Trying to find
a free space at GO and TTC parking lots was already a challenge
before gas prices spiked. Jennifer Harkey of Oakville wrote me about
difficulties getting a spot at the Oakville GO station, and her
experience is similar to other riders across greater Toronto.
She writes, “I
catch the 7:58 a.m. train, and it's not feasible for me to catch an
earlier one because I'm restricted by the hours in which I can drop
off my child at daycare. By the time I get to the station there is
little or no parking left. To get a spot I'm sometimes forced to
park illegally, and risk a $25 ticket.
“If you call to
complain, they tell you to buy a reserved spot for $60 per month or
... to get there earlier. Obviously they need to build a parking
structure, but that will take time.”
The reader
suggested some short term solutions to help those who cannot ride
local transit to the train, and don’t have a lot of flexibility on
when they arrive at the station. Most of the ideas could apply to
the 45,000 parking spaces in the GO system.
I put the
queries to GO managing director Gary McNeil and went through a whole
range of issues, including: increasing the number of trains that
stop at stations where parking is often available, price incentives
for those who don’t drive to GO, modifying current lots to add more
parking (by changing the painted lines) and easing up on ticketing.
I also brought
up the concerns of readers who are faced with parking illegally or
driving downtown. Most of those who drive to GO know their options,
so the real question is whether officials understand the challenges
of commuting not just in terms of engineering or budgeting -- but
from the riders’ perspective.
In almost every
case, he was at least aware of the issue -- both at Oakville and
across the system -- and was able to explain specifically how GO had
examined ways to solve it.
McNeil reports
that GO has not yet seen a dramatic increase in new riders since gas
prices spiked. He says GO has a “pretty good handle” on which lots
are chronically short of spaces, and points out only 6,000 parking
tickets are written yearly -- especially when other drivers complain
about being blocked in. The transit authority adds around 1,000
spots every year, a two per cent increase.
He acknowledges
that GO needs to add spaces “everywhere” on its rail network, and
officials are “constantly monitoring” whether property becomes
available near a station. He cited credible obstacles in several
locations, and insisted every effort is made to safely maximize the
number of marked spaces. Parking structures are being considered for
Whitby, Burlington and at Centennial station in Markham.