Surrey council advised against Crescent Beach train-whistle cessation efforts

City of Surrey staff are recommending the city not proceed “at this time” with whistle-cessation measures sought for Crescent Beach.

The recommendation, according to a corporate report scheduled to come before council on Monday (July 10), follows a city survey conducted in May that found while 57 per cent of 156 households that responded supported whistle cessation, only 45 per cent supported installation of a fence on Bayview Street parallel to the rail line, aimed at deterring trespassing.

“The community is divided on whether the benefits of whistle cessation outweigh the implications of fence construction,” Scott Neuman, the city’s general manager of engineering, concludes in the report.

“Given these, it is recommended that Council directs staff not to proceed with the fence construction.”

READ ALSO: City of White Rock hopes to have train whistles muted by year’s end

Trains running through the idyllic community have been a source of angst for residents and visitors alike for many years, for reasons including noise, safety and traffic disruption.

According to the city’s report, staff have worked with BNSF since approximately 2008 on ways to achieve whistle cessation at the McBride Avenue and Beecher Street crossings.

BNSF initially proposed construction of a 1.8m-high chain-link fence within its property to physically obstruct and deter pedestrians from trespassing onto the rail line.

However, “after five years of negotiations, the City could not accept BNSF’s requirements for annual lease payments, indemnity, and liability,” the report states.

Public input was sought after it was determined that the alternative fence location on Bayview Street – on city road allowance, thereby eliminating the need for an agreement with BNSF – would result in “unintended safety consequences” for pedestrians, as well as a reduction in on-street parking. Approximately 50 parking spots that likely encroach on BNSF property are currently used by residents and would be eliminated if a fence was installed, the report explains.

The survey found that some residents see the potential benefits in noise reduction, but the majority opposed the perceived loss of parking and the esthetics of a chain-link fence. They also felt a fence may not improve safety and trespassing.

The report notes that the city received $328,480 in federal funding towards the $405,000 estimated cost of the project. That estimated cost, the report adds, does not include the anticipated costs of an archaeological permit and potential soil investigations.

The federal funding expires on March 31, 2024, however, staff will seek approval from the federal government to reallocate the funds to other railway safety improvements in the city should the Crescent Beach fencing not proceed, Neuman writes.

Monday’s council meeting gets underway at 7 p.m.