At the Century Park LRT station, the park and ride has become the park and wait.

Or really, the wait and wait and wait and wait, and then, if you're lucky, park.

These days the early birds aren't getting the worms, they're getting all the parking spots.

The city has had numerous complaints about the lack of spots at the free parking lot.

Many people say the lot is already full by 7 a.m.

City spokesperson Jennifer Laraway says it's a common problem at this time of year.

Image | Century Park LRT

Caption: A city report says all four park-and-ride lots, including Century Park (seen here), are full by 7 a.m. each weekday morning. (CBC)

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"September is definitely one of our busiest months, with everyone returning from summer holidays, whether from work or going back to school," she said. "And so we'll see peak capacity on the train, added ridership on the buses, and then also parking is definitely at a premium at our park and ride stations."

First-year MacEwan University student Kayla Forsberg said Thursday she spent 20 minutes looking for a free spot, then gave up and opted to pay instead.

"It's been difficult, to say the least, especially when you're in a rush in the morning to get to class."

Laraway said the city knows it needs to reconfigure parking at Century Park and is looking at a number of options.

In the meantime, she reminded commuters there are pay options available for those who don't come early enough to get a free spot.