that complement the Regional Transportation Strategy long-range scenarios, but with a more detailed focus on outcomes for Surrey.”
A draft decision-making framework will also be developed, as well as a technical analysis.
The final phase is expected begin in the summer of 2020 and wrap that fall, and will include “refining” long-range goals and framework.
Boan notes funding to complete this work is available in the city’s Transportation Budget.
Meantime, staff are also seeking council’s approval next Monday to develop a Long-Range Rapid Transit Vision for input into TransLink’s Transport 2050 plan.
“Transport 2050 will again serve as a blueprint for the region and set out the vision, goals, strategies and key initiatives for Metro Vancouver for the next 30 years,” a report to council notes. “New technology, shifts in the global economy, and the impacts of climate change will have a greater impact on mobility throughout the region, bringing new opportunities and challenges for consideration as part of the plan development.”
If council gives staff the go-ahead, they will “develop and analyze a number of long-range rapid transit concepts using research and a data-led, evidence-based approach. The analysis will result in a recommended network concept. The recommended concept will include an overall rapid network and priorities for phased buildout. This network will be in addition to the 27 kilometres of rapid transit already outlined for Surrey in the Mayors’ 10-Year Plan.”
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