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  #1  
Old Posted May 20, 2016, 2:54 AM
Shift Shift is offline
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Surrey mayor wants a network of helipads across the city

An interesting bit that came out of Surrey's State of the City address today. Helicopter service from Surrey City Centre to Downtown would be a great service, but the estimate cost for a flight seems pricey at between $12 and $16 per minute (10-15min trip).

I could see this service being attractive at maybe $50 a flight for business execs needing to travel between the 2 cores for meetings.

Any speculation as to where a heliport could be located? Somewhere right in City Centre, or Scott Rd Station area?

"Ms. Hepner said the city is now nailing down specific sites..."

"She said she hopes to have construction under way by this time in 2017".

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/...ticle30104262/
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  #2  
Old Posted May 20, 2016, 4:02 AM
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Initially I was going to laugh myself silly over this and then I read the article. They're talking about a limited number of commerical helipads for private companies to use to fly businessmen around. There are already companies interested - the question is how much will it cost to build a helipad vs how long until it's paid off.

Last edited by Sheba; May 20, 2016 at 4:02 AM. Reason: typo
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  #3  
Old Posted May 20, 2016, 5:04 AM
WarrenC12 WarrenC12 is offline
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Helipads and NIMBYs don't mix. They are very hard to get through.

That being said, businessmen wanting to helicopter in and out of the Surrey wasteland paints an amusing picture.
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  #4  
Old Posted May 20, 2016, 5:13 AM
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csbvan csbvan is offline
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Yeah, because this is the pressing issue that this region needs to focus on...
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  #5  
Old Posted May 20, 2016, 5:40 AM
Tfreder Tfreder is offline
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Originally Posted by csbvan View Post
Yeah, because this is the pressing issue that this region needs to focus on...
Exactly, who even cares about all of those pesky shootings going on nearly every day in Surrey? Crime and violence obviously aren't the main concern here. What Surrey needs to focus on is expensive transportation options that no one will use. That's what will make Surrey great again for once.
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  #6  
Old Posted May 20, 2016, 6:01 AM
Plafuldog Plafuldog is offline
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This article came out in The Province a couple months ago about millionaires using private helicopters to visit properties in the valley. I guess the regulations are less strict than for a commercial/scheduled service?

http://www.theprovince.com/business/...670/story.html
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  #7  
Old Posted May 20, 2016, 6:39 AM
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xd_1771 xd_1771 is offline
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Helicopters before transit users!

I found it hilarious that the whole note ended on the helicopter announcement, which came immediately after a measly announcement of a "hope" to have Light Rail construction started by 2018 (not even a promise or a real intent - and certainly not even close to the original election promise to finish construction by 2018). Apparently the only real alternative to commuting by car in this city will be to join the 1% and commute by helicopter.

It's almost as if this need for land to build helicopter pads has jumped priorities over the need for land to build a big new OMC for the proposed LRT system.

...if this kind of Mayor we will have in charge for the next 2-3 years then I seriously, seriously fear for the city's young and transit-dependent.
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  #8  
Old Posted May 20, 2016, 7:04 AM
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As if I didn't see this reaction coming... That was *one* part of the announcements.

Quote:
Tech and innovation were the focus of Surrey Mayor Linda Hepner’s second State of the City Address on Thursday.

She used the event to announce that a Skydance movie studio is soon setting up shop in Surrey, helicopter tours may soon start in the city, a Clean Tech Research Centre at KPU in Cloverdale is in the works and the city plans to build a “Safety Village” to teach children about public safety.

...

Hepner pointed to the recently opened Newton Bio Pod initiative, at recovery centre John Volken Academy, as an example of innovation in agriculture.

“Agriculture technologies will be tried and tested and young lives will be turned around with training and good jobs in a growing international industry,” she remarked.

...

Thanks to the city’s Rethink Waste program Surrey has one of the highest diversion rates in the world, she noted, and was the first municipality to use a 100 per cent compressed natural gas fleet of collection trucks. The move saves the city about $4.5 million annually, she revealed.

Right now, Surrey is in the midst of constructing its biofuel facility, expected to be completed next spring, which will be North America’s first fully integrated organic waste management system. The gas will be sold to Fortis BC, in the first agreement of its kind in the province.

Tech initiatives contributed to the “smart” award, too, she said, pointing to the “MySurreyApp,” expanding free Wi-Fi- from 18 to 48 locations, and the city’s move to covert all its streetlights to LED.

...

“Unfortunately, as good as the latest statistics and trends might be, we all know that a single shot fired by a gang member shatters our image of public safety and pushes any otherwise positive trends to the back pages of our newspapers.”

The mayor said the 100 new officers she spoke of last year have arrived. She added that the city has hired a director of public safety and plans to deliver a new Integrated Public Safety Strategy this fall.

http://www.thenownewspaper.com/news/380146391.html
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  #9  
Old Posted May 20, 2016, 7:09 AM
Sheba Sheba is offline
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Originally Posted by xd_1771 View Post
Helicopters before transit users!

I found it hilarious that the whole note ended on the helicopter announcement, which came immediately after a measly announcement of a "hope" to have Light Rail construction started by 2018 (not even a promise or a real intent - and certainly not even close to the original election promise to finish construction by 2018). Apparently the only real alternative to commuting by car in this city will be to join the 1% and commute by helicopter.
That's because LRT doesn't have a business case and more people know it everyday. The province has already pretty much decided on Skytrain for Fraser Hwy. Will LRT even get a mention next year or will they be talking more buses / routes and Skytrain on Fraser Hwy about to start construction.
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  #10  
Old Posted May 20, 2016, 4:18 PM
logicbomb logicbomb is offline
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Is there nothing more irritating than a helicopter circling overheard for hours on end? That's what most residents are subjected to whenever the RCMP's AirOne is overhead. This would be even worse...you'd have helicopters landing and taking off within close proximity's to peoples homes.

The Mayor and Council listed "noise pollution"as one of the drawbacks to Skytrain. How ironic.
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  #11  
Old Posted May 20, 2016, 4:51 PM
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I really don't see how this is any different than Vancouver, Victoria, or Nanaimo having heliports. Especially considering Surrey is BC's second largest city with the region's second designated metropolitan core. As business grows in Surrey there will be demand for direct air connections, just as there is out of Vancouver, Naniamo, and Victoria.
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  #12  
Old Posted May 20, 2016, 5:05 PM
s211 s211 is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by xd_1771 View Post
I seriously, seriously fear for the city's young and transit-dependent.
That's ageist.
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  #13  
Old Posted May 20, 2016, 5:38 PM
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CanSpice CanSpice is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by logicbomb View Post
Is there nothing more irritating than a helicopter circling overheard for hours on end? That's what most residents are subjected to whenever the RCMP's AirOne is overhead. This would be even worse...you'd have helicopters landing and taking off within close proximity's to peoples homes.

The Mayor and Council listed "noise pollution"as one of the drawbacks to Skytrain. How ironic.
These would be "commuter" helicopters and wouldn't circle overhead. They'd be akin to the air ambulances that service VGH and Royal Columbian Hospital. They're noisy when they go overhead but they don't stop and circle like the traffic helicopters do.
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  #14  
Old Posted May 20, 2016, 6:40 PM
Kisai Kisai is offline
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Originally Posted by CanSpice View Post
These would be "commuter" helicopters and wouldn't circle overhead. They'd be akin to the air ambulances that service VGH and Royal Columbian Hospital. They're noisy when they go overhead but they don't stop and circle like the traffic helicopters do.
I was going to chime in earlier and basically echo what Daryl said, but point out the TS statement.

1) Safety: http://www.tsb.gc.ca/eng/rapports-re...tion/index.asp
6 or so Helicopters are lost or accidents happen every year. That's not too bad, and the worst ones are collisions with terrain.

2) Rules: https://www.tc.gc.ca/eng/civilaviati...-menu-1026.htm

3) Technical/costs: http://heliexpertsinternational.com/...stions-answers , only need a windsock and markings for daylight and can costs a few hundred thousand dollars. Night flights are more due to lighting.

The complicated thing is exactly how and where to place them. You can technically put them on any building or area that is more than 250 meters long, and smaller helicopters need smaller areas. The problem I see for Surrey is due to it's sprawling nature and approving everything without much future planning is that the only location that would make sense for a helicopter pad/heliports on a building is the SFU Building. The rest of the buildings in Surrey aren't wide enough and it's more likely they would be ground-level Heliports which take up more surface space. This is why Helijet is located at the harbour in both Vancouver (right next to the Seabus) and Victoria.

Optimistically, the logical thing would actually to have two full-service helicopter ports, one in Newton, and one at Surrey Central. If any other destinations are in mind, it would likely be YVR, YYJ, and the downtown Vancouver/Victoria Helijet. Again, it depends on the size. If these are "commuter" heliports, they will only have small helicopters and would require some place to be stored and maintained. If they are just an extension of Helijet, then there's obviously some other place already doing the maintenance.

Overall I'm not particularly upset about hearing about this, but it seems like Surrey has it's priorities backwards.
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  #15  
Old Posted May 20, 2016, 6:45 PM
Trainguy Trainguy is offline
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Originally Posted by Sheba View Post
That's because LRT doesn't have a business case and more people know it everyday. The province has already pretty much decided on Skytrain for Fraser Hwy. Will LRT even get a mention next year or will they be talking more buses / routes and Skytrain on Fraser Hwy about to start construction.

Skytrain should be extended all the way to downtown Langley. Enough people commute to Langley and back to make it worth it. Skytrain doesn't wait for cars or traffic lights and moves way more people than LRT. LRT in Surrey is another one of those pipe dreams that will cause more headaches than it fixes.
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  #16  
Old Posted May 20, 2016, 6:55 PM
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Another article on it from today. Apparently site selection is underway for 2 sites, one in North Surrey and one in South Surrey.

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/britis...pner-1.3591000
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  #17  
Old Posted May 20, 2016, 7:51 PM
officedweller officedweller is offline
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Until recently, Los Angeles required all tall building to have a helipad on the roof for emergencies (earthquakes).

Having a proper helipad would be good. I could see one in the Scott Road area.
HeliJet is heavily used to travel to Victoria - by MLAs and business people.
It's only 30 minutes one way - the Victoria helipad is at Ogden Point (close to downtown, but not downtown).


Surrey Memorial has a helipad on the new Critical Care Tower

https://www.championsforcare.com/hel...are-tower.html
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  #18  
Old Posted May 20, 2016, 7:51 PM
casper casper is offline
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To bad.

I was looking forward to the private Skytrain executive First Class car service with cappuccino machine and dedicated attendant.
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  #19  
Old Posted May 20, 2016, 10:05 PM
BCPhil BCPhil is offline
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Originally Posted by Shift View Post
I really don't see how this is any different than Vancouver, Victoria, or Nanaimo having heliports. Especially considering Surrey is BC's second largest city with the region's second designated metropolitan core. As business grows in Surrey there will be demand for direct air connections, just as there is out of Vancouver, Naniamo, and Victoria.
The Nanaimo Helijet pad just opened a couple months ago. Before that I think you could charter a helicopter from the airport or some other locations around the North Island (my dad's work used to do that on occasion). But it wouldn't be a regular thing so it wouldn't impact residents lives.

And the new Helijet is way out in the port lands at the cruise ship terminal, quite a distance away from any homes. Same at Ogden point in Victoria, and the terminal in Downtown Vancouver. They are pretty much as far away from homes as you can possibly get. They are also placed to allow for water approaches so the helicopters don't hover over people's homes.

The only place in Surrey where you could copy that would be around the Scott Road station area and Fraser docks. Maybe you could achieve a decent landing approach if you built a helipad at the BC Hydro substation in Surdel (power lines might make it risky though) or out at Boundary Bay airport. There are helipads at Langley airport though.
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  #20  
Old Posted May 21, 2016, 12:16 AM
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I can see this being a plus, but the optics aren't good. Nothing says "i'm an out-of-touch, podunk mayor" better than talking up your new helicopter infrastructure to service "executives".
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