Metropass holders to pay for parking?

[TOareaFan]

I guess I'm asking where the limit is. How much time are you willing to give up in order to never have to pay / hunt for parking?

You really have to do two sets of calcs......how much additional time would you allow transit to get you there/back in the current world where parking is free (it may be hard to find sometimes but it is free) and how much additional time would you be willing to spend on transit if parking where, both, rare and not-free.

Everyday, consumers of all products make quick analyses of product value propositions without realizing it. Creating a cost for parking, automatically changes the value proposition for public transit. In some cases it might improve transit's VP and in some it may damage it.

I am already questioning why I am paying over $300 to park downtown based on earlier posts!

 

[W. K. Lis]

Maybe a 50% parking discount for the Metropass users maybe a compromise that could be considered.

The problem as I really see it is that drivers will try to park somewhere for free. Parking in shopping centre lots, parking long term on side streets, parking at your aunt’s downtown home, could increase to avoid paying.

Maybe we have to install meters at ALL shopping center or office parking lots as the first step to get away from being so dependent on the automobile. Why do we have free parking on some store’s parking lot, but there are meters on the streets next to them.

 

[TOareaFan]

Why do we have free parking on some store’s parking lot, but there are meters on the streets next to them.

The parking lots are owned by whoever owns the building and they factor the cost of providing and maintaining the parking into the cost of ownership and view easy free parking as a attractive feature in drawing customers.

The streets are owned/maintained by the taxpayer who is less concerned about the succcess of the store than the cost to the public coffers of providng that parking.

As it should be.

Good luck convincing the first mall owner to install parking meters!

 

[nfitz]

The flaw with the arguement is that $50 per month on top of the $180/month for the monthly GO pass will just make me drive my car to the city and park downtown for $150/month!
So much for the environment, I need to look out for myself too!

Fare enough. What if they left it at $150 a month with parking, and made it $120 a month without. Or $160 a month with parking, $130 without?

 

[Chuck]

If the goal is to encourage people to take transit to the subway, the maximum daily cost of $6 per day arguably isn't even high enough. Those coming in from York Region would have to pay about $5 per day to take YRT to the subway. If all it takes is an extra dollar to buy you a spot at Finch, the choice is quite obvious - continue driving. If cost is a major motivating factor, the daily parking rate at Finch would have to be raised to about $10 to make a dent.

If GO on the other hand was to start charging for parking, then fine. But any revenues should go directly into subsidizing those who take local transit to the station. Shuttles should be free.

 

[kEiThZ]

TTC Considers Cutting Parking For Metropass Holders, http://www.citynews.ca/news/news_26160.aspx

Seems like a brilliant move. I'm tired of this city providing incentives to those considering leaving their cars and taking public transit to work.

I'd like to see how the public works out cost/benefit on this. I am predicting there will be fewer metropasses sold if there is no drop in price of the pass with the onset of paid parking.

That said, paid parking would be good. If they charge enough, they can probably spruce up those lots with full time attendants and better security, and possibly increase the number of spots.

 

[lordmandeep]

I don't blame for wanting to drive if it takes double, but lets say they had a bus which took five more minutes than a car (including walking to the stop). Would you take it?

What about 10 minutes more?

I guess I'm asking where the limit is. How much time are you willing to give up in order to never have to pay / hunt for parking?

If it was 5 mins sure and it had to be frequent bus service but I live 10km and there is no single bus route...

I live in Brampton, so 5-10 frequencies are a luxury up here unlike the TTC.

 

[jimmy01]

If the goal is to encourage people to take transit to the subway, the maximum daily cost of $6 per day arguably isn't even high enough. Those coming in from York Region would have to pay about $5 per day to take YRT to the subway. If all it takes is an extra dollar to buy you a spot at Finch, the choice is quite obvious - continue driving. If cost is a major motivating factor, the daily parking rate at Finch would have to be raised to about $10 to make a dent.

If GO on the other hand was to start charging for parking, then fine. But any revenues should go directly into subsidizing those who take local transit to the station. Shuttles should be free.

Actually, YRT costs 3$ since January 08, so it's 6$ both ways.

 

[drum118]

If the goal is to encourage people to take transit to the subway, the maximum daily cost of $6 per day arguably isn't even high enough. Those coming in from York Region would have to pay about $5 per day to take YRT to the subway. If all it takes is an extra dollar to buy you a spot at Finch, the choice is quite obvious - continue driving. If cost is a major motivating factor, the daily parking rate at Finch would have to be raised to about $10 to make a dent.

If GO on the other hand was to start charging for parking, then fine. But any revenues should go directly into subsidizing those who take local transit to the station. Shuttles should be free.

As for shuttles, you better tell Mississauga they better not cancel the 2 from Cooksville next year after the year review take place. It is on borrow time now. They already charge $.10 more to use the shuttles compare to other system. It going up $.05 in 2009 another $.05 in 2010.

As long we offer free parking, it is only moving GHG from one location to another without really dealing with the problem in the first place.

In some place, there is a need for parking as to put in transit or free shuttle would be too costly as well having poor ridership.

For the city of Toronto, Only Kipling, Downsview, Finch and STC should have transit lots and the rest must go. A fee will still be require to cover 100% of operation cost as well a 15% profit that goes back into the system.

As for GO, 50% of their lots need to go and again should have at least $10 per day cost to use a spot. I will support the idea of using that money to fund transit servicing GO stations.

 

[carrefour]

I have never liked the idea of penealizing those how don't take public transit by charging them more.

Don't get me wrong, I think public transit is God and the car is the Devil,

but, how can we charge people money to park their cars at a subway station, when quite frankly, driving is the only option?

I mean, people always talk about tolling the Gardiner or something in order to force people to take public transit,

but public transit is inefficient in the GTA, at best! I used to work near Exhibition station. Brilliant, I thought. But Then the bus route to my train station where I used to live, Erindale, was split in two, requiring me to take 2 buses, one which did a loop all around the Big Boxes of Dundas; transfer; only to realise that although the train comes close to passing Exhibition, it doesn't stop at Exhibition nor at Bloor. Which means I would arrive at Union and transfer again. Regardless, I started work at 10am and there were no trains from Erindale at that time.

I drove. There's no rush hour traffic at this time anyway.

When we start to use our taxes and fees on improving (re: creating) an efficient transit network allowing for all types of travel, then we could start to attack those who still continue to drive.

 

[ShonTron]

Steve Munro has a good post on this. He finds that the TTC subsidizes Metropass parking spots to the tune of about $1/day per space. So if the TTC only charged the "downtown premium express" surcharge of $32 on Metropasses, that would be quite fair. But the TTC seems to want to charge everyone the same, and is look at this for additional revenue, not just to break even on parking.

 

[salmonz]

Bad idea

Hi

It's a bad idea charging for parking now. Those who park at TTC lots for free with a Metropass may live outside Toronto and may find it difficult to use public transit to connect with the TTC.

I think there's going to be a backlash to the TTC from today's riders. This backlash will be 'attrition' of existing riders.

I for one will never use the TTC again. This is just another tax and counter-productive. Parking lots should be free because they are an "incentive", not an "expense". The folks at TTC know nothing about customer loyalty.

 

[afransen]

Spots are scarce resources and need to be apportioned fairly. The fairest way to apportion them is by making people pay to use them, and use the proceeds to either increase parking or make the system cheaper for the rest of its users.

 

[CDL.TO]

What gets me is that it isn't free parking for transit users (like with GO). Instead it's only free parking for one class of transit user... those with a Metropass. How is it fair that someone who pays their transit fare with a pass (perhaps because they work downtown every day) gets free parking, while someone who pays their transit fare with a token (maybe they only work in the city 2 or 3 days a week, or are taking an occasional trip) has to pay $4-$6 for parking?

It's time for the TTC to get rid of free parking where there is sufficient demand and offer a fair-priced monthly parking pass.

 

[RedRocket191]

It's time for the TTC to get rid of free parking where there is sufficient demand and offer a fair-priced monthly parking pass.

Well, half of what you wanted came true.