Aurora council won’t allow 15 parking permits for GO Transit commuters at Town Park
Yorkregion.com
May 24, 2016
By Sean Pearce
GO commuter permit parking will not be allowed at Town Park.
Council turned down a staff report at this week’s general committee meeting recommending the allocation of 15 parking spaces at the park for GO commuters through a parking permit program.
Council shot down the recommendation citing that the burden of finding a parking solution for GO commuters shouldn’t rest on the shoulders of the municipality.
“It is unfair of Metrolinx to provide a service and then burden the town to find parking solutions,” Councillor Jeff Thom said.
“We are being forced to create a two-tiered policy for parking in town.”
Less than a month ago, council agreed to implement parking restrictions at Town Park and some of the surrounding streets, specifically a two-hour limit, to prevent commuters from parking.
However, Thom points out residents in the rest of town can park on the street at any time, with the exception of winter parking restrictions.
He cautions that those living in close proximity of the GO station may feel as if they are not getting the same level of service as the rest of town when these restrictions are put into place.
“Metrolinx is a victim of its own success,” Mayor Geoff Dawe chimed in.
“But I agree that this isn’t a municipal problem and I would love to hear from the province about how they are going to solve this.”
Councillor John Abel also doesn’t feel obliged to provide parking for GO commuters although he recognizes the need for a solution that won’t push more commuters onto the surrounding side streets to park when the lot at Industrial Parkway and Wellington Street is at capacity.
“Other municipalities have their stations on the outskirts of town, but Aurora is a little different with ours being located in the heart of our heritage district,” he said.
“We need to think a little bit out of the box, make a little noise to (York) Region and pressure Metrolinx to come up with a creative way to solve it.”
Metrolinx understands that parking is an issue for customers and residents in Aurora and would be more than willing to meet with any resident or official who would like to get a better understanding of future plans, according to spokesperson Kim Johnson.
“While we know parking is an important service for GO customers and look for ways to maximize current facilities, our current focus is on how to balance the demand for parking with longer term, sustainable solutions, such as working with our partners to improve local transit connections to GO stations,” she added.
Usage is expected to quadruple and Metrolinx already knows a parking strategy won’t be enough to meet the needs of customers.
Other modes of transportation are currently being explored.
Council agreed to expand the area where a three-hour parking restriction will be implemented to streets with in the area bordered by Yonge Street, Church Street, Edward Street and Dunning Avenue from Monday to Friday.
Metrolinx will be reminded once again that there is a parking issue at the site and that a solution is needed.
