A Burnaby woman says the City of Burnaby is “squeezing money” out of people by introducing metered parking at the Lake City Way SkyTrain station.
For the last two years, Isabelle Forget and her husband have commuted to work by driving from their home to the station (about five minutes away), parking nearby for free and then hopping on the train. Forget works in downtown Vancouver and her husband works in Metrotown.
That all changed recently when Forget discovered the city plans to charge for parking in that area.
“On top of paying $124 for a (Compass) pass, we would be spending an extra $100 a month just to park there,” Forget told the NOW. “It’ll certainly be a deterrent for me, so I guess I’ll revert back to the bus, which will extend my commute.”
The problem with taking the bus is that the closest one to her home, route 136, only comes every 30 minutes, she said, and rush hour is no different.
“I would be quite happy to take the bus, but the service is not good at all in the area, which is why so many people park at Lake City.”
Some bus drivers leave the SkyTrain station before their designated time, forcing passengers to miss their connection, according to Forget.
“You’d often show up and you could watch the bus drive away, which on a 30-minute schedule is quite upsetting because now your commute suddenly doubles,” she said, suggesting TransLink should increase bus frequency during peak times.
The 136 route is busy, but not overcrowded, according to TransLink spokesperson Aliya Mohamed.
“Our data shows there are minimal to no pass-ups along the 136. ... At this point, this specific route is not slated for an expansion in service frequency for 2018,” she said, noting customer feedback is always welcomed and reviewed at feedback.translink.ca.
As for drivers leaving their post too early, Mohamed said TransLink trains its staff to adhere to the schedule.
“We do want to hear about instances when that is not the case, so it can be addressed,” she said.
In an emailed statement, Moudud Hasan, a senior transportation engineer with the City of Burnaby, said parking meters are being installed at Lake City as “an effective way to manage demands” and to ensure everyone, including early morning commuters, daytime SkyTrain passengers and local business customers have access to the parking spaces. (Parking meters are already in place at most of Burnaby’s SkyTrain stations.)
“Pay parking for premium spaces adjacent to SkyTrain stations also encourages commuters to consider alternative forms of transportation such as local transit buses, walking, cycling and carpooling,” he wrote. “Parking meters also generate turnover, so a single space can serve more users.”
Unmetered parking near SkyTrain stations can have negative consequences, noted Hasan. He gave the example of folks travelling after 7 a.m. who can’t find accessible on-street parking near the station.
“Unregulated parking attracts longer distance motorists to use Lake City as their trip starting point rather than using their nearby transit access options,” he said.
The city will install parking meters for 43 stalls, all within 300 metres walking distance of the Lake City SkyTrain station, according to Hasan. That will still leave more than 100 unmetered parking spaces within 300 to 700 metres of the station.
But for Forget, those 100-plus stalls are a safety concern, especially at night.
“Because it’s an industrial area, after 4:30 p.m., especially in wintertime when it’s dark, personally as a woman, I wouldn’t feel safe walking to my car, back to where the free spaces are,” she said. “I feel like the city is squeezing money out of us when all we’re trying to do is use public transit.”
