Paid GO parking coming? Stouffville asks Metrolinx to reconsider=

Yorkregion.com
Simon Martin
Nov. 15, 2017

Paid parking at GO stations? That could be the future for Stouffville’s Main Street and Lincolnville GO Stations and various others around the GTA. Council and town staff weren’t happy with the proposed changes to parking that were in the Metrolinx Draft 2041 Regional Transportation Plan.

“Charging users for parking at any of the current or proposed GO stations in Whitchurch-Stouffville could add to the parking issues we already face in town,” Rob Flindall, director of Public Works and project lead of the recent Commercial and Residential Parking Study. “We may start to face issues where GO riders seek free parking in other areas of the town, reducing the availability of parking for businesses and residents.”

According to the Draft 2041 RTP, only 32 per cent of riders travelling to Toronto on the GO train arrive at their suburban GO station via a mode of transport other than a single-occupancy vehicle. Metrolinx wants to increase this number to 62-64% by 2041.

Metrolinx spokesperson Scott Money said the plan is attempting to expand first and last-mile choices for all transit choices. As part of this plan Metrolinx intends to recover the cost of parking at GO stations to help shift trips to modes that do not require parking, and allow more people to access new train services, he said.

“Locally in Whitchurch-Stouffville, this policy will help reduce the number of vehicles on the roads and ease rush hour traffic congestion around the GO stations; however, it will also require the town to increase development density and put more people within a 10-minute walk of the stations,” Haiquig Xu, deputy director of Development Services said.

“While charging for parking may work at GO stations that are well connected with local public transit, it will likely encourage more GO customers that cannot walk or take transit to the station to search for local municipal parking,” Flindall said.

“As such, staff believes Metrolinx should consider differentiating this policy between mature urban areas and suburban areas,” he said.

Whitchurch-Stouffville council agreed with town staff and passed a motion to ask Metrolinx to reconsider the charging of GO transit riders for parking in Whitchurch-Stouffville stations. An update to the draft plan is expected from Metrolinx in December.