r/Langley • u/threeminutefever • Jul 23 '25
How can the rush hour traffic near HOV roundabout be alleviated?
Admittedly, I don’t know much about urban planning, but I’m wondering as an occasional transit user and driver, how can the rush hour traffic at 202 Street on/off ramp, Carvolth Exchange, 88 Ave, and 86 Ave be made slightly less painful? What needs to happen with Highway 1 and/or the surrounding area so it doesn’t take a vehicle 10 minutes just to exit the highway or go two blocks? Thanks for any insight!
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u/NorthEagle298 Jul 23 '25
Both northbound lanes crossing 88th should go through. Currently only the center lane is allowed to go straight, the right lane must turn right. A longer timing on the advanced left turn in addition to lengthening the actual left turn lane itself would be good. It's usually people headed into Walnut Grove that clog up the roundabout.
Southbound; that three way stop needs to be a stop light with some actual thought process put into how pedestrians are supposed to get through that deathtrap.
That said, 86th will be improved eventually they're just waiting on development to finish before doing something about it.
5
u/BillerTime Jul 23 '25
The way the Towmship plans things, I almost feel that we won't see improvements to 86th/202 until that land on the south of it gets developed. When will that happen? Signage has been up since what, 2018?
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u/BigTunaHunter Jul 23 '25
We've all been waiting over a decade for 208th to finish. The rest of it won't get done now that the township is out of money thanks to the golden soccer stadium.
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u/threeminutefever Jul 23 '25
Can’t wait to see a traffic light at 202 and 86!
I’ve taken the pedestrian overpass a few times instead of crossing on foot at that intersection. But it is so out of the way for people who are just trying to get around quickly.
As a driver at that intersection during shorter daylight hours and rainy days, I am praying there are no pedestrians wearing black jackets and no reflectors.
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u/TrackMother9613 Jul 24 '25
They will wait for someone to die first. Once the human cost exceeds the amount it would cost to install a safer option, then they will do it. So get out there and get dyin!
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u/Bradrichert Jul 23 '25
If you build for cars, you will get… cars. You can make more overpasses and underpasses, you can double and triple lanes, but without a shift of focus to alternative forms of transportation, all you’re doing is moving the same traffic around and inviting more of it to concentrate where it is forced to collect.
The one thing that I haven’t seen mentioned here should be obvious: remove the Teslas.
Even as a two-time Tesla owner, I think it’s time to take EVs off of HOV lanes in BC. This privilege just isn’t warranted. There are too many of them and the environmental benefits of EVs are fractional compared to public transit and carpooling. Plus, they still put tax-induced pressure on residents to build unnecessarily large infrastructure, especially when there is some evidence showing that EV drivers drive more.
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Jul 23 '25 edited Jul 23 '25
To be clear, nothing can be done about the sheer volume of people these streets need to capacitate. And it's going to get exponentially worse as they continue to develop the 200th Street corridor.
That said, there are a few measures that could be taken:
- 202 should be connected between 84th and 86th Ave, and a set of lights put in at that intersection. That will eliminate the inefficiencies of the 3-way stop, and allow people to use 202 as an alternate route to 200th.
- An overpass or underpass could be put in at 204th. No freeway entrance or exit, just a simple two lane road to connect the center of Walnut Grove to the center of Willoughby. It would alleviate some volume on the other overpasses.
- 216th could be fixed to carry more North-South traffic. That's controversial, as it would involve building (desperately needed) roads through agricultural land.
- As for the 202 round-about, it appears to be provisioned for two lanes. I wonder if doubling the lanes and putting a set of lights timed with 202 and 88th would help move some vehicles.
That said, based on existing precedence, I think we can reasonably expect literally nothing to be improved.
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u/Easy_Beginning_8336 Jul 23 '25
- This will happen at some point in the near future. Once development finishes on 202 between 84th and 86th Ave.
- and 3. unlikely
- I don't see how they double the lanes without lots of construction under the highway so not as unlikely as 2. and 3. I am not sure though I think provincial highway interchanges are provincial jurisdiction so making this happen would be difficult.
The Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) will be going this intersection and I talked to Translink people about this and they did not seem worried. Take this as a good or a really bad thing. Busses should have priority at intersections, so I wouldn't be surprised if they made this route HOV only. With the highway expansion (4 to 6 lanes) between Langley and Abbotsford I foresee the new hwy HOV lane being more used by busses to connect people to Corvolth, and therefore Surrey/Vancouver/etc.
My bet is nothing gets done though.
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u/DoinTatsPettinCats Stuck at a train crossing Jul 23 '25
202 between 86th and 88th was originally HOV only when it was built. It got changed shortly after.
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u/Valley-Rose_ Jul 23 '25
Not unless Woodward gets ownership of those lands. Then it will be developed tuit suite and will demand the school board pay for it.
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u/threeminutefever Jul 23 '25
When is BRT supposed to come to this intersection?
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u/Easy_Beginning_8336 Jul 24 '25
I googled and I couldn't find a timeline anywhere. This website has more information and what stage of development they are currently on. They may be waiting on capital investment from provincial and federal sources??
I thought I heard 2027 (at some point) but that timeline has probably changed and with most big projects getting delayed (Broadway Ext & Langley Skytrain) I would also expect this to be late.
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u/MyNothingBox Jul 23 '25
U/gonowbegonewithyou for Mayor please. You provided better solutions in that one post that I've ever seen provided by current council.
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u/strongtownslangley Jul 25 '25
An overpass or underpass could be put in at 204th.
A cycling/walking bridge is being considered here as part of the Transportation and Mobility Study.
1
Jul 25 '25
That would be great if you could get people to use it.
There's a pedestrian overpass at the busloop that's never seen a moment's use because they put it like 30 metres too far north.
Or the pedestrian bridge they put at 68th and 200th, so people would stop jaywalking to the bus stop. Never seen a soul on it. I swear it's just there to combat lawsuits.
That said, I'm totally in favor of smartly placed pedestrian and bike infrastructure. It's just tricky to do it well.
10
u/Demonblah Jul 23 '25
Make it hov only again?
10
Jul 23 '25
Unpopular opinion is just make it bus only again. It's probably happening anyways with BRT. Going to be very unpopular but imo worth it for the transit reliability improvements.
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u/Demonblah Jul 23 '25
Yeah, it has become waaay too backed up. Honestly better to go 200th sometimes to get onto the freeway.
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u/Valley-Rose_ Jul 23 '25
Get a new Mayor.
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u/BillerTime Jul 23 '25
Hahaha, I dont laugh out loud at things said on the internet often. Thank you.
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Jul 23 '25
[deleted]
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u/TrackMother9613 Jul 24 '25
Yawn, another shitty post not addressing the issue. Cars aren't going anywhere so save your brain cycles ruminating on something more worth your time.
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u/Thumper45 Jul 23 '25
The only way anything would improve there would all the feeder roads surrounding the area would need to be expanded. Unfortuantly that is near impossible so that area will be plagued with very poor traffic flow as the funnel for traffic is simply to steep to feed into single lane roads from a multi lane highway.
As per usual, very poor planning for the road systems here in the lower mainland.
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u/mikedanton Jul 23 '25
It's probably a minor improvement, but could be implemented pretty quickly - finish the damn Willoughby Trail. Translink built a beautiful pedestrian overpass, but the township staff don't want to connect it to the rest of the trail system for no good reason other than being incredibly incompetent (their own maps show it as being completed...but it's not).
Pedestrian crossing 202 slows down all cars and seems to confuse everyone. Not to mention, it's only a matter of time before a pedestrian dies because of how manic drivers get waiting for 15 minutes.
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u/jorateyvr Jul 23 '25
By reteaching people how stop signs systems work when people pull up to each sign.
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u/Timmy767 Jul 23 '25
They don’t have a plan or even care. Yet they keep rezoning developments to allow more to be built.
But hey this gives me more time to think about that lovely soccer school while I sit in traffic.
1
u/007ffc Jul 23 '25
Going north up 202 then turning left (west) onto 88th should have a left turn light. Currently on those going south on 202 to turn left (east) has a left turn light. They should have a left turn light for both at this intersection for those going up/down 202 to turn left onto 88th.
1
u/3mjaytee Jul 24 '25
That's a gonger. There is no fixing it especially with all the roads starting to run north/south to 86 or whatever it is.
They should start by shuttering the HOV on/off ramps there or closing during peak hours. I like them for accessing /returning from the highway but cars are closer than whores caught up in a roundabout in hell... But alas that's what it feels like when you commute through there.
I used to come this way home off 200 now I just go over the hwy overpass and go down one of the back roads or even up 88.
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u/TrackMother9613 Jul 24 '25
I would never use that area especially in rush hour. That's how. Hope everyone enjoyed paying to move into heavy traffic.
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u/JournalistHuman4382 Nov 06 '25
I am currently in the bus waiting to turn right. What a horrible roundabout. A traffic light maybe? Abbotsford removed the roundabout at the Mt. Lehman exit. There is still one in a further exit and it can be pain. I hope they fix this issue.
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u/bgballin Jul 23 '25
They have to induce traffic on routes near the roundabout.
That's the only way to fix it.
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u/burnsian Jul 23 '25 edited Jul 23 '25
Remove the roundabout and separate the sides. Want to go West on Hwy 1? Enter from 88th. Want to go East on hwy 1? Enter from 86th. No more pausing in the roundabout and jamming up everyone.
Exiting the hwy eastbound you then only go towards 86th, exiting westbound - to 88th.
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u/[deleted] Jul 23 '25
This particular roundabout gets clogged because of the red light at 88th. When that light changes, volume backs up like -crazy- and the entire roundabout shuts down. Armchair civil engineer in me wonders if those intersection controls are at all optimized.