By Robert Frank
www.thesuburban.com
Agence métropolitaine de transport (AMT) is about to test whether Laval residents will accept parking fees at its park’n’ride facility adjacent to Cartier Metro station.
Parking at Laval’s Metro stations has long been outstripped by demand, making it a daily gamble as to whether you will get a spot to leave your car for the day.
Starting July 1, commuters will have to pay $100 per month or $6.25 per day in return for one of some 130 reserved spots at the parking lot. The remaining 400 spots there will continue to be free for the time being and available on a first-come, first-served basis.
“This is a new source of revenue to fill the coffers of AMT’s capital asset fund,” regional transit authority spokeswoman Brigitte Léonard said in an electronic mail reply to The Suburban’s questions.
“Nearly 20 percent of AMT customers [said in a survey] that they were prepared to pay for a reserved parking spot,” she explained. “We will see whether the parking spaces are used during the months to come and evaluate the pilot project at the end of 2014.”
“Based on how the pilot project unfolds,” she added, “we will decide whether or not to implement parking fees more broadly in other park’n’ride facilities on AMT territory.”
AMT already charges for reserved car parking at five other commuter stations:
• Deux Montagnes (250 cars at$50/month)
• Roxboro-Pierrefonds (170 cars at $80/month)
• Ste. Thérèse (100 cars at $50/month)
• Namur (85 cars at $110/month or $7/day)
• Terrebonne (140 cars at $40/month)
AMT noted that it provides charging stations for electric cars in some AMT park’n’ride facilities, including at Cartier station. Details are available at: https://votrenouveau.amt.qc.ca/en/transit-planner/car/electric
