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Vote “Yes” Today to See Immediate
Benefits in Surrey Tomorrow, Starting in 2016
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
April1, 2015
Surrey, BC– Surrey residents frequently find themselves mindlessly stuck in traffic, with congested roads
and overcrowded transit. A better transportation system in Surrey will affect many people who work, live
and play in Surrey as early as 2016, such as mother, Arzo Ansary.
Arzo Ansary is a community service provider who lives and works in Surrey and makes most of her trips
by car. She wants to spend less time commuting so she has more time to spend with her son, as she
mentioned in this video taken by the Better Transit and Transportation Coalition.
How will Arzo‟s life change with the Mayors‟ Plan?
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With the Mayors‟ Plan, more money will be available for municipalities to start work on road,
sidewalk, and bicycle improvements beginning in 2016. This will make neighbourhoods safer for
everyone, regardless of whether they are driving, walking, or riding a bicycle.
More frequent bus and SkyTrain service means that drivers, including Arzo, will have better
transit options than she did before. If Arzo chooses to take the car, other people may choose to
take transit, taking more cars off the road and helping reduce congestion in Surrey.
If the referendum passes, planning and engineering of new light rail in Surrey can proceed in
2016. This will ensure that by the time Arzo‟s son is in high school, her family will be able to take
fast, reliable transit all across the region.
“With more young families choosing Surrey as their home, it is essential for Surrey to have a better transit
and transportation system to accommodate our growth,” said Surrey Mayor Linda Hepner. “Voting „yes‟
now means that building much needed infrastructure will begin as early as 2016, which will allow Surrey
families to see traffic improvements immediately.”
Metro Vancouverites are urged to vote “yes” for the Mayors‟ Transportation and Transit Plan to see real
travel improvements starting next year. Ongoing improvements will be added over the next decade,
helping people across the region get where they need to go more quickly, conveniently and reliably within
months of a positive outcome.
Vote “yes” when you receive your voting package and please make sure to mail your ballot as soon as
possible. Voting period closes on May 29, 2015 at 8 p.m. To learn more about the voting process, visit
www.elections.bc.ca/plebiscite.
For more information on the Mayors‟ Plan, visit www.mayorscouncil.ca.
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Immediate Transportation and Transit Improvements in the Mayors’ Plan:
Backgrounder
A “Yes” vote for the Mayors‟ Plan would create real and near-term time savings and convenience for
commuters and other travellers across the region, starting in 2016 and building out over the coming
decade.
Providing more service from existing Buses, SkyTrain, SeaBus, HandyDART:
In 2016, customers would begin to enjoy expanded hours and more frequent service from the existing
transit fleet of buses, SkyTrain and SeaBus. This would result in immediate travel time savings, fewer
pass-ups and increased choice across our region. This includes:
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Expanded rail service, to reduce wait times and crowding and improve travel times:
 More frequent Expo Line and Millennium Line service, especially on weekends and holidays
 Additional Canada Line service during weekday rush hours
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Expanded NightBus service, with more capacity and service later into the night and early morning on
busy routes such as N19 Surrey Central, N20 Victoria and N35 SFU
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Additional SeaBus sailings – departures every 15 minutes throughout the day, seven days per week,
all year long (currently every half hour during evenings, Saturday mornings and Sundays)
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More HandyDART trips available to help reduce wait times for persons with mobility needs
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More frequent bus service across the region to reduce wait times and crowding, during the middle of
the day, in the evening, and on weekends, including:
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South of Fraser in Newton, Guilford, and Fleetwood: extend bus service later in the evening on
weekdays
In South Delta and Tsawwassen: more frequent service connecting to the Canada Line
In Richmond on Westminster Highway, Cambie Road, Granville Avenue and Garden City Road:
more frequent buses during weekends
In Burnaby on Willingdon Avenue: more frequent buses during evenings and weekends
In Vancouver along 49th Avenue: more frequent buses during the midday and on weekends
On the North Shore on Lonsdale Avenue: more frequent buses during the evening and on the
weekends
In Port Coquitlam and Coquitlam on Coast Meridian Road and David Avenue: more frequent
buses during the midday and on weekends
In Anmore and Belcarra: later evening service on bus routes connecting to the regional transit
network
In Maple Ridge and Pitt Meadows along Lougheed Highway: more frequent buses in the midday and evening, connecting to SkyTrain
In addition to increased and improved service from the existing transit fleet, a positive outcome would
trigger ordering of new buses, SkyTrain cars, West Coast Express vehicles and HandyDART shuttles.
New buses and rail cars would be put into service beginning in 2018 to further expand transit service and
introduce new services in communities across the region.
A “Yes” vote for the Mayors‟ Plan would save families time, money, keep our air and environment clean,
and help keep goods and services moving across the region. These benefits would begin in 2016, almost
immediately after a positive vote for better transit and transportation services and would expand as the
Plan is built out, creating thousands of jobs and an economic boost for all communities.
A “No” vote would increase congestion creating roads and transit gridlock, increase travel time and costs,
and stall jobs and our economy.
Voting packages have been mailed to registered voters and these must be returned to Elections BC by
May 29. Visit www.elections.bc.ca/plebiscite for more information.
To read more about the Mayors‟ Plan, visit www.mayorscouncil.ca.
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