[jeff316]

I wasn't building a case against transit (I like transit) I was simply trying to point out how the average joe commuter would view fees for parking.

? Neither am I.

I'm adding another commuting cost that many average joe commuters already face, in addition to existing GO fare and any potential parking charge. Monthly GO Train pass + 120$ TTC (2 trips per day) + daily parking charge = significant cumulative cost for commuters.

We're on the same page.

 

[Jonny5]

A lot already are paying for parking. The number of reserved spots at Lakeshore stations is high. Oakville seems to have about two hundred reserved spots. The expanded parking lot at the west end seemed to be instantnly filled with reservation signs. Some of those spots are a good five minute walk to the station. They are all paying $70 a month. I wonder if the ability and demand for pay spots is what is driving parking expansion at Lakeshore stations.

 

[TOareaFan]

A lot already are paying for parking. The number of reserved spots at Lakeshore stations is high. Oakville seems to have about two hundred reserved spots. The expanded parking lot at the west end seemed to be instantnly filled with reservation signs. They are all paying $70 a month.

Yes....and this is a good strategy for GO (IMHO)........instead of charging everyone $5 a day.....manage, market and maximize the revenue from spots that people will pay for on a willing volunteer basis.

I pay for a spot at Brampton....I do so cause I like the convenience and, therefore, it is pay by choice and I do not feel put out or overcharged.......it does not drive me away from GO...if anything I use GO more often now than before I had this reserved spot.......that sort of parking fee/revenue should be maximized over any revenue you might derive from charging everyone....a charge that might (for some) be the tipping point away from public transit.

 

[Markster]

Interesting, I was unaware of the premium spots.
As long as they provide a steady supply of premium spots, and do a fair job of marketing them (i.e. empty premium spots should be marketing enough) this seems like a reasonable way to gradually phase in paid parking.

 

[TOareaFan]

GO Transit will run extra train service for Honda Indy

​

Toronto, June 28, 2011 – On Sunday, July 10, 2011, GO Transit is running extra train trips along the Lakeshore corridors for the Honda Indy.

Along the Lakeshore West and East corridors, there will be two Toronto-bound GO Train trips before the Honda Indy, one from either direction. After the end of the event, there will be two homebound trips from Exhibition along the Lakeshore corridors, one in either direction.

Extra Honda Indy service:


· An eastbound Lakeshore West train departing Aldershot GO Station at 11:34 a.m. making all stops to Union Station, arriving at Exhibition GO Station at 12:30 p.m.
· A westbound Lakeshore East train departing Oshawa GO Station at 11:11 a.m. making all stops to Exhibition GO Station, arriving at 12:16 p.m.
· A westbound Lakeshore West train departing Union Station at 5:20 p.m. making all stops to Aldershot GO Station, arriving at 6:30 p.m.
· An eastbound Lakeshore East train departing Exhibition GO Station at 5:30 p.m. making all stops to Oshawa GO Station, arriving at 6:32 p.m.


Visit gotransit.com for information about this extra service, as well as regular schedule information. All regular GO Train and GO Bus service will not be affected; extra train-meet buses will not be provided.

The event is expected to draw more than one million people to downtown Toronto. GO is a comfortable transportation alternative without the stress of traffic and parking.

We promise to make your experience comfortable, visit gotransit.com/promise/comfort.

For more information on GO services, the public can call 416.869.3200, 1.888.GET ON GO (438.6646), 1.800.387.3652 TTY, or visit gotransit.com.

GO Transit is the Province of Ontario's interregional public transit system linking Toronto with the surrounding regions of the Greater Toronto & Hamilton Area. GO carries about 57 million passengers a year in an extensive network of train and bus services that spans over 10,000 square kilometres. GO Transit is a division of Metrolinx, an agency of the Province of Ontario. Follow GO on Twitter and Facebook.
Disponible en français
For further information: Media enquiries - Vanessa Thomas, (416) 874-5974 or Malon Edwards, (416) 874-5945.

I guess when they said they might run trains on other lines (experimenting with off peak) for special events....this was not one of them!

 

[ShonTron]

It is very difficult for local transit to service trains that largely operate only in one direction, during rush hours only, and at low frequencies. And it doesn't help that many GO stations are positioned to serve parking lots at the expense of local pedestrian access from the street, Dixie Station being a prime example, and the local 5 Dixie bus definitely not a low frequency route. Neither is the 19 Hurontario (Cooksville), 26 Burnhamthorpe (Erindale), 13/29 Glen Erin/Park Royal (Clarkson), 23 Lakeshore (Clarkson, Port Credit, Long Branch), 11 Steeles (Bramelea), 1/501 Queen + 2 Main (Brampton), Viva Vlue/Purple/Pink (Langstaff), etc.

But no matter how high the frequencies, don't expect GO riders to use local transit when they are essentially forced to pay for GO parking.

Except that at least GO stations in older suburban centres, especially Port Credit and Brampton, are well served by local transit to such a point, it's merely a flight down the stairs in those two cases. Cooksville should be improved (the connection to the Hurontario bus), but it's not too bad either. At least Bramalea, Mount Pleasant, Clarkson, Oakville and Milton also have decent bus loops very close at hand, and they seem to be positioned better to the platforms than in yesteryear - oh what fun Bramalea used to be. The stations might mostly be seas (and now towers) of parking stalls, but a pretty good disincentive are the traffic jams at the PM peak and/or long walks to the platforms, at least most buses are close to the front door - though more frequent, smaller trains would even out the tidal gridlock.

That said, a nominal rate for parking, at least in the AM peak, is a good idea - many commuter rail systems in the US do this (the biggies including Metra, LIRR, Metro-North, NJ Transit). Most US commuter-heavy metro systems (ie Washington) also charge a fair amount, even off-peak.

 

[DavidH]

I wasn't building a case against transit (I like transit) I was simply trying to point out how the average joe commuter would view fees for parking.

There was discussion and a plan to implement paid parking several years ago, although it obviously did not happen. The key point would have been that fares would have been reduced in compensation (which makes sense, because the cost of maintaining parking is currently covered by fares for the most part). Those who need to park would have essentially paid what they are paying now, but there would have been the inducement to avoid parking and save (I'm guessing) $4 a day.

 

[nfitz]

There was discussion and a plan to implement paid parking several years ago, although it obviously did not happen. The key point would have been that fares would have been reduced in compensation (which makes sense, because the cost of maintaining parking is currently covered by fares for the most part). Those who need to park would have essentially paid what they are paying now, but there would have been the inducement to avoid parking and save (I'm guessing) $4 a day.

I'd be quite happy to save $4 a day for not parking ... oh hang on .. my fare is only $4.03 ...

 

[TOareaFan]

There was discussion and a plan to implement paid parking several years ago, although it obviously did not happen. The key point would have been that fares would have been reduced in compensation (which makes sense, because the cost of maintaining parking is currently covered by fares for the most part). Those who need to park would have essentially paid what they are paying now, but there would have been the inducement to avoid parking and save (I'm guessing) $4 a day.

I'd be quite happy to save $4 a day for not parking ... oh hang on .. my fare is only $4.03 ...

And, therein, lies the dilema. Parking costs and has the same relative value at every station.....but, as niftz points out, the fares vary greatly and in some cases you would be providing, essentially, free transit.

There seems to be a feeling amongst some here that all those suburbanites that park at GO stations are doing so for economic reasons alone. "why take local transit when I can park for free". I would bet that the vast majority are doing for convenience reasons......it fits their life better....they may drop kids off at school/daycare in the morning then head to the station....they may shop or pick up dinner or go to events after they get home....and those things may not fit on a bus schedule very well.

Making parking cost might just make them think things like "dropped the kid off, already in my car, gonna cost me to park at GO anyway, ah well I'll keep on driving."

The fact that GO has studied parking charges in the past and their parking lots are full(ish) now tells me that they have reached the conclusion that parking charges will hurt ridership and that the current model is the one they should/are sticking with.

 

[gweed123]

And, therein, lies the dilema. Parking costs and has the same relative value at every station.....but, as niftz points out, the fares vary greatly and in some cases you would be providing, essentially, free transit.

There seems to be a feeling amongst some here that all those suburbanites that park at GO stations are doing so for economic reasons alone. "why take local transit when I can park for free". I would bet that the vast majority are doing for convenience reasons......it fits their life better....they may drop kids off at school/daycare in the morning then head to the station....they may shop or pick up dinner or go to events after they get home....and those things may not fit on a bus schedule very well.

Making parking cost might just make them think things like "dropped the kid off, already in my car, gonna cost me to park at GO anyway, ah well I'll keep on driving."

The fact that GO has studied parking charges in the past and their parking lots are full(ish) now tells me that they have reached the conclusion that parking charges will hurt ridership and that the current model is the one they should/are sticking with.

I think that it's a combination of that and "the bus service in my area is so damn slow/too infrequent". If it takes you 20 minutes by bus to get to the GO station, but 5 minutes by car, I'd choose the car too. Frankly, I don't really see a problem with people driving to the GO station. Doing 5% of your commute by car isn't a travesty. For most people, that 5% is on local streets that see little to no congestion.

The problem comes with the land use (or lack theirof) around GO stations with a sea of parking. I'd like to see redevelopment around stations that have a sea of parking, where the parking is either buried underground with a mixed-use district at ground level. A less ideal solution, but one that I think is a lot more practical, is to have Big Box development on the ground floor, and 2 or 3 parking levels above it, resulting in a 3-4 storey building. Think about it: Big Box stores do the majority of their business in off-peak times (evenings, weekends, etc). The parking lots would be multi-function. Also, I think it would be very convenient for a lot of people to stop off at the Sobey's at the GO station after work, and then go up a few floors to their car that they parked there all day. You're essentially combining trips.

Just a thought.

 

[Jonny5]

Frankly, I don't really see a problem with people driving to the GO station. Doing 5% of your commute by car isn't a travesty. For most people, that 5% is on local streets that see little to no congestion.

From my observations and talking to pretty much everyone I know who uses GO, that is not the situation at all. People are not taking a leisurely jaunt down the block in their car to the station. The streets they are driving on are not roads that see little or no congestion.

They are on clogged expressways and arterial roads. Some are driving more than 30 minutes to the station, in heavy tracffic most of the way. They would take the bus, but it gets stuck in the same traffic too. It is a travesty because it doesn't have to be like this at all, but we do nothing to change it, even where we can change it and even where we are building brand new and it would cost the same to design it better.

 

[gweed123]

From my observations and talking to pretty much everyone I know who uses GO, that is not the situation at all. People are not taking a leisurely jaunt down the block in their car to the station. The streets they are driving on are not roads that see little or no congestion.

They are on clogged expressways and arterial roads. Some are driving more than 30 minutes to the station, in heavy tracffic most of the way. They would take the bus, but it gets stuck in the same traffic too. It is a travesty because it doesn't have to be like this at all, but we do nothing to change it, even where we can change it and even where we are building brand new and it would cost the same to design it better.

My experience is mainly with taking the GO train in from Burlington, from a house that's maybe a 10 minute drive away from Burlington Stn. While Brant St sees a little bit of congestion, it's generally a pretty smooth ride. I guess my experience isn't typical.

 

[sixrings]

maybe if the go lines worked every ten or fifteen minutes the go line would become more then just commuter oriented... Instead it could become a hub of activity... If that were the case then charging a small amount for parking would make alot of sense. 2$ a spot... I invision in 50 years there will be a parking fee everywhere. Soon the malls will realize they can give away free parking or they can charge a fortune to condo developers who would gladly build on their land...

 

[Jonny5]

My experience is mainly with taking the GO train in from Burlington, from a house that's maybe a 10 minute drive away from Burlington Stn. While Brant St sees a little bit of congestion, it's generally a pretty smooth ride. I guess my experience isn't typical.

I've been to Burlington a lot and it could be a time of day issue, Fairview Street and Brant seem to be at their worst from 4 to 8 pm. Guelph Line too. The recent change to the QEW ramps by Mapleview mall does seems to have made a big difference in that area, but things are a mess in the north. Trafalgar Road in Oakville is another bad spot.

I know someone who drives to Burlington GO from Hamilton everyday and he says the congestion on the 403, even at 6:30am, is very bad. Getting to the Hamilton GO station would be a bit faster, but it also puts him 20 minutes further back on the train line.

Burlington and Oakville are growing further away from the Lakeshore line every day. People moving in along the 407 will have no easy ride to any GO station.

 

[doady]

I'd be quite happy to save $4 a day for not parking ... oh hang on .. my fare is only $4.03 ...

So you only play fare for one direction? I hate fare evaders.