150 doesnt cut it: New Surrey truck parking a drop in the bucket, industry says – BC [Video]

The City of Surrey is moving to build 150 new parking spaces for commercial truckers, but those in the industry say it’s a drop in the bucket towards what’s needed.

“We have a need for probably about 2,000 spots in Surrey alone, and if you look at (Greater Vancouver) 5,000-plus,” said Canadian Trucking Association of B.C. president Amit Kumar.

“So 150 doesn’t cut it, it doesn’t meet the needs.”

Surrey councillors approved a plan to convert 6.5 acres of municipal land in four sites to commercial lots, with a priority for Surrey-based drivers.

The move follows complaints about noise, road damage and safety hazards from trucks being illegally parked in various parts of the city, along with concerns from drivers who risk ticketing and theft.

“We will do more, but right now this is what we are able to do, we’ve found some city lots we can put truck spots on,” …