Transportation infrastructure tops list of priorities for Surrey residents | Daily Hive

Transportation infrastructure improvements tops list of priorities for Surrey residents

Surrey Libraries' City Centre Branch and Surrey City Hall at civic plaza. (Vanprasad/Shutterstock)

Recent public consultation work by the City of Surrey reveal that residents are largely aligned on where they want future public investments to be focused, with transportation infrastructure and public safety emerging as the top priorities.

According to the results, 60 per cent of respondents identified transportation infrastructure as the most important area for increased investment. This particularly relates to the maintenance of roads, sidewalks, paths, and trails.

You might also like:

Close behind, 55 per cent of respondents prioritized public safety and emergency services. This has been a major issue for Surrey for decades, recently culminating with the transition to the municipally-controlled Surrey Police Service (SPS). There are also renewed calls for the municipal government to fund a major increase in the number of police officers to better meet Surrey’s rapidly growing population and unique challenges.

In December 2025, Surrey mayor Brenda Locke suggested the requested policing budget in 2026 by SPS would necessitate a one-year property tax hike of 18 per cent. Opposition city councillors disputed this claim at the time.

Quality-of-life amenities also featured prominently in the feedback. Recreation programs and facilities were selected by 38 per cent of respondents, with a desire for improved walking paths, playground equipment, wharfs, boardwalks, covered picnic shelters, sports courts, and outdoor sport fields coming atop the requested improvements.

When it comes to arts and culture, the top priorities for investment is to realize more special events and activities in the community.

Finally, engineering infrastructure, including utilities and foundational systems such as water, sewer, and stormwater management, was identified as a priority by 30 per cent of participants. While ranking lower than other categories, respondents noted that these behind-the-scenes investments are critical to long-term community resilience and growth.

The City performed this public consultation work — focusing on the responsibilities of the municipal government — as part of its process to finalize the City’s 2026 operating budget and 2026-2030 five-year financial plan early this year.

Although these responsibilities are not under the City’s jurisdiction, residents also expressed a desire for more public transit — especially rapid transit — as well as new purpose-built schools that keep up with rapid enrolment growth, and improved and expanded hospitals.

There is also a general concern that Surrey’s rapid population growth through development is not being met with a corresponding increase in programs, services, infrastructure, and community facilities.

Most participants expressed a desire to maintain current City programs and service levels, with just over 60 per cent supporting maintenance and 35 per cent favouring service expansion. However, open-ended comments by the public in the consultation revealed significant concern about rising property taxes, user fees, and overall cost of living.

Many residents supported funding future services through a combination of moderate property tax increases and user fees, rather than relying solely on property taxes.

You might also like: