The REM light rail network on Montreal’s South Shore may be a victim of its own success.
Frustration is growing among daily commuters over the lack of available parking spots at the main Brossard station.
Marie Christine describes her daily struggle to find parking as “insanity.”
She arrives two and a half hours before her work day starts.
“I have to, just to make sure I can park my car,” she said.
The light rail network is seeing an influx of users with the return to class in full swing.
Maxime Pelykh is one of the many students and says by 7:30 a.m. on peak days, “there is no more parking left.”
The station is a main hub and offers 2,099 free parking spaces. There are another 850 paid parking spaces costing more than $10 a day.
It’s an alternative some drivers like Leo Mambo have a hard time accepting.
“I have to pay for the REM ticket, which is not cheap, plus parking on a monthly basis. Clearly all of this brings down my capacity to save money or to pay my rent,” Mambo said.
Despite the cost, the lot is filled by late morning due to the high demand.
In a statement to Global News, officials with CDPQ Infra, the company that operates the light rail network, said they are aware of the parking situation.
“We are currently analyzing a set of solutions to provide better access to our stations, existing and future,” spokesperson Francis Labbé said.
The statement goes on to say “many improvements are considered,” but fails to mention any of the new measures, saying it is too early on in “ongoing analyses.”
In the meantime, officials stress that alternative bus services and active transportation to get to the station are means that could help alleviate the issue.