Thousands of newcomers arrive in Surrey, B.C., each year — putting pressure on its infrastructure while also challenging police and municipal officials whose job is to ensure pedestrians, cyclists and motorists remain safe.
According to the RCMP, which is responsible for policing the Lower Mainland city of more than 500,000, about 40 per cent of traffic deaths in the municipality last year were pedestrians.
"The volume of people moving through the city has increased dramatically over the last few years,
" says Cpl. Joe McGhee of the Surrey-based Lower Mainland Traffic Services. "People are also driving into Surrey, parking their vehicles and taking the Sky Train into Vancouver.
"
All about safety
With so many people moving about, it's one of the reasons police actively patrol for jaywalkers.
"When we issue a ticket for jaywalking, peoples' reactions range from everything from bewildered to astonished, to anger,
" says McGhee. "Like they're saying to us: Don't you have anything better to do?
"
"But for us it's all about safety.
"
Sometimes police efforts to catch people who can't cross a street properly can net bigger fish.
On one early March morning, Cst. Jae Kim was looking for distracted drivers and jaywalkers at the intersection of 104 Ave. and King George Blvd., when he noticed a driver with his head down — a telltale sign of a distracted motorist. He approached the driver's side and asked him to roll down his window.
"That's when I could smell it. He told me his last beer was 20 minutes ago,
" says Kim, who asked the driver to pull over to a nearby parking lot. That indiscretion meant the driver had his vehicle impounded and could face a driving suspension of one day to as much as three months, fines of more than $4,000, and mandatory rehabilitation.
"People always think they feel fine (after drinking). But you know what? They're not,
" says Kim.
The Surrey intersection is also one of hundreds under video monitoring by the city's Traffic Management Centre (TMC).
Graeme Cross, from Surrey's traffic signals section, oversees a team of engineers and technologists who check traffic on dozens of wall-mounted monitors at their city hall office. TMC staff control traffic signals, watch for accidents and ultimately keep traffic moving in the city, which welcomes more than 10,000 new residents annually.
"We can look at incidents to see what's happening and try to get traffic moving,
" says Cross, who adds the technology allows the team to examine accidents and work with first responders to understand what went wrong. "Ultimately, it's about getting people out of the way and get moving or directing and diverting traffic safely.
"
Protecting privacy
Another thing that concerns Cross is privacy. Although the cameras are easy to spot at the intersection, faces and licence plate numbers are intentionally obscured on the video. "We're not collecting personal data,
" he says. "It's important not to lose the public's trust. We're just here to manage traffic and improve public safety.
"
Nevertheless, when serious accidents do occur, Surrey RCMP can request and obtain TMC footage to help with the investigation. McGhee says the information is critical and time saving.
He pointed to a case where eyewitnesses incorrectly described a vehicle involved in a hit and run. Police subsequently issued a press release with the wrong information. But once a video of the incident was obtained, the press release was corrected, a search was launched and the vehicle was eventually located.
"Sometimes, once we get shown the entire picture, it shows the unreliability of eyewitness testimony,
" says McGhee. "Now with the video technology, it's opened up a whole world of investigative possibilities.
"
He says it has also made things easier for police and the courts.
"When these things are played in court, it usually ends things. Most defence lawyers don't want to see something like that,
" he says.