While there are different options, Locke suggests fencing would be her preferred choice

SURREY (NEWS 1130) – A Surrey city councillor says if something isn’t done about panhandling on medians at major intersections, someone is going to get hurt.

Brenda Locke is backing calls from a business group to address the issue after a recent report.

It’s particularly bad on King George between 104th and 108th, she says, where people stand on the median asking for money.

“Sometimes these people are not in a clear state of mind, so they’re either intoxicated on alcohol or they’re on drugs. So they’re not stable. I’ve seen them sway, I’ve laid on my horn to make them catch themselves.”

Locke is concerned a driver might hit someone if they were to fall into traffic. She is planning to contact city engineers about the Downtown Surrey Business Improvement Association’s call for modifications to the medians that would discourage panhandling along that stretch.

“This is just plain dangerous, these are not wide medians, they have a bit of a hump in the middle,” she says. “When a person is either unwell or intoxicated, they are not stable on that little bump.”

There are a number of possible anti-panhandling methods on the table, but Locke believes fencing would be the most practical option.