Parking, as in lack of, has become a huge problem in many GO station lots. It's a problem GO said it would rectify through the fare hike.
As far as I know, there are no plans to build a parking structure at the Oshawa station so patrons will have to continue to put up with no spaces and parking illegally. Many people who drive from further east (or north) such as Bomanville, Port Perry and Pickering aren't aware that Whitby does have a parking garage which can accommodate overflow from Oshawa. I do believe that people who park at the end of rows aren't doing so maliciously, but more out of desperation.
If you're one of those people who got a ticket for parking at a GO station, I'd like to hear from you. Drop me a line at cj@thiscrazytrain.com
Re: end of rows:
ReplyDeleteyes, some people may do it out of desperation, but there are also a LOT of times I have passed by these same people (when I drove to Ajax) that at 6:30 am, a 1/5 full parking lot, some ass parked at the end of the first row, by the stairs because they couldn't be bothered. And, as it was winter, the not frost covered car was driven that morning.
Those donkeys deserve the tickets.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Squiggles - Ajax is the WORST station for this offence. Lazy F*cks.
ReplyDeleteDay in and day out I park in the far south overflow lot and hike it nearly 800 metres to the train platform, only to see people who could have done the same (but chose not to) parking in every illegal location you can imagine - plus some you can't!
I probably shouldn't call these people Lazy F*cks though... Lazy, Self-Important, Inconsiderate F*cks would be a more fitting description.
The Newmarket GO train station fills up before the last train to Union each day too. Sometimes by the second-to-last. It's the unpredictability that's maddening. That, and having acres of mostly-empty parking space nearby, all metered so that you have to pay $3 for the day AND $6 for the last two minutes of the "night".
ReplyDeleteAt least it's possible to count on a spot at the East Gwillumbury GO train lot. For the time being. If you like driving north to catch a south-bound train.
They aren't building a parking garage in Oshawa because eventually that station will be shut down and used for Via only . . .hopefully when they open the other stations throughout Oshawa, Courtice and Bowmanville it will help with the parking.
ReplyDelete"If you like driving north to catch a south-bound train."
ReplyDeleteAhaha. There's something painfully ironic about that (is that the word I'm looking for? Yeah, I think it is).
Back in the day when Oakville threw in 2,000 new homes on the west side of Windston Churchill below 403, and provided us with NO buses or schools over there, I would commute in on LSW from the very tiny Clarkson station. This was prior to the 2nd installment of expansion currently going on there. AKA? - NO PARKING. North lot filled by 6:50AM, south lot filled by 6:52 AM - alternative? We parked in the ditches and laneways all the way out to Royal Windsor Drive in the south lot or all the way to Truscot in the North lot. Over the course of 8 months, cost of my commute included over $800 IN PARKING TICKETS. We screamed at GO for more parking - GO transit said scream at the town of Oakville for buses. Glad to see over 22 years later they actually added more parking for you guys.
ReplyDelete