South of Fraser East Area Transport Plan

Area Transport Plans are an opportunity for TransLink to work more closely with local, regional, and provincial governments, Indigenous Nations, and other interest holders including the public, to develop plans for enhancing bus service and infrastructure within specific areas of Metro Vancouver, while also addressing aspects of cycling, walking, and goods movement.

Area Transport Plans are informed by and help to advance the goals and objectives outlined in Transport 2050 and Access for Everyone. Together, these plans establish the region’s long-term transportation vision, overall goals, targets, policy direction, and investment priorities.

To view current and past plans, visit our Area Transport Planning page.

To make sure we understand the local needs and priorities when planning the regional transportation network, TransLink divides Metro Vancouver into smaller parts, which we call sub-regions. The boundaries of these sub-regions have changed over time as the region grows and develops.

The South of Fraser East sub-region includes the cities of Surrey, White Rock, and Langley, the Township of Langley, and North Delta. The study area also includes the traditional and unceded territories of several Indigenous Nations including q̓ic̓əy̓ (Katzie First Nation), q̓ʷɑ:n̓ƛ̓ən̓ (Kwantlen First Nation), máthxwi (Matsqui First Nation), and se’mya’me (Semiahmoo First Nation).

These communities have seen a lot of growth since the last South of Fraser Area Transport Plan was completed in 2007. Today, many of the bus routes that serve this area travel across municipal boundaries. To better understand the changing transportation needs of this sub-region, we look at each local area to learn more about how people travel and what their challenges and priorities are.

We also consider what the expected future population and employment growth is and where that growth is likely to take place. We use this information to develop actions and recommendations to improve transportation throughout the sub-region.

• Phase 1: Identifying Issues and Opportunities (2025/2026): During this phase, we ask people about how they travel in the sub-region and study how the area and transportation network might change in the future. We also look at how people are using the transit network to see what is working and what isn’t. This helps us better understand where and what type of improvements are needed in the various communities.  
  
  

• Phase 2: Developing Draft Actions (2026/2027): During the first part of this phase, we develop a range of draft actions and recommendations that would improve how people move southeast of the Fraser River. These actions relate to the bus network, cycling, walking, and goods movement. In the second part of this phase, we ask the public for feedback on these actions.  
  
  

• Phase 3: Creating the Final Plan (2027): Based on the feedback we receive from the public, other interest holders, and additional technical analysis and input from local partners, we’ll revise the draft actions and recommendations and develop the final South of the Fraser East ATP. The plan is anticipated to be adopted in late 2027.  
  
  

Area Transport Plans focus on a specific part of the region and include multiple municipalities, whereas municipal transportation plans and strategies tend to focus on a single municipality or neighbourhood within a municipality. We work closely with municipalities throughout the ATP planning process to ensure that they support the municipal transportation plans and priorities of each local area.

This helps ensure that future service improvements and other transportation investments align with what each community wants and needs. This approach also helps to ensure municipal transportation plans and strategies are aligned with TransLink’s bigger regional plans such as Transport 2050 and Access for Everyone.

It depends on the nature of each recommended action. TransLink is responsible for some of the important actions and priorities mentioned in the plan, such as developing a new bus route or increasing frequency along a busy corridor to meet growing demand.

For other recommended actions, like building new or upgrading existing cycling routes, it’s the job of the local municipality or other agencies, like the Ministry of Transportation and Transit, to make those things a reality. That’s why we’re working closely with these interest holders during the ATP process.

TransLink supports these projects through our Local Government Funding Programs, which allocate funding to municipalities for active travel projects including bus priority, walking, and cycling infrastructure.

There are a number of different ways by which recommendations contained in this plan might be implemented. For example, minor changes to bus routing that can be implemented by reallocating existing resources may be advanced through our quarterly service changes.

More significant actions, such as the introduction of a new bus route, that require additional funding or more detailed planning and design will be considered for implementation based on demand and future funding conditions alongside other regional transportation priorities.

In terms of timing, individual recommendations may be implemented all at once or incrementally over time. For recommendations that might involve trade-offs or impacts for customers, such as the loss of convenient access to transit in a certain area, further public engagement would take place prior to the implementation.