5 km of separated bike lanes coming to King George Boulevard in Surrey City Centre
A 2.5-km-long stretch of King George Boulevard through Surrey City Centre will see functional and safety design upgrades for both pedestrians and cyclists.
The federal government announced today $6.5 million in funding for active transportation improvements along King George Boulevard between 96th Avenue and 108th Avenue.
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The federal government’s funding for this King George Boulevard project comes from its nationwide Active Transportation Fund of $400 million over five years starting in 2021.
“Active transportation is important for growing and connecting communities, and for providing affordable and convenient travel alternatives,” said Randeep Sarai, the member of parliament for Surrey Centre, in a statement.
“Improving safety for cyclists and pedestrians on this busy road is of paramount concern in this community. We are pleased to work with our partners to ensure residents can get to work, school, and other places they need to go safely while enjoying green transportation options.”
The King George Boulevard project within Surrey City Centre includes wider sidewalks, curb extensions, new crosswalks, and accessible curb ramps, as well as changes to traffic signals to separate left-turning vehicles and improve pedestrian visibility.
As well, there will be five km of protected bike lanes with concrete curbs on both sides of King George Boulevard.
According to the City of Surrey, pedestrians and cyclists account for 70% of traffic injuries and deaths along King George Boulevard. The forthcoming active transportation improvements are expected to reduce collisions and prevent over 100 injuries over the first three years.
“The fast-growing Surrey City Centre is undergoing a transformation from a suburban town centre to a walkable, high-density, transit-oriented downtown. A key piece of that goal is to design streets that enable movement for all types of traffic,” said Surrey Mayor Brenda Locke.
“This funding will help improve pedestrian safety, provide a safe space for cyclists, and more. I thank the federal government for its support in making this project possible.”
TransLink also has plans within the next 10 years to make further changes to the design of King George Boulevard to upgrade the existing R1 RapidBus route, such as new bus-priority measures to enhance the existing RapidBus service or turn it into a Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) service, which could include separated bus-only lanes.
The federal funding announcement comes just weeks after Surrey City Council’s decision to approve the Newton-King George Boulevard Plan, which spans a different segment of King George Boulevard to the south — a 350-acre area south of Surrey City Centre and 96th Avenue.
It is noted King George Boulevard is one of the main arterial roads in Surrey, part of TransLink’s Major Road Network, and a designated truck route.
Surrey wants rapid transit along King George Boulevard to use an exclusive right-of-way with physical barriers for at-grade rapid transit or separated through elevated or underground solutions, such as a SkyTrain extension.
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