On Might 18, The REM formally opened its third department, extending service to Montreal’s West Island. However now, simply weeks after the extremely anticipated opening, points over parking on the Kirkland station have begun to come up.
“I’ll inform you what I skilled at this time – this parking state of affairs is completely abysmal, okay, me and my mates right here tried to get some parking as a result of we’re attempting to be eco-friendly and take the REM, and there was no parking – guys, don’t you simply discover that outrageous!” mentioned one Montrealer CityNews spoke to, earlier than his buddy added, “I needed to park all the best way down there, someplace and I don’t wish to stroll all that manner.”
In line with residents, the issue stems on the Kirkland RioCan Centre, the place 200 parking spots for REM customers are reserved for Kirkland residents solely, and the opposite hundreds of parking spots are reserved for consumers – leaving non-resident REM customers with nowhere to park, with out in any other case getting penalized.
“You’ll be able to’t actually park right here in case you’re not a Kirkland resident, and in case you do I consider you get like an $80 ticket or a $100 ticket, however it form of doesn’t make sense as a result of the place do you park if you wish to take the REM,” mentioned one Montrealer.
One other Montrealer mentioned, “The primary Saturday that the parking was opened, there was a parking agent that was watching everyone park their automotive after which stroll to the REM and he would ticket them.”
When requested in regards to the choice behind limiting parking to Kirkland residents, the mayor’s workplace replied to CityNews in a press release, saying:
“The City of Kirkland took the initiative months prematurely to safe parking for its residents when no parking was being supplied by the REM on the Kirkland station. To take action, the City negotiated an settlement with RioCan, the proprietor of the land, to make 200 areas accessible for Kirkland residents.”
“It sucks as a result of people who stay simply close by from Pierrefonds get tickets and it’s simply restricted,” mentioned one Montrealer.
Whereas one other mentioned, “I don’t assume it’s the brightest factor to let simply Kirkland residents park right here as a result of l’Anse-a-l’Orme is all the time full after which you will have all these spots which can be all the time open.”
REM representatives dispute the Kirkland mayor’s workplace claims, telling CityNews that plans initially included 400–500 parking areas. Nonetheless, they are saying metropolis officers intervened amid considerations about close by streets dealing with elevated visitors, including in a written assertion:
“For our Kirkland station, as for our total community, we stay open to discussions and partnerships and constantly search to enhance entry to our stations, whether or not by public transit, automotive or sustainable modes. For instance, a current settlement with the Metropolis of Montréal will allow the event of motorbike paths connecting to our stations, and we’ve got additionally introduced the addition of 300 free parking areas on the Fairview–Pointe-Claire station.”
For now, REM officers say they’ll proceed to watch utilization of services and are open to creating changes, as they did on the Fairview-Pointe-Claire station and by redesigning their bus networks since Might 18, to facilitate entry to the REM.
“I really feel like they may in all probability preserve the 200 spots and open it as much as everyone, as a result of at the moment proper now I don’t there’s 200 Kirkland residents which can be going to be parking right here, particularly if it’s paid parking,” mentioned a Montrealer.
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