Open Letter: Crossing for Your Life on King George Boulevard
By Tina Winterlik (Zipolita) — Surrey resident & worried neighbour
To the City of Surrey, TransLink, Surrey Police, and everyone who uses King George Boulevard:
I am terrified — and you should be too. 😱🥺
King George Boulevard between 40th Ave and 64th Ave is not a neighbourhood street. It’s a fast multi-lane corridor sliced through communities, yet it lacks basic pedestrian safety: signalized crossings, well-placed bus stops, lighting, and protected medians. People trying to catch a bus or cross to buy groceries are forced to “island-hop” across four lanes of heavy traffic. They run, they get beeped at, they freeze on narrow medians — and every crossing feels like a gamble with your life. 🚶♀️🚗💨
Quick facts (that should make us all act):
- A City of Surrey report notes that six locations on this section of King George are among the city’s top collision intersections, and pedestrians account for a large share of those killed or seriously injured along the corridor.
- In the Lower Mainland, tens of thousands of crashes and over a thousand pedestrian injuries are recorded on average — pedestrian injuries remain a persistent, serious problem.
- ICBC’s 2024 data updates show pedestrian injuries and top crash locations by region — the data underlines that this is not isolated: collision risk is concentrated in corridors like King George.
- Research and local analyses have regularly shown increases in collisions around time changes and when visibility or sleep disruption plays a role — factors that make already-dangerous corridors even worse. (Yes — Daylight Saving Time changes have been linked to rises in crash rates.)
Today the weather was fine. That shouldn’t be the difference between getting home safely and not. 🌤️
What the City & TransLink must do — now
We need concrete, near-term actions that protect people who walk and use transit:
- Install signalized, marked crosswalks at frequent, logical intervals between 40th and 64th.
- Re-site or consolidate bus stops so people don’t have to cross multi-lane traffic mid-block.
- Lower posted speeds and enforce them along this corridor where pedestrian activity is high.
- Improve pedestrian lighting and refuge islands, so medians aren’t death traps but safe waiting places.
- Fund a rapid audit and timeline: publish a schedule with deadlines so we know when safe crossings and bus-stop relocations will happen.
Anecdote (you’ve probably seen this):
I pray every time I cross or see others, while traffic blares past. Drivers beep. People freeze in the center. No one should have to cross like that. Not in 2025. Not here.
Ten reflective questions — Who’s responsible? What are they waiting for… people to die? 🥺😡
- Who is responsible for prioritizing pedestrian safety on King George: the City of Surrey, TransLink, or both?
- What concrete deadline will those agencies commit to for installing signalized crossings?
- Are bus placements being decided with pedestrian safety in mind, or convenience for drivers?
- How many near-misses and injuries will it take before decisive action is taken?
- What alternative routes do planners expect pedestrians to use, and are they realistic for seniors, parents, and those with mobility needs?
- Why are speeds still allowed to be so high across populated areas — and who will enforce lower speeds?
- Is the safety of riders and pedestrians worth less than the priority of traffic throughput?
- What data (and how recent) are officials using to justify their timelines or inaction?
- Who will document and publish progress, so residents aren’t left waiting with apologies instead of infrastructure?
- How can neighbours, bus riders, and community groups make their voices impossible to ignore?
Call to action — join me 🙌
If you’ve crossed King George and felt scared, please share your story in the comments, sign this post, or email me at [your email here]. If you want, I’ll compile stories and send them (with names/contacts if people consent) to the City of Surrey, TransLink, and local media. The more voices, the harder it is to ignore. ✍️📣
Suggested tags & share text:
#KingGeorgeSafety #SurreyVisionZero #PedestrianSafety #TransLink #SurreySpeaks
Share blurb (180 chars): “Crossing King George between 40–64 Ave is a death gamble. City & TransLink must fix bus stops, add crossings & slow traffic. Sign if you agree.”
Sources & reading
(ICBC data updates; City of Surrey collision/corridor reports; local coverage of pedestrian safety and DST crash studies).
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