Opinion: Why this TransLink bus exchange in Surrey needs to be relocated

TransLink's new R6 RapidBus route in Delta and Surrey is now Metro Vancouver's sixth busiest bus route

Surrey's new Scott Road-72 Avenue corridor area plan quadruples future population to up to 160,000

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TransLink’s data indicates that some streets in Surrey actually have more public transit riders than cars.

Even in the depths of the pandemic, before the R6 Scott Road RapidBus launched, a whopping 72 per cent of road users on 72nd Avenue were in a bus, and only 28 per cent were in a car. This puts the intersection of Scott Road and 72nd Avenue at ground zero for Surrey’s public transit transformation. And some simple decisions can make a huge difference in whether that transformation continues.

With talk of redevelopment on the horizon for Strawberry Hill Shopping Centre and its 35 acres of mostly surface parking, an excellent opportunity has emerged to increase access to public bus transit services, create a more walkable and vibrant community hub, and support future mixed-use housing. But such improvements can only be achieved if public transit — and a relocation of the Scottsdale bus exchange — are part of the discussion.

Today, the Scottsdale bus exchange exists in an awkward state. In 2023, it was the fourth busiest bus exchange in Metro Vancouver, with around 7,200 weekday boardings — more than the ridership at 30 SkyTrain stations (including every station on the Millennium Line’s Evergreen extension).

Despite these impressive numbers, the bus exchange is hampered by its poor location: tucked behind a shopping mall and surrounded by a sea of parking.

Nearby destinations, a gas station and Home Depot, are hardly compelling public transit anchors. And although the area is home to three shopping centres, the Scottsdale bus exchange provides poor access to all of them. Pedestrians must navigate long walks and multiple crosswalks to reach anywhere of significance. The layout is so inconvenient that the R6 RapidBus bypasses the exchange entirely, serving the community more directly at Scott Road and 72nd Avenue.

To make matters worse, part of this bus exchange sits under overhead transmission lines, limiting the potential for much-needed transit-oriented housing.

But it doesn’t have to be this way. Relocating the Scottsdale bus exchange closer to the intersection of Scott Road and 72nd Avenue would address many of its current shortcomings, while also improving transfers with the R6 RapidBus’s centre-median bus stop.

This kind of move isn’t unprecedented: In 1998, the bus exchange was relocated from behind a mall on the Delta side of Scott Road to its current site, a change from one poor location to another.

And contrary to assumptions, bus exchanges can coexist with housing.

UBC bus exchange features residential development built above public transit infrastructure — specifically a layover bus parking facility — with Lonsdale Quay Exchange soon to follow. A relocated Scottsdale bus exchange would give riders significantly better access to existing retail and the future housing planned on both sides of the corridor.

The City of Delta’s new Official Community Plan designates some of the municipality’s highest densities along Scott Road just south of 72nd Avenue, an area that is difficult to reach from the current bus exchange due to long walking distances and multiple crossings.

The R6 RapidBus has been a resounding success, boosting overall weekday public transit ridership along the Scott Road–72nd Avenue corridor by over 25 per cent in 2024 — that is 1.5 million additional passengers annually. This growth comes in part from serving the true heart of the Strawberry Hill neighbourhood, rather than diverting to a parking lot behind a mall.

Scottsdale bus exchange has accomplished a lot despite being tucked away on the edge of the community. Imagine what it could achieve if it were placed at the centre, connected by better pedestrian routes, surrounded by transit-oriented housing, and served by the busiest bus south of the Fraser River.

That is why we need the City of Surrey to ensure that the relocation of the Scottsdale bus exchange is central to any plans for redeveloping the Strawberry Hill Shopping Centre. This is a rare chance to reshape the area around stronger public transit, more housing, and better walkability, and it must not be missed.

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