Surrey students call for changes to city’s cycling vision
Published 3:00 pm Monday, October 5, 2026
A South Surrey student and two of her high school friends are calling on the City of Surrey to revisit its long-term cycling plans, saying disconnected routes can make it difficult to get around the city without a car.
Sophie Choong, a third-year student at Boston University, created the Surrey Shared Streets Alliance campaign with two friends back in September 2025.
“It started with us talking about how we felt that it was really difficult to get around Surrey by bike or walking because a lot of paths that exist are very disconnected or randomly end,” said Choong.
The campaign focuses on Surrey’s Long-Term Cycling Vision, which was endorsed by Surrey City Council in January 2026, explained Choong.
She said that the Long-Term Cycling Vision is intended to guide future cycling infrastructure investments and identifies a city-wide network of 353 kilometres or cycling routes, including protected cycling facilities, painted bike lanes and local bikeways.
Choong explained that the problem with this existing network is that routes do not always provide direct connections between destinations within Surrey.
She noted that cyclists and pedestrians can sometimes be required to take an entire trail or have to make a significant detour to reach a destination, adding time to trips for people who are walking or biking rather than driving or taking transit.
The campaign is calling for the city to revisit this plan through public consultation.
“While we think it’s really helpful that Surrey is looking at ways to prioritize and encourage biking, walking, and safety, we don’t think that this plan is sufficient to improve people’s actual quality of life or safety as cyclists or pedestrians,” said Choong.
For Choong, the issue is becoming more important as Surrey continues to grow.
She said Surrey’s population is growing rapidly and that the city will eventually be larger than Vancouver, making it increasingly difficult to rely on cars as the primary way people move around.
Choong pointed to cycling and walking networks in other parts of Metro Vancouver as an example of how communities can be better connected.
“It’s not feasible to keep widening the road every time to accommodate more and more cars,” she said.
Choong explained that encouraging residents to walk or bike for some trips can benefit physical health, reduce traffic and bring more foot traffic to local businesses.
“One thing that’s really important for people to know about things like sidewalks or better bike infrastructure are that they’re massive improvements for everyone who lives in the community,” she said.
The campaign has collected 229 signatures as of Oct. 5 and has begun reaching out to candidates in the upcoming municipal election.
Choong shared that one mayoral candidate has signed the petition, while five city council candidates have responded to the group’s emails to discuss whether they would be willing to revisit the plan with public consultation.
The campaign wants the issue to become a priority for the next council and is also actively seeking more stories from Surrey residents who have experienced difficulties walking or biking around the city.
“We’re hoping that the city is able to revise this plan with public consultation but also for the city to understand there really is a growing appetite to be able to bike and walk around the city,” Choong said.
The group’s petition is arguing that Surrey’s cycling routes should be more protected, connected and direct, particularly for children, seniors and people using mobility devices.
Choong said the group has researched studies and statistics on cycling infrastructure to support its campaign and wants residents to share their own experiences with getting around Surrey.
“If Surrey is going to support such a large population we also have to be able to support people who want to walk or bike to schools, seniors who don’t have cars and anyone who wants other modes of transportation,” she said.
She said the group hopes its campaign will continue to gain attention ahead of the election.
“We are hoping we can get a little more attention around this issue so that all the city council candidates and especially the ones who are being re-elected and who approved this plan in the first place,” shared Choong.
For Choong and her friends, the campaign is ultimately about making sure Surrey’s future transportation network works for more than just people behind the wheel.
“We’re hoping that the city is able to revise this plan with public consultation,” she said, “but also for the city to understand there really is a growing appetite to be able to bike and walk around the city.”
Learn more about the Surrey Shared Streets Alliance campaign at win.newmode.net/surreysharedstreetsalliance/betterbikeinfrastructureinsurreybc.