Skip to main content

Smart Surrey invests in traffic management

The City of Surrey in Vancouver, British Columbia has released its ‘Smart Surrey Strategy’ which will serve as a guide for how technology and innovation are considered in decisions made for existing and future City plans, programs and infrastructure. The Smart Surrey Strategy comprises numerous current and future initiatives including the City’s state-of-the-art traffic management centre, an innovation boulevard, the district energy program, and plans for the City to operate the only fully-integrated clo
July 9, 2014 Read time: 2 mins
The City of Surrey in Vancouver, British Columbia has released its ‘Smart Surrey Strategy’ which will serve as a guide for how technology and innovation are considered in decisions made for existing and future City plans, programs and infrastructure.

The Smart Surrey Strategy comprises numerous current and future initiatives including the City’s state-of-the-art traffic management centre, an innovation boulevard, the district energy program, and plans for the City to operate the only fully-integrated closed-loop waste management system in North America.

Traffic congestion is a problem in British Columbia’s second-largest city, which is home to the Fraser Surrey Docks, railway lines, two US border crossings and many logistics companies.

The city council is tackling the issue with high-tech solutions as more drivers use the city roads to avoid paying tolls on the new Port Mann Bridge. The traffic management centre, which city staff have described as the most advanced in BC, is expected to increase its 178-camera closed circuit television network to 178 cameras, allowing staff to monitor traffic patterns and adjust signals in real time to reroute traffic around accidents.

The city also plans to expand its traffic signal co-ordination network along 29 corridors each year, while all 340 of its traffic signals will be updated by December 2014 to provide round-the-clock traffic count data every day.

“Several exciting innovative initiatives are already underway in Surrey,” said Councillor Bruce Hayne, Chair of the Innovation and Investment Committee. “A good example is the traffic management centre, which will begin operating in the fall; this system allows adjustments of traffic signals based on real-time traffic flow. It is the most advanced municipal centre of its kind in BC.”

Related Content

  • Nordic ticket to ride
    December 4, 2024
    Why is making a multimodal travel plan between Nordic nations so difficult? No wonder planes and cars are so popular, says Søren Sørensen – but a new project means things may be about to change
  • Bluetooth technology to shorten travel times
    April 20, 2016
    A new traffic app recently launched in Adelaide, South Australia, is helping drivers avoid roadworks and traffic jams with real-time updates. AddInsight taps into more than 400 of Adelaide’s state-of-the-art Bluetooth receivers, which monitor the city’s road network in real-time and broadcasts verbal messages to drivers in about approaching delays through a vehicle’s hands free systems and mobile phones. The free app has been released at a time when the South Australian capital’s road network has been
  • Witkar in Amsterdam: same old, same old
    April 22, 2025
    An electric, shared mobility scheme in a major European city? Nothing remarkable about that - except this one started half a century ago. Beate Kubitz traces the history of Witkar
  • Twenty year vision for Birmingham city transport
    November 14, 2014
    A white paper setting out Birmingham’s 20-year vision for improving transport across the city is set to be unveiled today. Birmingham Connected aims to make the city safer and easier to travel around by reducing congestion and promoting more sustainable forms of transport. Initiatives in the plan include the completion of a US$1.9 billion public transport network within 20 years and the development of Green Travel Districts to enable people to walk, cycle or take public transport safely. A feasibilit