xd_1771
April 28th, 2011, 07:32 AM
http://img16.imageshack.us/img16/8877/15blocks.png
Have a look at this. That's right, 15 blocks of 104th backed up eastbound during the PM rush, from Highway 1 to 146th street and beyond. This is an image that I took just now, it is real. That is not just the terrible light timing and lack of right turn lanes, that's sheer traffic volume!! 104th is a very important connector between Guildford and Whalley, but it also serves many other places beyond. Same goes for the Guildford Town Centre as a transit hub, many buses go through there carrying not only Whalley-Guildford traffic but Guildford-Langley traffic, Guildford-Fleetwood traffic, and everywhere in between. The city of Surrey is planning to introduce & contsruct an LRT service on 104th, which may not prove enough a benefit for everynoe because it will not be any faster than the already 110% overcrowded buses between Guildford & Whalley (I'm a Guildford resident, I know this from being a frequent transit rider - it's bad even during the non-peak!); why: way too many people pass through here, 104th is perhaps the busiest corridor in the entire city of Surrey both traffic-wise and transit-wise.
Now here is where the fun begins: according to this video released by the city: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YZ1t8lNtGaw, THE LRT WILL RESULT IN THE REDUCTION OF 104TH AVENUE TO ONE LANE.
http://img16.imageshack.us/img16/8877/15blocks.png
This is where this image comes in again. This was taken directly from today's PM rush. 15 blocks, perhaps more since the left side is cut off. With 104th being single laned, imagine that traffic jam expanding to 30 blocks. And don't even think about saying "Use 100th or 108th damnit", these are local roads used by residents as a crucial link between homes or between homes and school. In fact these don't move so well either anymore. 100th is a key example - my siblings are having an extremely hard time getting to school due to this road taking on a lot of the load from 104th and right now! (And, seriously, I can't expect many parents to trust their very young schoolkids on public transit buses).
Find out more and have your say about this important issue here: Facebook - The Surrey Line Initiative (http://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Surrey-Line-Initiative/141682362568035). My goal is to take this issue to the city with the support of as many people in the city as possible, let them know that we need a proper and fast and reliable transit between Whalley and Guildford RIGHT AWAY (Skytrain/RRT, no less)
The Guildford Mall Expansion is on its way so more and more people are actually going to want to come TO here (especially from Vancouver), and with the tolled port mann bridge more and more people will ALSO want to go THROUGH here. This situation could be better, Surrey could introduce a proper RRT on a 4-laned 104th which would successfully move traffic off 104th because it is actually faster, and give business prosperity & attention to the new and expanded Guildford Mall. However, this situation also and already has many reasons to get worse, and what the City of Surrey is doing is tacking it on even more. There is plenty of proof where single lane major throughfares has proved bad: Fraser Highway. They just 4-laned most of the route but where it is still two-lane to Highway 15 & Green Timbers, the situation is so bad, people are complaining like sick dogs about it. And yet many of the same people are supporting a single laning of 104th that would cause this traffic nightmare multiplied by two.
Have a look at this. That's right, 15 blocks of 104th backed up eastbound during the PM rush, from Highway 1 to 146th street and beyond. This is an image that I took just now, it is real. That is not just the terrible light timing and lack of right turn lanes, that's sheer traffic volume!! 104th is a very important connector between Guildford and Whalley, but it also serves many other places beyond. Same goes for the Guildford Town Centre as a transit hub, many buses go through there carrying not only Whalley-Guildford traffic but Guildford-Langley traffic, Guildford-Fleetwood traffic, and everywhere in between. The city of Surrey is planning to introduce & contsruct an LRT service on 104th, which may not prove enough a benefit for everynoe because it will not be any faster than the already 110% overcrowded buses between Guildford & Whalley (I'm a Guildford resident, I know this from being a frequent transit rider - it's bad even during the non-peak!); why: way too many people pass through here, 104th is perhaps the busiest corridor in the entire city of Surrey both traffic-wise and transit-wise.
Now here is where the fun begins: according to this video released by the city: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YZ1t8lNtGaw, THE LRT WILL RESULT IN THE REDUCTION OF 104TH AVENUE TO ONE LANE.
http://img16.imageshack.us/img16/8877/15blocks.png
This is where this image comes in again. This was taken directly from today's PM rush. 15 blocks, perhaps more since the left side is cut off. With 104th being single laned, imagine that traffic jam expanding to 30 blocks. And don't even think about saying "Use 100th or 108th damnit", these are local roads used by residents as a crucial link between homes or between homes and school. In fact these don't move so well either anymore. 100th is a key example - my siblings are having an extremely hard time getting to school due to this road taking on a lot of the load from 104th and right now! (And, seriously, I can't expect many parents to trust their very young schoolkids on public transit buses).
Find out more and have your say about this important issue here: Facebook - The Surrey Line Initiative (http://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Surrey-Line-Initiative/141682362568035). My goal is to take this issue to the city with the support of as many people in the city as possible, let them know that we need a proper and fast and reliable transit between Whalley and Guildford RIGHT AWAY (Skytrain/RRT, no less)
The Guildford Mall Expansion is on its way so more and more people are actually going to want to come TO here (especially from Vancouver), and with the tolled port mann bridge more and more people will ALSO want to go THROUGH here. This situation could be better, Surrey could introduce a proper RRT on a 4-laned 104th which would successfully move traffic off 104th because it is actually faster, and give business prosperity & attention to the new and expanded Guildford Mall. However, this situation also and already has many reasons to get worse, and what the City of Surrey is doing is tacking it on even more. There is plenty of proof where single lane major throughfares has proved bad: Fraser Highway. They just 4-laned most of the route but where it is still two-lane to Highway 15 & Green Timbers, the situation is so bad, people are complaining like sick dogs about it. And yet many of the same people are supporting a single laning of 104th that would cause this traffic nightmare multiplied by two.