The Surrey Board of Trade released the results of its annual Surrey Roads Survey today.
“We need planning and action that anticipates needs and that results in infrastructure construction well in advance of increased demand, not long after the capacity is exceeded,” said Jasroop Gosal, Interim Spokesperson and Policy & Research Manager of the Surrey Board of Trade.
Data was collected from October to December 2024. Patterns are emerging with nine years of comparable data. Surrey’s network of over 4,500 lane kilometres of road is seeing an increasing number of commuter and commercial users.
The Surrey Board of Trade’s assessment resulted in the following general conclusions:
- Planning of all major infrastructure projects must anticipate needs and result in infrastructure construction well in advance of increased demand, not long after the capacity is exceeded.
- That all levels of government must work together to develop an inter-regional transit/transportation plan for the South Fraser Economic Region; one that would not be subject to political interference but based on best transportation practice.
| The daily commute | 58.5% of respondents live and work in Surrey – this has increased since last year
18.1% work in Surrey but live South of the Fraser or in Metro Vancouver, up from the previous year 85.1% drove their own vehicle to work – up from 2023 2.1% walked to work, up from the previous year (1.1%) 4.3% use transit 4.3% cycle |
| Traveling for business | 25.5% drive 4 or more days a week for work – down from 2023
24.5% drive 2-3 days per week, down from 2023 11.7% rarely drive, a decrease from previous surveys |
| Work from home | 18.1% work from home 3-5 days a week, down from 2023 (35.6%)
47.9% do not work from home at all, up from 2023 |
| Travel destinations | 18.1% travel within Surrey, up from the 2023 survey
46.8% travel throughout the South Fraser (Surrey plus options combined) 78.7% travel throughout Metro Vancouver (combining multiple options) |
| Employee travel | 41.5% of respondents estimate that 0-20% of their colleagues travel for business purposes
54.3% of colleagues travel 1 to 2 hours per day on average, up from the previous survey |
| Barriers to choosing alternative modes of transportation | 43.6% indicated that there are no barriers to choosing different options – up from the previous year’s survey responses
42.6% indicated that there is a barrier |
| Traffic congestion impact on business operations | 22% indicated there was a limited impact to business operations, down substantially from last year
35.2% indicated traffic congestion somewhat impacted business operations 42.9% indicated traffic congestion had a significant impact business operations, down from last year |
| Top 3 corridors requiring attention |
42.7% chose 152 Street Overpass of Highway 99: Widen to 4 lanes with transit, walking and cycling facilities
36% chose 88 Avenue: Widen to 4 lanes with walking and cycling facilities from 156 Street to 176 Street 30.7% chose 16 Avenue: Widen to 4 lanes with walking and cycling facilities from Highway 99 to 176 Street |
| Top choice for road connections | 68.1% prioritized 72 Avenue: New construction from 152 Street to Fraser Highway |
| Top 3 intersections requiring improvement |
62.9% indicated 88 Avenue and 140 Street
60% indicated 104 Avenue and 156 Street 55.7% indicated 88 Avenue and Harvie Road |
| Transit needed | 69.3% of respondents stated that we should have and definitely need rapid transit on King George Boulevard from Newton to South Surrey
66.7% of respondents determined that we should have and definitely need rapid transit on King George Boulevard from City Centre to Newton 58.7% of respondents determined that we should have and definitely need rapid transit on 104 Avenue from City Centre to Guildford |
| Curbside bus pull-outs | 69.3% believe that curbside pull-outs for buses are very important and extremely important, which is a slight decrease compared to 2023
73.3% believe that curbside pull-outs for buses would be effective in reducing congestion along major arterial roadways, a reduction from the 2023 results |
| Safety first | 49.3% support lower speed limits to help reduce the severity of collisions in Surrey, an increase from the results of 2023.
37.3% did not support lowering speed limits to reduce the severity of collisions in Surrey |
| Cycling | 53.5% of respondents would be very unlikely to somewhat unlikely to cycle to work if Surrey had a network of safe, protected and connected cycling facilities
33.7% of respondents would be very likely to somewhat likely to cycle, down significantly from 2023 |
| Major infrastructure | 46.0% want the Pattullo Bridge to have 6 lanes available when traffic wait times extend beyond 10 minutes to cross the bridge beyond the peak hours
18.9% want the Pattullo Bridge to have 6 lanes available when population levels increase 63.5% are fine with the current design of the new Massey Tunnel replacement project |
The Surrey Board of Trade believes that transportation is one of the key economic foundations of building our city. The Surrey Board of Trade advocates in support of transportation infrastructure improvements for the safe and efficient movement of people and commercial traffic throughout Surrey. To do this, we need to continually assess areas in Surrey that may be impediments for our businesses and industry.
Read the full 2025 Surrey Roads Survey Report.
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Jasroop Gosal
604.634.0345
jasroop@businessinsurrey.com
