Strong Towns Langley

10/18/2026

Congratulations to the Langley Strong team, Michael Pratt and Steve Ferguson on their election to council in the Township of Langley!

We appreciate the outgoing council for their work on completing the new Transportation and Mobility Strategy, prohibition on car-dependant Strip Mall Development, and ongoing efforts to implement traffic calming to make our streets safer, first on Telegraph Trail and recently Walnut Grove Drive.

However, we welcome the incoming council’s commitment to respect and more transparency. One of the biggest challenges we have faced in our work during the past few years is getting the data we need to understand the financial state and future of the Township. We have only seen yearly financial reports of the current debt level, already out of date by publication. We have had no itemized breakdown of CAC fees collected, or any concrete outline of the timeline expected to pay down debts incurred with these and other fees. In the past, we even identified mistakes in proposed bylaws that were likely in part due to this closed door, secretive process.

As such, we are eager to see the results of the forthcoming promised forensic audit, and hope that this emphasis on transparency leads to an improved and clear financial planning process that involves the public. We will continue to do our own analysis as more is revealed, and continue advocating for Langley to become a more people-centred, livable and financially resilient community.

10/10/2026

Community Amenity Contributions are back in the headlines in the Township of Langley's 2026 election. One side says the courts made them illegal. The other says they are perfectly lawful. Here is what the ruling actually decided, what the reports say, and how other BC municipalities use them.

What the Lorval ruling actually decided, and what 87 BC local governments do now.

06/24/2026

It's happening!

Today the Township of Langley removed a number of baffle gates along the Parry-Evans Trail as part of it's pilot program, making it easier for those using mobility devices, bicycles and strollers to enjoy and use the trail.

Our Telraam traffic counter installed along the trail has recorded almost two months of pedestrian and cycling counts before the gates were removed, so we will be able to monitor the impact this change has to trail use. Link to the data feed in the comments.

Thank you to Township Council for funding these improvements and HUB Langley for advocating for their removal before we supported this initiative with our "eliminate the maze gates" campaign.

Photos courtesy of Gaith Sarhan.

06/16/2026

Nice work VanPOP!

06/13/2026

We are at Langley City Community Day today! Come say hi!

06/02/2026

The streets feel calmer, the plaza is full of people, kids are out on their own, and you realize you've spent all day getting around without needing a car. When we travel abroad we tend to notice these differences without really understanding what's behind them, or whether any of it could work back home.

In this article, James shares what he learned on a recent family trip to southern Spain, and why the things that make those towns work aren't clever features to copy one at a time, but a different set of priorities underneath, one that puts people first.

Lessons from Spain

05/20/2026

Congratulations to the City of Coquitlam - Municipality for following international best practices and eliminating maze gates, as supported by every major active transportation design authority worldwide.

These gates exclude wheelchair users, people on adapted cycles, parents with strollers, and cargo bikes. Coquitlam is getting this right.

Guidance and organizations supporting removal:

NACTO Urban Bikeway Design Guide (US): https://nacto.org/publication/urban-bikeway-design-guide/designing-bikeways-for-all-ages-and-abilities/paths/

UK Department for Transport, LTN 1/20: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/cycle-infrastructure-design-ltn-120

CROW Design Manual for Bicycle Traffic (Netherlands): https://crowplatform.com/product/design-manual-for-bicycle-traffic/

Transport Scotland, Cycling by Design: https://www.transport.gov.scot/publication/cycling-by-design/

Sustrans / Walk Wheel Cycle Trust, Paths for Everyone: https://www.walkwheelcycletrust.org.uk/about-us/paths-for-everyone/barriers-on-the-national-cycle-network/

Wheels for Wellbeing, Inclusive Cycle Infrastructure Guide: https://wheelsforwellbeing.org.uk/inclusive-cycle-infrastructure-guide-inaccessible-barriers/
Transport for Greater Manchester, Bee Network Active Travel Design Guide: https://tfgm.com/streets-for-all/design-guide

Disabled Ramblers, Least Restrictive Access: https://disabledramblers.co.uk/man-made-barriers-least-restrictive-access/

04/30/2026

In June 2025, three South of the Fraser mayors sent a letter to Metro Vancouver asking to change how the Urban Containment Boundary works. What they asked for could have opened up hundreds of hectares of rural land to development. The region said no, but the story of how we got there, and what quietly got traded along the way, is worth understanding.

Inside the region's most important tool for shaping growth, and the effort to weaken it.

04/27/2026

Trails and parks! Old town centres and Brand new facilities! What a variety of things we saw on this year's Jane's Walks!

Thank you everyone who attended our Walnut Grove and Willoughby Walks this year. Some new faces and some familiar!

Special thank you to Jonny Ray for taking the great photographs of our Walnut Grove walk included here, and big thanks to Michael Pratt for leading the Willoughby walk and explaining the background behind recent changes and what the future holds for Willoughby.

Hope to see everyone again soon!

04/19/2026

Another successful clean up! 🗑️🚮

Thank you to all Strong Towns Langley volunteers who came out to join our clean up of McClughan Park today, as part of Clean up Langley Day! Special thanks to .stepney for organizing the event.

Next week we return to Walnut Grove for Jane’s Walk - hope to see you there!