Four year wait list for parking at Century Park LRT has no solution in sight
'They've just made it easier for lazy people who don't want to get here early'
In the past four years, Matt Slobodan has started a new job, moved into a new house, and watched his young family grow by two more children.
Something that Slobodan hasn't managed to do since 2012 is find a good solution to the parking situation at the Century Park LRT station. That's when he first put his name on a wait list for a reserved spot there.
"I get here by 6:10 a.m. every day. They've just made it easier for lazy people who don't want to get here early and now they can pay $50," he said on Wednesday.
Slobodan was in the park and ride the day before 75 per cent of those parking stalls were to become reserved for those paying a fee of $50 per month That's up from 14 per cent of the 1,300 parking stalls previously reserved — the rest were free, but often filled before 8 a.m.
The unpaved parking patch beside the LRT station may be the most popular parking lot in the country. There are almost 5,000 people waiting for a reserved spot. Many have been on the list for longer than a person might spend obtaining a college degree.
"This is an extreme situation," said Julian Jones, a spokesman for Impark, the company that manages the parking lot and more than 3,500 other sites across North America. "Generally speaking, we don't run waiting lists on lots."
In July, city council approved a plan to increase the number of reserved stalls at Century Park. More reserved stalls are also coming to Belvedere, Clareview, and Stadium station park-and-rides.
The city has said the plan will help cover the $800,000 cost of maintaining the lots.
This is an extreme situation. Generally speaking, we don't run waiting lists on lots.- Julian Jones
Slobodan won't be parking there anymore. He has already purchased a monthly pass to park in a lot close to his downtown office
"It's $200 per month to not put up with the LRT."
Slobodan was actually contacted in March about a reserved spot at the Century Park park and ride. But after four years on the wait list, he had already adjusted his work schedule to start early in the day. At the time, the plan to decrease the amount of free parking hadn't been discussed, so he turned down the spot.
"I was always here by 6:10 a.m. anyway, I didn't need to spend an extra $42 per month on parking."
ETS spokeswoman Jennifer Laraway encouraged all commuters to, "make a Plan B before you even leave the house." She also encouraged people to consider taking express busses downtown from Eaux Claire, Meadows, and Lewis Farms transit centres.
"It's one of the hidden gems where people don't realize they have free parking and quick access to downtown."
Laraway said the entire park and ride at Century Park will be free after 5 p.m. on week nights, and all day on weekends.
That's good news for commuters such as Anthony Waggott, who uses the lot for occasional trips into the city.
"I don't mind driving a little bit to take the train to get down there, it reduces the hassle, especially with Rogers Place opening up," he said. "With events, it is nice to just hop on the train and just go down but if there's no free park and ride, it doesn't really make a lot of sense."