York Region commuters battle for parking at Aurora GO train station

YorkRegion.com
March 28, 2018
Kim Zarzour

Thank you, Metrolinx, but it’s just not enough.

Laura Atkins is not impressed with Metrolinx’s recent announcement of 69 more parking spaces at the Aurora GO station.

The Aurora resident has been rising before dawn, pulling into the still-dark parking lot on Wellington to nab an elusive spot before fellow commuters get there first.

She has been in a panic as her train time loomed, scouring local neighbourhoods for spots, and hoofing it along dark and icy streets blocks from the station.

When all else fails, she’s driven past the full station in her own town to park at Gormley station 20 minutes away — or invented her own parking spot and been socked with a $100 ticket.

It’s a stressful way to start the day, and she believes it will only get worse.

Metrolinx spokesperson Suniya Kukaswadia says construction on the 69 new spots won’t begin until 2019 and isn’t expected to be completed until 2023.

Too little, too late, Atkins says.

For five years she has commuted by public transit to her job with the City of Toronto. Parking has become more difficult each year, but in the past three months, it has become “untenable”.

“We recognize that this is an incredibly difficult situation for our residents,” says Aurora Mayor Geoffrey Dawe, adding the town is working with Metrolinx to help find solutions.

Parking challenges are not unique to Aurora, he says.

“We hope that things like additional stations — such as the Gormley Station and the new Bloomington Station — will help Metrolinx ease the burden.”

Carpool options like Smart Commute are another option, he says.

Been there, done that, Atkins says.

She is on a carpool waiting list and has worked with YRT and Smart Commute looking for alternatives, but she commutes with her daughter — who must bring equipment to her Toronto school — making cycling impossible, and the bus route is a 20-minute-long “scenic tour of Aurora”.

The parking lot is now full at 7:10 a.m., and Metrolinx is handing out $100 tickets for those who "parked creatively", while the town tickets $35 for parking by the Town Park, she says.

Social media is buzzing with angry Aurora commuters with similar concerns, as well as local residents upset that GO travelers are taking up spaces at the park and Shepherd’s Bush.

Metrolinx appears to be aware of the problem. In its GO Rail Station Access Plan dated December, 2016, a study listed high parking demand a top issue.

“In many stations parking supply is not sufficient to meet demand, resulting in customer complaints and illegal offsite parking.”

Metrolinx spokesperson Scott Money says Metrolinx and YRT are working to deliver a “seamless network” but there are challenges such as bus/train meeting times and service frequency.

Atkins hopes for a quicker resolution.

“I don’t see how it’s remotely responsible to offer all day two-way trains without the transit or parking to support it, and judging by the conversations on the trains, the parking lot and local social media, the silence and lack of action on this issue will definitely be on the minds of voting commuters as well as residents fed up with spillover parking in the surrounding community.”