Surrey needs more and better transit options, both east/west and north/south: Councillor Linda Annis

Surrey, B.C. (June 6, 2022): Surrey First Councillor Linda Annis says if Surrey is going to create more local jobs that cut the need to commute outside of the city, then more and better transit options need to be a priority, not just for the City of Surrey, but also for the federal and provincial governments that provide the biggest share of transit construction dollars.

“Increasing transit across our city into every neighbourhood is a real priority, and frankly Newton should have been included from the very start in the provincial plan to build to Langley,” said Annis. “While we are looking to build east/west transit across our city we should also be building transit north/south from King George into Cloverdale, South Surrey and White Rock. Frankly, I believe when it comes to transit, investments in Surrey should at least match Vancouver dollar-for-dollar. That’s what I would be pushing for with Ottawa and Victoria because very few places can match Surrey for growth. The fact is, if we want to see more jobs in our city and less commuting to work outside of our city, we need to provide a lot more transit options. Better transit is good for the environment, it’s good for job creation, and it opens up new affordable housing options.”

Annis said Surrey MLAs and Surrey MPs need to know that after the municipal election in October, a new city council will be “at their doorstep” pushing for additional transit investments that match the current and future growth of the city.

“The federal and provincial governments have shown they know the value of more and better transit south of the Fraser, but that commitment has to continue if we’re going to get a really effective transit system,” added Annis. “For our city to have the sort of transit system we need today and tomorrow, our federal and provincial partners need to know that transit is going to be a big and ongoing priority for future Surrey city councils.”