Surrey First Councillor Linda Annis says train whistle-cessation measures and neighbourhood parking at Crescent Beach are linked and deserve to be resolved together.
“The staff report coming to council tonight recommends not proceeding with whistle-cessation measures because it includes railway fencing that would limit some nearby street parking which concerns residents,” said Annis. “Rather than shelving the whistle-cessation solution, we need to deal with the ongoing parking issues that plague Crescent Beach throughout the year, particularly through the summer and weekend periods.”
When it comes to parking solutions, Annis has suggested working with TransLink to provide a summer shuttle to Crescent Beach from park-and-ride lots and providing residents with a single resident-only parking sticker that provides a parking spot in front of their homes.
“These issues have only worsened in the last 15 years,” said Annis. “While there is some division in the neighbourhood, there’s general consensus that both of these issues need to be resolved, and we need to take that leadership role at city council. At the same time, we are sitting on federal funds that were provided to help resolve the train issues and we should be making decisions rather than putting off these problems, which are not going away.”
Annis said she will propose sending the report back to staff for recommendations on parking and whistle-cessation rather than accept the proposed deferment of the train issues.
“Whether it’s the train whistle, or the lack of neighbourhood parking, the residents of Crescent Beach have every right to ask council to move on solutions that can help,” said Annis. “If this means going back into the community for additional consultation, then we should get on with it so that practical decisions can be made sooner rather than later.”
