Editor:
Re: Surrey OKs $360M plan for congestion relief, July 27.
Reading the Surrey plan for congestion relief, I noted the omission of road upgrades for 16 Avenue. It shocked me, as it did letter-writer Geoff Dean (Missing link to gridlock plan, Aug. 1 letters) and I suspect it shocked many others.
I often think how dangerous this route has become in recent years. A single-lane country road, it is only going to get worse due to the steady increase of traffic, particularly of construction-related trucks and unrelated semitrailers that use 16 Avenue as a ‘through’ route.
As Surrey/White Rock is being developed at a rate that makes one dizzy, the lack of sensible preplanning for much-needed infrastructure by the powers that be at city hall makes one angry.
My fears about this have been realized in a personal way.
In early July, I received a phone call saying my daughter had been hit by a semitrailer while cycling on a small section of 16 Avenue east of Highway 99 where she was soon to turn onto a less-travelled road.
While the truck driver continued down the road, a kind witness stopped his vehicle to assist her, and she was subsequently taken by ambulance to the trauma unit of the Royal Columbian Hospital.
With grateful thanks to the paramedics, you can nonetheless imagine my thoughts as I came to terms with the situation.
As the story unfolded, I learned the facts. My daughter had not been hit by the truck but would have been had she not instead made the split-second decision to turn into the ditch alongside the road – a move that no doubt saved her life. Quite miraculously, she suffered no head trauma, and no broken bones, but had sustained cuts and bruising and a painful internal shoulder injury requiring surgery.
Her arm now in a sling, it may be a while before she can function normally again.
If I wasn’t making this known now, I doubt it would come to the attention of city hall. I also wonder how many more road accidents are taking place on 16 Avenue that go by unnoticed by them.
You don’t have to have special abilities to recognize how badly this issue needs to be addressed.
I therefore strongly suggest there be a review of the decision not to incorporate 16 Avenue into this community plan upgrade, when in actual fact it ought to be top priority.
In the meantime, all through commercial and industrial traffic should be rerouted to Highway 1. Convenience of industrial companies should not be placing lives at risk.
Susan Kinnie, Surrey
