Affordable and accessible public transportation emerged as a key topic debated among five mayoral and city councillor candidates at City Centre library on Oct. 8.
The town hall was hosted and sponsored by Movement, Surrey Citizen, Dogwood BC, and Women Transforming Cities.
Three mayoral candidates who joined the panel were Doug McCallum (Safe Surrey Coalition), Mike Starchuk (Imagine Surrey) and Igal Ammons II (New Surrey+). Two council candidates were Jasroop Gosal (Surrey First) and Werner Spangehl (Surrey NOW). Surrey Connect, the slate led by Brenda Locke, was not present.
To start the discussion, MovementYVR delivered a presentation on why Surrey is in critical need of more rapid public transportation.
“Since 2020, Surrey transit service has increased by about 9%. Investments in bus lanes and shelters in places like Scott Road have been paying off. Ridership has increased the most on the routes that have had the most increase in service,” Denis Agar, MovementYVR executive director, said in the presentation.
Candidates were given three minutes for introduction and two minutes to answer each question given by the moderator.
“SkyTrain in Surrey is the backbone for the transportation system,” said Doug McCallum, formerly Surrey’s mayor for 13 years, promising to “immediately start to build SkyTrain along King George Boulevard to Newton once elected.”
McCallum listed affordability, safety and infrastructure as his slate’s “most important” platforms that closely link to transportation development.
“Far too much emphasis has been put on the route and the type of transportation,” McCallum said when asked how to fund and improve safer crossing, sidewalks, lighting, seating, shelters, shade, tree canopies and access to public washrooms. “Our top priority is to improve the environment around the bus stops in Surrey.”
“We want some of that money we’ve given to (the federal and provincial governments) to come back to provide better infrastructure and transportation to our cities,” he said, adding that such a strategy was what he leveraged to build “major infrastructure projects that will do Surrey good for the next 50 years.”
“Surrey absolutely needs better east-west transit connection,” said Jasroop Gosal, representing Surrey First in Linda Annis’s stead. “But we need to make sure we’re building the right infrastructure in the right places.”
The construction of new rapid transit corridors should be directed to locations with rising needs, such as Newton to South Surrey, City Centre to Newton, City Centre to Guildford along 104 Avenue, Gosal said, referencing a 2025 Surrey road survey by the Surrey Board of Trade.
“Surrey has grown at such a rapid pace, but our infrastructure hasn’t kept up,” Gosal said.
“What we absolutely need is less ‘flip-flopping’ from one mode of transit to another. We need to commit, get on with it and actually build it,” he said, adding that they need to make sure to get a fair share of investment and use “taxpayers’ money efficiently and effectively.”
Aside from expanding the rapid transit network, Surrey First’s platform for affordable transit includes double sidewalk construction and improving the city’s 50 highest priority intersections to “maximize and ensure that people are safe as they are commuting and traveling to and from transit locations.”
“A washroom shouldn’t be that desperate of a human right,” said Mike Starchuk, former city councillor and BC NDP MLA for Surrey-Cloverdale.
Starchuk and Imagine Surrey advocate for building facilities and improving utilities in transportation hubs and along transit routes, including bus shelters, public washrooms and bus parking spots.
“Our plan is very simple, we (will) bulk buy (passes) and create the Surrey Pass,” Starchuk said, referring to the plan to adopt a $70 one-zone fare in Surrey. He believed that by buying more, the cost would be lowered.
Another key platform in Starchuk’s campaign is to build and maintain 50km of sidewalk over the next term. He suggested taking back the city’s right to put up bus shelters from Pattison Outdoor Advertising when the contract expires to speed up the pace of construction.
“As the city is continuing to grow … we’re going to need to have hubs of transportation that are strategically designed, so that we’ll be able to connect all of these various areas of the city. The best way to do that is through efficient bus transportations,” said Werner Spangehl, speaking at the panel on behalf of Surrey NOW leader Troy Van-Vliet.
“The first thing that we want to do is an audit and then a zero-budget exercise,” Spangehl said when asked how to find a budget for public transportation projects.
“If we start getting some fiscal accountability (and) start getting some accurate budgeting done … we’ll be able to spend on a lot more things that we would prioritize.”
He added that his slate would prioritize building express bus lanes to connect transportation hubs because “a train is not something that’s affordable within the next term.”
Igal Ammons II, leader of New Surrey+, said he is advocating for a city for all.
“I wouldn’t waste my time introducing a lower speed limit. I would deal with the people who speed it and address the reason why they want to,” Ammons said when asked whether he would introduce a new speed limit to ensure safety for non-drivers.
Ammons’ approach to address transportation issues is to build more utilities, such as daycares, schools and businesses inside neighbourhoods to “to keep the traffic down.” His platform includes building “an overhead link” that would connect Surrey residents to the rest of B.C.
“We’ve heard from riders all across Surrey that this is a huge missing link when it comes to getting around the city. If you’re wondering how to fix this, you can just imagine the kind of experience you’d like your grandmother to have if she’s going to the bus,” Agar said.