FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Sunday, September 20, 2026
SURREY, BC — Mike Starchuk today committed to synchronize Surrey’s traffic lights into one citywide system that responds to traffic in real time, and to expand seven roads that choke every rush hour: 124 Street, 144 Street, 148 Street, 168 Street, 80 Avenue, Colebrook Road, and 40 Avenue. Starchuk also pledged to look into ways to build the roads faster, including looking into 24/7 roadbuilding in areas without residents
Surrey’s lights run on a timetable. The City tested adaptive signals on 72 Avenue and reported in 2013 that they worked. Drivers are still waiting. Under an Imagine Surrey council, every light will respond to real traffic, buses will get priority at key intersections, and waiting at a red light will be reduced significantly for drivers.
“I spent 32 years as a firefighter in this city. When you’re heading to a call with the siren on and you hit a wall of cars at a red light that shouldn’t be red, you learn which intersections are broken,” said Starchuk. “The City proved the fix works in 2013. Somebody has to finish the job.”
A city with this many people needs more roads that connect neighbourhoods. Starchuk will build corridor by corridor, worst bottlenecks first, funded through development cost charges, TransLink cost-sharing, and provincial and federal programs, inside Imagine Surrey’s commitment to hold tax increases at or below inflation. City Hall’s own 2024 priorities report pushed the 80 Avenue connection through Newton to a “long-term horizon” with no date. The average Metro Vancouver commute is now 31 minutes, second only to Toronto. That will not change if the three legacy parties continue to run City Hall.
“I hear it every day, in Punjabi and in English: the drive to work keeps getting longer and nobody at City Hall seems to notice,” said Ashiyana Hanif, Imagine Surrey council candidate and founder of Media Waves Live. “Our team is committed to faster commutes for all Surrey residents. This plan will be a game changer for commuters.”
“Judge us on whether your commute gets shorter,” said Starchuk. “This October, put out the fire at City Hall and elect a team that will get you home faster.”
Imagine Surrey is committed to fast commutes for Surrey residents. Imagine Surrey’s full platform will be released over the coming weeks.
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About Imagine Surrey
Imagine Surrey is a civic party running a full slate of candidates in the October 17, 2026 municipal election. Led by mayoral candidate Mike Starchuk – a former firefighter and Chief Fire Prevention Officer, former City Councillor, and former MLA for Surrey-Cloverdale – Imagine Surrey is committed to making Surrey the City of Champions by delivering: safe streets, fast commutes, smart investments, lower costs, and strong services.
Council candidates: Yousef Aldabainah-Barakat, Chandan Chahal, Perminder Chohan, Narima Dela Cruz, Ashiyana Hanif, William Li, Dr. Margaret Mubanda, and Kevin Wilkie.
Contact
Trevor Loke, Campaign Manager
604-838-5178
[email protected] / [email protected]