Sidewalk construction has turned into an election flashpoint in Surrey

Photo shows the lack of sidewalks on 168 Street in Surrey. Photo by Arlen Redekop /PNG

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The pace of the construction of sidewalks in B.C.’s second-largest city has turned into an election issue, with one Surrey mayoral candidate vowing to hasten sidewalk building if elected.

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Mike Starchuk, a former firefighter and mayoral candidate under the Imagine Surrey slate, pointed this week to the city’s 2025 “sidewalk action plan” that states Surrey builds about seven to 10 kilometres of new sidewalks each year, at an annual cost of about $7 million.

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“That’s not enough,” Starchuk said, promising that he would construct 50 kilometres of new sidewalks if elected to a four-year term.

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“Public safety is not all about crime.”

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Starchuk said he did not have an answer about how much he would be willing to spend to make that happen, “but I do know what the cost of not doing it is.”

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Surrey Mayor Brenda Locke disputed those numbers, saying that 85.6 kilometres of sidewalks have been built during her current term.

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“Just this year alone, in fact, we built over 15 kilometres,” she said. “So I’m not sure why he wants to do less, but I guess that’s his call.”

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Locke said new sidewalks were installed, for instance, on 152 Street.

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“There was just people walking literally in the mud at times, and so we’ve sidewalked 152nd to about 72nd Avenue. And then, of course, when the previous administration built the road through Bear Creek Park, on 84 Avenue, they neglected to include the sidewalks, so we had to put the sidewalks in there.”

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A city representative was not made available for an interview with Postmedia, but sent a statement confirming Locke’s numbers.

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“The city typically delivers seven to 10 kilometres of sidewalk annually, however in recent years has been averaging over 20 kilometres of sidewalk annually when taking into account new sidewalks that are built through road-widening projects as well,” the city stated.

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Surrey’s sidewalk action plan approved last year said the city would focus on 63 kilometres of arterial and collector roads with no sidewalks, 118 kilometres of arterial and collector roads with only one sidewalk, and 337 kilometres of local roads with no sidewalks.

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The first priority for the city would be areas without sidewalks close to schools, grocery stores, parks and transit, according to the staff report.

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The report says it would be difficult to address the city’s 558-kilometre sidewalk “deficit” in less than five decades, and that it would cost between $400 million and $500 million.

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“Even with additional funding, the complexity of sidewalk projects (property impacts and watercourses) and lack of resources in the construction industry would pose challenges for the city to achieve these 558 kilometres in a shorter timeframe,” the report states.