Calgary Transit commuters frustrated over lack of free parking
Posted Mar 17, 2023 12:41 pm.
Last Updated Mar 17, 2023 12:44 pm.
The lack of free parking at Calgary Transit’s LRT stations across the city is leaving commuters frustrated.
“Over a quarter of the spots are reserved, and they don’t open up until 10 a.m., but classes start at 8 a.m. and 9 a.m.,” a Calgary student commuter told CityNews.
It’s not uncommon for commuters to drive around to several LRT stations before finding an open parking space, and many told CityNews only the reserved spots are empty — and those come at a cost.
“If we parked there for even just 30 minutes or 45 minutes, there’s a chance we’ll get a ticket. And we’re already paying thousands of dollars in tuition,” said one commuter.
“Drive all the way up to like Tuscany and park there,” another rider said.
“Coming really early, I think usually 7:30 a.m. to 8 a.m., like 8 a.m. is when it starts picking up,” another said.
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According to Calgary Transit, optics is playing a part in what appeared to be an influx of empty reserved parking spaces.
“For those who don’t have reserved parking, they tend to go to the station early … to find out and seek out a spot, and sometimes they look at the reserved parking area and say, hey, no one’s utilizing that,” said Stephen Tauro, communications and information with Calgary Transit.
“The beauty with having a reserved parking is you have the convenience of coming later,”
Now, with far fewer Calgarians working from home, Calgary Transit plans on adding more free spaces at most stations, except for the 69 Street Station, where there’s a much higher demand for reserved parking.
“We’ve been doing some analysis in terms of usage, and what we’re finding is there is a higher demand for free parking, not so much reserved at this time. So, we are making some adjustments,” Tauro said.
“They’re actually coming into effect in April. And so those adjustments that we’re making will better reflect the demand split for reserved versus free parking.”
Tauro says with many transit users having a hybrid working arrangement, the parking situation may vary from day to day. Calgary Transit is also looking for customer feedback through its social media channels.
