Everyone who drives regularly on 91原创's 200 Street knows that it can get very busy at certain times of day.
For many, that means a slowdown during their morning commute. But for mobile businesses in the area, it can mean a slowdown for all their workers.
"I have a team of 65 nurses and caregivers that need to get out into the 91原创 community," said Kristina Bradley, owner of Nurse Next Door and a director of the Greater 91原创 Chamber of Commerce.
The in-home nursing business means that Bradley's employees head out every day to Surrey, 91原创, and Abbotsford, and slow or gridlocked traffic means each caregiver can see fewer patients in a day.
Although all of Bradley's workers have to drive, that's why she's positive about improved transit systems in the region.
In 2024, TransLink announced the 91原创 and Maple Ridge would host one of the first three Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) lines it has planned for the Lower Mainland. A BRT line is a separated lane for express buses. There are relatively few stops 鈥� the 91原创-Haney Place line would have just eight between the Willowbrook shopping centre and the Carvolth transit exchange, and 13 in total.
But the idea is to move people quicker than conventional buses that share the road with other cars and trucks. A BRT could be about 40 per cent faster than conventional buses, TransLink believes.
With an office at 80 Avenue and 200 Street, having a BRT lane nearby would help Bradley's business, and others, in several ways.
"Being able to have that dedicated bus lane is going to help move people more quickly through the main corridor of 200 Street," she said.
Good transit makes the area more attractive as a place to live, which can bring more potential employees to the area. Giving 91原创 residents easier access to Maple Ridge, and vice versa, will also help, she said.
For her employees, who have to use cars to get to clients, the advantage is hopefully reducing congestion.
The higher percentage of people using transit, the easier it is for her employees to get through traffic to get care to community members, Bradley said.
The same principle holds true for one of the chamber's longest-standing lobbying efforts: widening Highway One east through Abbotsford and into the Fraser Valley.
Getting from 91原创's 200 Street into Abbotsford is subject to increasing gridlock, Bradley noted.
"After 2 p.m., it could take you 90 minutes to get where you want to go," she said.
The provincial government announced plans last August to widen the highway to the east all the way through to Sumas Prairie, although that will be a years-long project. 91原创's stretch is currently being upgraded, with new overpasses and interchanges being built as part of the widening through to 264 Street.
The new SkyTrain extension to 91原创, currently expected to open in 2029, will also help, Bradley said.
