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Train station parking finally expanded
Work on lot begins, plan will alleviate congestion on streets
Karen Seidman
The Gazette
Saturday, November 22, 2008
Cars fill the parking lot by the Roxboro train station. (Gazette file photo)
Construction is just getting going on a much-anticipated new parking lot near the Roxboro-Pierrefonds train station that is expected to help ease congestion on the streets near the Gouin Blvd. station.
The 111-space parking lot was promised last spring by the Montreal Transit Corp. to address the problem of inadequate parking spots for commuters relying on the train. There are about 2,835 people taking the train every morning at the station, but only 776 parking spots, forcing many commuters to park on nearby streets.
Last week, Pierrefonds-Roxboro councillor Christian Dubois said work is just about to start on the parking lot behind the church across the street from the station. For now, it will be a temporary, gravel lot. Paving will be completed in spring.
“As a municipal government, we encourage people to take public transportation, so we have to have parking at the train,” said Dubois.
He said the borough has been trying to resolve the parking problem at the Roxboro-Pierrefonds train station for at least two years.
“I was at the AMT in January 2006 asking them to do this (build an additional parking lot),” Dubois said.
The problem was exacerbated last winter when parking was suddenly permitted on some of the side streets near the train station, angering residents. There was so much frustration that, at one point, a resident put leaflets on cars parked near the station asking commuters to park on other streets.
“Our streets were so full of people who parked here that you couldn’t pass,” said Roxboro resident Ed Hoyer. “It was especially bad in the winter.”
Pierrefonds finally commissioned an engineering firm to study the parking situation. That angered residents, as well, because they weren’t consulted about the study.
The situation was finally resolved early in June when the Pierrefonds-Roxboro council passed a motion forbidding parking on weekdays from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Fourth, Fifth, Sixth, Seventh and Eighth Sts. Parking also became more limited on streets like Jean Brilliant and Vanier.
According to city officials, the study had shown that there were only about 89 cars parked in the area beyond the station’s parking lot, so it is believed the new parking lot will go a long way toward addressing the problem.
There is just one possible glitch, according to Dubois. The new parking lot might attract even more commuters, congesting the area all over again.
“Some people say if you make more parking, more people will come,” he said. “We hope it will all work out. We think we’re on the right path.”