The White Rock Sun

..........will resume daily publishing Tuesday July 08, 2025

1001 Problems

When it was announced last year that the 1001 Steps at the west end of 15A Ave. in Ocean Park were going to be closed for the winter and rebuilt, I was really looking forward to seeing the final result.  Missing from the announcement was that the stairs would be built using completely different materials and construction techniques (read my Oct. 1 TNT, "Stairways to Heaven" for more details).  The "Closed For Repairs" signs went up in October 2024 and the stairs were to have been completed by March of 2025.  Due to weather delays, engineering difficulties plus material issues, the 1001 Steps were finally opened to the public last week after the official start of summer with no announcement, or ceremony.  Considering it cost Surrey taxpayers $750,000 for this new staircase, I thought a ribbon cutting event with some dignitaries and community members would have been appropriate.

I had been visiting the top of the 1001 Steps since April, talking to the contractors and eying the progress.  The biggest surprise was when I found out the stairs were no longer going to be made entirely with pressure treated wood.  Instead it was decided to use zinc coated steel for the posts, supports and stairs, aluminum for the landings, with the only wood being used for the hand railings and side railings to keep people, children and animals on the stairway.  The old wooden 1001 Steps had 234 stairs over 26 flights with 25 landings and a total of 13 changes in direction.   For comparison, the new steel, aluminum and wood staircase consists of 203 stairs, 21 flights, 20 landings with 8 direction changes.  From the road to the water including wood and gravel stairs in the pathway to the beach, there are a total of 218 Steps for the new 1001 Steps and 243 stairs for the old ones.  The vertical height should still be the same at 37 metres for the staircase, 3 metres for the path, for a total height of 40 metres.

When I heard the 1001 Steps had been opened last week, I went there as soon as possible to try them out, look at the construction and of course count the stairs.  While the staircase looks magnificent, unfortunately there are some serious flaws with this public staircase.  The steel stairs are made with open rectangular holes to allow for rain, ice and debris to easily fall through, improving public safety.  The same can be said for the aluminum platforms that are a heavy duty mesh grate.  Because of the traction surfaces built into these two different products, they are very grippy on the feet and might cause tripping, not from slipping, but from gripping.  Hopefully this problem will decrease over time as the surface of the staircase gets worn by shoes with sand tracked up from the beach.  The biggest problem with these new steps is that they are not dog friendly.  Many dogs do not like walking over elevated platforms where they can look down.  The holes in the stairs and platforms are big enough that small paws could easily slip through them.  For large dogs, the metal ridges are uncomfortable and cut into sensitive feet.

Now you may think that this is not important because dogs are not allowed at the beach.  In fact, the shoreline of Crescent Rock beach from Crescent Beach to White Rock is federal jurisdiction and dogs are allowed at this rather rugged shoreline.  For decades, residents and visitors have used the 1001 Steps to take their pets with them as they visited the waterfront to cool down, go for a swim, have a picnic or simply enjoy the view.  As long as your dogs are under control, not harassing wildlife and you CLEAN UP AFTER THEM, it can be a fun place for people and pooches.  Unfortunately with these new stairs, if you want to take your dog to the beach, you'll need to either carry them, or for large breeds, possibly put booties on them to stop the metal from digging into their feet.  I should note here that on July 2, the Crescent Beach gravel walkway will open for people walking their pets all days except weekends and holidays until Sept. 15 for a pilot project.

There is an easy way to fix the dog problem with the new 1001 Steps.  The elevated metal walkway over the BNSF Railway at the Christopherson Steps (the former 101 Steps at 24 Ave.) has the same steel steps with the rectangular holes used at the new 1001 Steps.  There is a small strip of flat steel with drainage holes on these stairs and platforms that is used by pets to easily navigate these stairs.  I don't know if this was part of the original plan when this staircase was first built but the dog pathway that has been in place for decades works well.  Due to electrolysis issues, steel plating may need to be used for the stairs and a similar aluminum sheeting used for the platforms at the 1001 Steps.  Unfortunately, this part of the project needs to go back to the drawing board for a redo by the Surrey Engineering Dept.  It is actually amazing that this problem was never considered when the new staircase was being planned.

Besides the design deficiencies, I was surprised that a safety check was not done on the 1001 Steps before it was opened to the public.  The final step of the new staircase where people step off the steel onto gravel should be the same height as all of the stairs above.  It is noticeably higher and poses a tripping hazard to anyone leaving the final step.  The dirt pathway through the forest has grown in and resembles a goat trail where only one person can pass at a time.  There are other areas where large clumps of blackberries have grown over the path and are hanging down above it.  All of this vegetation should have been cut well back before the staircase was opened to the public.  In one location there is a deep rut on the edge of the trail leading to an even deeper washout that needs to be filled in and fenced.  At the concrete tunnel under the BNSF trail tracks, winter storms have filled much of this structure with gravel.  Surrey crews need to excavate some of this sand and gravel so that it is tall enough to safely walk through for beach access.

There is one last thing I want to highlight here that includes many of the pathways and walkways to the beach in south Surrey.  There is no road signage pointing the way to any of these staircases and paths.  They should be easy to find and visibly marked but this has never been the case.  While the 1001 Steps and Christopherson Steps have listings on the Surrey.ca website, Sandy Trail in Crescent Heights and the Olympic Trail in Ocean Park (aka 13 Ave. Greenbelt Lookout Trail) do not have signage or a web listing.  The public staircases to Surrey's nude beach should have signs alerting people to its existence, just like at Wreck beach in Vancouver.  Crescent Rock beach has been used by naturists and nudists since after WW2 and officially recognized by the RCMP since 2008 but there is nothing on the City's website about it.  The same goes for "nude beach", "naturist beach" and "clothing optional beach", which all return zero search results.  Surrey's total lack of action and ignorance on this cultural and recreational issue makes a mockery of their support for "diversity, equity, inclusion and respect."  They are simply hollow buzzwords with no real meaning.

Naturally yours,

Don Pitcairn

I wish to acknowledge we live work and play on the traditional lands of the Semiahmoo People