Toronto Spadina Subway Extension Emergency Exits | ?m | 1s | TTC | IBI Group

junctionist said:
Free parking is part of the classic suburban mall experience, which Yorkdale does perfectly. Charging for parking would be feasible, but the mall would probably lose some of its lustre for middle class consumers. Many people go to Yorkdale because they don't want to drive downtown and pay for parking.
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And if Yorkdale becomes pay parking, people will go to Sherway, Vaughan Mills, Fairview, etc. instead, and not to downtown.
Megaton327 said:
Not for the foreseeable future--those garages are really never full. People avoid using them for some reason, and insist on using the surface parking for the most part.
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I haven't been that way in ages.
If we are talking about parking during the day when it is free, then I am always suspicious of going to a parking garage. Open air parking "looks" like is should be free, while a parking garage "looks" like it is pay. If the reality is that the parking garage if free, they better put large signs to tell people of that fact.
 
Megaton327 said:
Not for the foreseeable future--those garages are really never full. People avoid using them for some reason, and insist on using the surface parking for the most part.
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Sometimes late at night in the indoor lots, there is a lot of traffic trying to leave, so traffic jams. A problem I see are the automatic garage doors that open and close when a car gets near. However, due to traffic, cars have to stop and go repeatedly and the garage door will CLOSE AUTOMATICALLY even though you're right next to it. So you can't see the traffic ahead whether it's clear to go or not, and you're pretty much stuck.

I haven't been in this situation, but I've seen someone in it. Of course, this can easily be solved by having the interior garage doors stay open and only open/close the door leading outside.
 
BurlOak said:
And if Yorkdale becomes pay parking, people will go to Sherway, Vaughan Mills, Fairview, etc. instead, and not to downtown.

I haven't been that way in ages.
If we are talking about parking during the day when it is free, then I am always suspicious of going to a parking garage. Open air parking "looks" like is should be free, while a parking garage "looks" like it is pay. If the reality is that the parking garage if free, they better put large signs to tell people of that fact.
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Yorkdale is, IIRC, the most successful mall - in terms of $ per sq. ft. - on the continent. As it is they have a valet service that I'm sure does OK and with every renovation their stores become more and more upscale. They have a Tesla store! (Of course, Eaton Centre charges for parking - but they're downtown.)

So while I don't expect they're going to charge for parking any time soon, I also don't think they have to worry about customers suddenly fleeing. "What, you expect me to pay $500 for this Coach purse and $2,000 for this Louis Vuitton bag and pick up $1,000 worth of sundry items at Holts AND pay $5 for parking?! We'll be off to the outlets at Vaughan Mill instead, thank you very much!"

I regret not getting a picture of it but last time I has there they had an amazingly passive aggressive said that effectively said, "If you just parked your car at the mall to take the TTC, yeah, sorry. We don't have TTC parking now - that's for shoppers - so get back in and go somewhere else."

Sum point being, Yorkdale is plenty secure with its position in the market. If we come to a point where they start charging for parking, I expect it will be the start of a trend, rather than them sending customers fleeing elsewhere.

And I agree people don't head to the garages. I come at the mall from the east so I've only been in them a couple of times but they're awesome, with those fancy lights showing you where open spots are. It's not a hassle, but it seems like it because you have to take a ticket etc. Just like I don't mind paying $2 extra to have a reserved seat at the movies, I might pay a couple of bucks for those instead of contending with the disaster that is that parking lot.
 
TJ O'Pootertoot said:
So while I don't expect they're going to charge for parking any time soon, I also don't think they have to worry about customers suddenly fleeing. "What, you expect me to pay $500 for this Coach purse and $2,000 for this Louis Vuitton bag and pick up $1,000 worth of sundry items at Holts AND pay $5 for parking?!
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I don't think Yorkdale survives on those sort of stores. Yes, they are there, but they seem to make almost all of their money on the cheaper places in the mall. And someone who wants to go to Gap, H&M, the Apple Store, Old Navy or the Yorkdale food court won't bother if they have to pay for parking.

Also, if you're spending thousands of dollars, you're probably just gonna leave your car at the valet.
 
amnesiajune said:
The frenzy is just because people are too lazy to drive around to the underground parking lots on the south side of the mall.
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Many folks, like my parents, refuse to use underground lots. They are scared of them. Worried about being mugged or worse.
 
amnesiajune said:
I don't think Yorkdale survives on those sort of stores. Yes, they are there, but they seem to make almost all of their money on the cheaper places in the mall. And someone who wants to go to Gap, H&M, the Apple Store, Old Navy or the Yorkdale food court won't bother if they have to pay for parking.

Also, if you're spending thousands of dollars, you're probably just gonna leave your car at the valet.
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Considering the last two mall expansions have been very upscale i have to question why you think it is gap,h&m,old navy which is propping up the mall. Surely if it was cheaper stores that helped make the mall go they would expand with these stores in mind. They dont though. I think the reality is that the future mid range items will largely be bought online. However large items people want to see in stores.
 
amnesiajune said:
The frenzy is just because people are too lazy to drive around to the underground parking lots on the south side of the mall. Those underground parking lots usually have a fair amount of space.
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I would love to see shopping malls start to charge for those premium, high visibility lots.
Instead of everyone who comes to the mall trying in vain to get the most convenient parking, it would mean that the traffic disperses in at least a few directions before parking, and so the traffic becomes more manageable. And if someone really needs to park immediately, first thing, then they can pay a small fee.
 
Some malls (Sherway Gardens being one) now have valet parking for a fee.

It doesn't deter some from cruising and crawling around the closest-to-the-door lanes, stalking shoppers coming out of the mall who may be about to give up their parking space. A waste in terms of both time and fuel, but that's human nature for you.

- Paul
 
Johnny Au said:
Lawrence Square has free parking and is rarely enforced. It also helps that it's very close to Yorkdale and is also next to a subway station.
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It'll be like trying to park in any free parking lot. If they can prove you are not using the building associated with the parking lot, you could be towed.

Seen it happen at shopping centres where people board casino buses. They leave their cars at the shopping centre parking lot, but to return to see it gone.
 
Hwy 407 station


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