So who paid Transit parking fee's?

[4X4]

So how long before the City petitions the province to make front end plates mandatory again?

I can see the conversation now:

Bronco: Ed, can we get front end plates again?
Ed: Dammit Dave, I said NO MORE MONEY!
Bronco: Ed, I'm not asking for money, I'm asking for front end plates...
Ed: Oops, just so used to you whining about money... Front end plates, eh? Why?
Bronco: So that fining people in parking lots becomes more efficient. I'll be making more money and then I wont have to ask you for more.

Next morning newspaper headline: Welcome Back Front End Plates!!

[tvp2003]

First day and City Counsel is already backtracking: http://www.calgaryherald.com/news/Ca...187/story.html

Parking at transit park and ride lots on weekends and evenings could once again be free, after council approved looking at a change to its new rates.

The vote, just hours after the new $3 parking fee went into effect at three lots this morning, would leave in place the weekday charges.

I found this laughable:

City staff will come back to council in early April with a report looking at how the $1.5 million — the estimate of what free weekend and evening parking would cost Calgary Transit in revenue — could be made up in its budget.

You mean the "Park and Ride Maintenance/Security Budget", right?!? Glad they have to "make up" for this in the budget - already spending cash they don't even have yet...

[Superflyer]

I find it funny how people are spending so much time trying to figure out how to get around this.
Saying that they are just going to park downtown, there are only so many spots downtown and what are you going to do when you get down there and cannot find a spot? There are spots for $6 downtown, sure but they are on the outskirts of the core, if you work in the middle are you going to walk that far, doubt it. And those spots are going to be gone by 6:30 anyways with the people that get down there early and will walk it leaving you with the $20 spots. Then there is the getting out of the core at 5:00, yeah with more people parking down here it is going to be even worse then it is now. So it is only a matter of time before the people that think they are so smart by just driving downtown are going to realize they were wrong and start parking at ST again.

Then there are the people that say they are going to park around CT lots, really? You get one ticket and it is the same price as 10 days of parking in the lots, so you get caught once in two weeks and you are breaking even and there is a good chance you will in a two week period.
Park in a private lot, yeah they will not get wise to that quick, then if you are lucky you will get a ticket, if not you will get keyed or towed. Way to screw of CT!

[Kerplunk]

Is this meant to be a fee for maintaining the parking lots, or an additional fee for using the train, but only if you are driving?

[Madman]

There was a story a couple months ago from a City insider about how the City still employs all of the meter maids that were around before the saviour that is Park Plus came to us.

The entire push behind Park Plus was that it would save the City money because they could get rid of all the old fatties meter maids. But now they just pay for both and jack prices up to pay for everything.

[Rathji]

Originally Posted by Boblobla

LOL, that is published by calgary transit though, so the only people on that list are ones who got caught...

I worked downtown for a year and half and only paid for transit when I was riding outside of rushhour (if I went for beers or something after work). I didn't get a single ticket.

I assume they use the sample they get of tickets and use that information to determine the probable fare evasion rate.

[Burninator]

Originally Posted by Russic

I realize we're all outraged because this is new and we're on the internet, but it's $3. Yes over time that will add up, but in a few weeks nobody will be talking about this and it will just be put out of peoples minds.

The city raised prices to park downtown not too long ago as well and people flipped out and pledged that they'd find alternate ways of doing things as people tend to do. Every time transit tickets rise in cost people run to the web polls and vote with fury that they are done with Calgary Transit, yet the numbers of riders don't seem to change.

My overall point to this is that I think everybody who is fuming over this issue is falsely assuming that everybody else is on board with them. This is just a case where a small section of the population is being significantly louder than the rest in my opinion.

I agree. Change is scary. I'm sure many of the people that "will just drive now" will go back to using the transit system in no time. People seem to be forgetting that the extra couple bucks to drive is more than a couple bucks, it's the wear and tear on your vehicle and the cost of gas. Not to mention the strain on your heart from the stress of being stuck behind someone only going 100kph in the left on Deerfoot. Not to mention all the extra traffic on the roads when these people stop using transit.

I'm sure there was a time when parking downtown was free and I'm sure the same arguments were trumpeted back then. Are people expecting a service like transit to remain the same price forever? Of course not. Like everything else in life, it gets more expensive.

I'm guessing more people will start using the feeder buses than driving. I use to drive to my train station, but the lot got full well before I got there and street parking was cut way back. The time is no difference as the bus stop is really close to my house and having to follow the bus schedule actually makes me get my butt out of bed in the morning on time. I know not everyone can use the bus system or it's not as convenient, but I'm sure a lot of people drive the same route as the bus and leave around the same time.

[North East Goon]

Originally Posted by Superflyer

I find it funny how people are spending so much time trying to figure out how to get around this.
Saying that they are just going to park downtown, there are only so many spots downtown and what are you going to do when you get down there and cannot find a spot? There are spots for $6 downtown, sure but they are on the outskirts of the core, if you work in the middle are you going to walk that far, doubt it. And those spots are going to be gone by 6:30 anyways with the people that get down there early and will walk it leaving you with the $20 spots. Then there is the getting out of the core at 5:00, yeah with more people parking down here it is going to be even worse then it is now. So it is only a matter of time before the people that think they are so smart by just driving downtown are going to realize they were wrong and start parking at ST again.

Then there are the people that say they are going to park around CT lots, really? You get one ticket and it is the same price as 10 days of parking in the lots, so you get caught once in two weeks and you are breaking even and there is a good chance you will in a two week period.
Park in a private lot, yeah they will not get wise to that quick, then if you are lucky you will get a ticket, if not you will get keyed or towed. Way to screw of CT!

sure, eventually we will all have to go pay daily at their spots. But, until all the signs and rules are mapped out in all communities unfairly involved with this mess, we are free to park where ever we want. The golden cash cow is going to be the Zoo, tons of people park and ride there.

[moncton golden flames]

take the bus to the train instead of driving. charging people who drive to the lrt is a great way to get more people out of their cars entirely and on to transit. you might argue that you have to wait too long for the bus, so you drive instead. well, without increased demand for that bus service, calgary transit will not increase frequency. you have to create demand by taking the bus, not just whining about how infrequent it comes.

don't park in the community streets to avoid the measely $3 charge and 'stick it to the man', because you are only hurting those who live nearby the train.

if you don't like charge, take the bus or park downtown or wherever it is you have to go. suck it up buttercups.

[malcolmk14]

Doesn't the zoo already charge $5 to park and ride?

[North East Goon]

Originally Posted by malcolmk14

Doesn't the zoo already charge $5 to park and ride?

Nope.

[Burninator]

Originally Posted by Rathji

I assume they use the sample they get of tickets and use that information to determine the probable fare evasion rate.

They could, but I bet the math would be dubious at best. Since they are not checking during the busiest time when riders know that they are not checking they have nothing to base the probable evasion rate on. My guess is that they are taking the number of passes and tickets punched and dividing it by the number of tickets they hand out. My station has only one way to get off the platform and once every blue moon during rush hour they wait at the doors and ask for transit passes. They bust everyone from kids to middle age women that haven't bought tickets. And they usually get at least one person from each train that comes in.

[North East Goon]

Anyone living near the Whitehorn Station willing to give me a visitor pass on their street for $50.00 a month tax free dollars? Just day parking around 6:00 am to 3:00pm weekdays. I will gladly fork it over to you, rather than putting extra bucks in Bronco's pockets.

[Rathji]

Originally Posted by Burninator

I'm guessing more people will start using the feeder buses than driving. I use to drive to my train station, but the lot got full well before I got there and street parking was cut way back. The time is no difference as the bus stop is really close to my house and having to follow the bus schedule actually makes me get my butt out of bed in the morning on time. I know not everyone can use the bus system or it's not as convenient, but I'm sure a lot of people drive the same route as the bus and leave around the same time.

I actually get to the university faster if I wake up to catch the express bus downtown than if I drive directly there.

[Bunk]

Why should the 90% of transit riders that don't use park and ride subsidize the 10% that do? Parking lots cost money to maintain, who else should pay for them, besides primarily those who chose to use them? Surface is an exceedingly wasteful use of land, and is expensive - why should parking as a commodity be free?

[Bunk]

Originally Posted by Claeren

Isn't the advantage here that you can actually get a parking spot each morning?

If you have 8000 people fighting for 1000 parking spots it is pretty basic (and conservative minded) economics to charge what the top 1000 people are willing to pay and then use that revenue elsewhere in the system.

It is actually a bigger waste of tax payer money to NOT charge for parking, as each single free parking spot with more than one customer is literally leaving money on the table. ANY private business would charge for a limited commodity like parking yet you don't want the government to be as financially responsible? I don't get it??


People just don't like change....



Claeren.

Exactly, in the end, with the limited quantity of parking, in the end exactly the same NUMBER of people will end up parking and riding. Now, it might be a different group of people who are using that parking, but the net effect on transit ridership will be absolutely nothing.

[Bunk]

Originally Posted by Resolute 14

A

Frankly, I have no intention of ever paying this fee. For Hitmen games, I'll just drive to the Dome. It is now worth paying an extra $3 to avoid dealing with the massive incompetence of Calgary Transit. For Flames games and other things where the added time cost of parking on site would be an issue, I'll just park at Chinook Centre and walk two blocks.

Assuming the hitmen game is not during between 7am and 5pm on weekdays, you won't have to pay this user fee. Council voted to remove the fee for evenings and weekends. Problem solved for you.

[Bobblehead]

Originally Posted by North East Goon

Anyone living near the Whitehorn Station willing to give me a visitor pass on their street for $50.00 a month tax free dollars? Just day parking around 6:00 am to 3:00pm weekdays. I will gladly fork it over to you, rather than putting extra bucks in Bronco's pockets.

Go up to the Westwinds Superstore and walk to the station.

If you get inventive, perhaps you can harness up all the mice up there and hitch a ride.

[pepper24]

I am glad that instead of increasing the fees for all transit riders that they are doing the parking fees seperate. Why have the majority of the transit users that don't use the parking lots pay.

The parking lots cost money to upkeep and keep secure so let the parkers pay.

[pepper24]

Originally Posted by Bunk

Assuming the hitmen game is not during between 7am and 5pm on weekdays, you won't have to pay this user fee. Council voted to remove the fee for evenings and weekends. Problem solved for you.

Smart idea from city council to void for evenings and weekends. Finally they get something right.