Barrie commuters could one day be paying separately to park at GO Transit lots before they take the train.
Metrolinx, which operates GO, is looking at paid parking at its stations as a potential revenue stream.
It was discussed at this week’s Metrolinx board meeting about progress, changes and public feedback on its Big Move project — a 25-year, $50-billion program to build extended transit throughout the Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area (GTHA).
“Right now, at this time, there are no immediate plans for charging GO customers for parking,” said Malon Edwards of Metrolinx.
“Paid parking is just one of more than 20 revenue tools we’re considering to fund the Big Move ... 20 different revenue tools.”
There is currently no separate charge for parking at Barrie’s two GO stations: Barrie South (St. Paul’s) and Allandale Waterfront.
Metrolinx says the 160 parking spots at the Allandale station are used at 94% capacity, while the 619 spaces at Barrie South are at 87% capacity.
About 100 people get on and off the GO trains at Allandale daily, Metrolinx said, while 530 passengers get on and 520 get off the Barrie South trains each weekday.
An adult or student ticket from Allandale Waterfront to Union Station in Toronto costs $12.40, and $6.20 for a senior or child. This trip costs $11.31 with the Presto card.
Metrolinx CEO Bruce McCuaig said paid parking needs to be on GO’s radar.
“It’s something that has been talked about, and I think we do need to think about it,” he said. “One of the things we’ve heard very clearly during roundtables is this strong desire for a linkage between contribution and outcome, so wherever the funding comes from, we need to demonstrate to those people that they are getting (improved service).”
Since mid-January, Metrolinx has been holding community roundtables throughout the GTHA to gather public, municipal and private-sector feedback on the project, particularly on proposed revenue tools that could be used to fund it, such as highway tolls, fuel tax, vehicle registration fee and land-transfer tax.
McCuaig didn’t provide a ballpark revenue figure if Metrolinx charged extra for parking, or how much customers would be charged to park.
“That’s dependent on the price points that are put in place and we’d also need to look at how does it relate to our fare structure… because right now all of our customers pay for parking through the fares they pay,” he said.
“I think we would have a complex process that we’d need to go through.”
Currently, there is no additional charge to park in any of the transit provider’s 66,312 parking spots.
McCuaig also wouldn’t elaborate when asked what potential revenue tools were found to be most unpopular during Metrolinx’s community roundtables held so far.
“We’re still hearing back from the public and stakeholders. I don’t want to prejudge what I’m going to be hearing from the business community, for example…I guess what I am hearing, though, is there is a lot of support for the … principles we’ve articulated.”
Metrolinx has held roundtables in Oakville, Newmarket, Mississauga, Georgetown, Ajax, Brampton, North York, Oshawa, Toronto and Hamilton.
Roundtables will be held in Dundas on Saturday and Richmond Hill next Tuesday.
Edwards said Metrolinx is nowhere near talking about how much it would charge or when it would implement separate paid parking.
“It’s too early to draw any conclusions on which revenue tools we’re going to use, whether it’s paid parking or any of the others,” he said.
“It’s just an idea, that’s exactly what it is, and we want the public to join us in talking about this idea.”
For more information, visit bigmove.ca.
(Bob Bruton - Barrie Examiner)
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