Barinder Rasode has seen Surrey grow.
The mother of three has grown with it.
Today she sits on Surrey’s city council advocating new transportation strategies to ensure people living in Surrey to travel conveniently and safely to destinations within her community and to and from other centres in the Metro Vancouver area.
Come next week, Rasode will face the biggest challenge of her young life as a Surrey City councillor -
The battle of Bear Creek Park.
With up to 80 percent support garnered via a local public poll, Rasode is leading the charge for a road that will skirt Bear Creek Park – a Surrey eco-jewel.
The $12-million road will follow a B.C. Hydro right-of-way along 84 Ave. from King George to 140 St.
The route would help create another east-west connector in a rapidly developing city and help divert some of the 85,000 vehicles each day which wait at the intersection four blocks north at 88 Ave. and King George.
Most importantly it will make one of B.C.’s most dangerous intersections with almost 200 accidents a year, safer.
“This is a safety issue. The response time from police and fire is being impeded...88th and King George is one of the most dangerous intersections in all of B.C. This needs to be done and this is the time for it,” Rasode told the South Asian Post as opposing forces ratcheted up their rhetoric to stop the plan.
Opponents, however, have a different view.
The group called Friends of Bear Creek Park said the road is unnecessary and that the ecosystem in the area will be harmed irreversibly.
They say the new road will have to cross two salmon spawning creeks and almost 2,600 people have signed an online petition against the proposal.
“This is a first class example of poor urban planning, and of a city trying to build it’s way out of gridlock. Yes, Surrey has its traffic issues, but is this proposal the right thing? NO!,” Friends of Bear Creek Park say.
This battle is not a new fight for many.
For almost 25 years there has been opposition by a relatively small but vocal and well organized group of residents against the road proposal.
Rasode who grew up in Kamloops and has been a resident of Surrey for the past 20 years, said the opponents need to understand that almost  1,000 new people move to Surrey every month.
“We need to take issues of connectivity very seriously. We are no longer a suburb, we are a city that is developing its own centre.”
The councillor explained that bike access is very important, “particularly for our youth and seniors – many of whom have petitioned for this road.”
“We are taking very seriously the challenge of providing all alternatives for transport so that is why our plan for 84th includes bike paths and walkways.”
Rasode says she respects the people opposing the plan and that perhaps the city needs to do a better job informing residents about the facts.
“This road is going to run through a hydro corridor and over landfill - what was the old Surrey dump – it will not be in running through Bear Creek Park,” she stressed.
Rasode said she is behind the plan because “it will make my Surrey safer.”
In addition to the gridlock, the area is a frustration for firefighters and other emergency vehicles.
Firemen at nearby Firehall No. 1, which is Canada’s third busiest, have troubles getting out through clogged streets, said Rasode.
“Fire Hall Number 1, on 88 Avenue, is among Canada’s busiest fire hall and reducing congestion at 88 Avenue and King George Highway would help reduce response times for incidents east of King George Highway.
“This is one of the top 10 worst crash locations in B.C. and we need to do something quickly to reduce the number of accidents and ease the congestion.”
Rasode also urged the opponents to understand that the proposed alignment of 84 Avenue is on the southern edge of the active Bear creek Park - not within the park.
She said at least 50% of the road will be within the BC Hydro corridor, significantly reducing impact to trees.
“Studies will be conducted to evaluate impacts to wildlife and the environment including a tree impact survey, preliminary field surveys and a hydrological assessment.
Final design will include fisheries impact, mitigation and compensation; ecological impact, mitigation and consultation; contaminated site evaluation; and an environmental management plan.”
A recent Ipsos-Reid phone survey involving a sample of 600 residents found 80% of respondents strongly agree or agree with extending 84 Avenue if the environmental impacts to creeks, wildlife, and trees are minimized.
A survey in 2000 indicated that 67% of respondents fully supported the project; approximately 80% supported the project if there were no major environmental impacts to Bear Creek Park.

SIDE BAR:

The proponents say

It will provide a new continuous east-west route between 64 and 94 Avenues with a connection to Fraser Highway to the east and the potential to extend Nordel Way to the west;
It will provide an alternative to 88 Avenue acting to reduce congestion, travel times and environmental impacts by traffic on 88 Avenue ;
It will improve safety at the 88 Avenue and King George Highway intersection;
It will provide improved public access to the south side of Bear Creek Park for pedestrians and cyclists via new bike paths and walkways;
It will provide a safer environment by allowing for additional monitoring of the park;
It has significant potential as a future transit route; and
It will allow improvements to the banks of the existing creeks in Bear Creek Park.

The opponents say

The old field habitat will be destroyed and the road will have to cross two salmon spawning creeks;
Noise and air quality will worsen;
84th Avenue cuts through four school areas. Our children’s safety is at risk.
The trails and green space on the south side will be destroyed;
The balance of this valuable ecosystem will be harmed irreversibly;
This road will destroy the serenity and the following habitat and wildlife corridors in the Park;
The old-field habitat to the south (voles, field mice and small mammals are the preferred species for birds of prey);
many species of song birds nest and feed in the field and along the forest edge in this area ;
over 100 mature trees will be cut down;
Coyotes, deer, racoons, opossum, rabbits use this area.