GO Transit: Service thread (including extensions)

[DavidH]

People who own a car to have it sit in a GO parking lot all day aren't that likely to catch a bus to get to the GO station.

Agreed completely. Many of those people need the car for other trips - picking up kids from daycare, etc - and aren't going to take a bus. Add onto that the service frequencies typical in 905 and it's often simply too slow to take local transit. Given that you can ride local transit to/from go stations for something like $25 a month on most systems, you can bet that people who are choosing to pay the extra cost of driving are doing it for a reason.

Having cars sitting in parking lots is not ideal from GO's perspective, I'm sure, but it's surely better than having those people driving all the way to work instead of just to the GO station.

 

[mpd618]

I believe the new budget has $80+ million for parking expansion. Surely that could fund some serious increases in local transit service levels?

Or at the very least, why isn't GO paying for the garages through parking fees and instead using that money to fund service expansion or to buy out rail lines?

 

[drum118]

GO plans on building 4,000 parking spots a year.

At some point, that has to stop as there will be no land to build more and have to add another 10 floors to existing parking structures.

Paul Bedford raise this issue at the last BOD meeting where he stated it took him 25 minutes to get to Oakville from Toronto by GO and then took him 20 minutes to get out of the parking lot.

Time to start charging a fee to park all day at GO stations and not $5.

 

[Markster]

Time to start charging a fee to park all day at GO stations and not $5.

Why "not $5"?

Are you saying that's too little, or too much?

If it's too little, then you realize that that's $200/month, which is comparable to downtown rates.
If it's too much, then your post doesn't make sense.

 

[TOareaFan]

Why "not $5"?

Are you saying that's too little, or too much?

If it's too little, then you realize that that's $200/month, which is comparable to downtown rates.
If it's too much, then your post doesn't make sense.

There is, what, 22 or 23 work days in month....how is $5 per day $200? (not that it matter cause there are not a lot of $200 a month lots in the core).

That said, GO has to be wary of the total cost of commute not just the cost of parking relative to parking downtown. If a monthly pass at Lisgar (to use an example) is $239 and then there was a cost of $120 a month to park.....that is now a $359 commute cost....is that a total cost that makes a significant amount of commuters think (rightly or wrongly) "it is cheaper and more convenient to drive".

I kinda like, partially, the current GO parking strategy of providing free parking to most and then push the cost and marketing of the reserved spots......(although I would market it more aggressively cause a lot of people I know who could afford them easily do not even know about them).......milk those that can and will pay willingingly for that convenience but don't risk ridership by forcing everyone to pay.

 

[nfitz]

Or at the very least, why isn't GO paying for the garages through parking fees ...

A very good question. At a minimum GO shouldn't be charging less for parking than people are paying for the local transit to the GO station. Either GO should start charging for parking, or they should increase the local subsidy they pay so that the ride is free.

 

[Markster]

Hmm... mathematics failure.
Good thing I've got a degree in Math to prove that I once knew it!

Anyhow, TOareaFan's middle paragraph is the key point, when considering parking charges.

 

[drum118]

GO Transit will run extra train service for Honda Indy

​

Toronto, June 28, 2011 – On Sunday, July 10, 2011, GO Transit is running extra train trips along the Lakeshore corridors for the Honda Indy.

Along the Lakeshore West and East corridors, there will be two Toronto-bound GO Train trips before the Honda Indy, one from either direction. After the end of the event, there will be two homebound trips from Exhibition along the Lakeshore corridors, one in either direction.

Extra Honda Indy service:

· An eastbound Lakeshore West train departing Aldershot GO Station at 11:34 a.m. making all stops to Union Station, arriving at Exhibition GO Station at 12:30 p.m.
· A westbound Lakeshore East train departing Oshawa GO Station at 11:11 a.m. making all stops to Exhibition GO Station, arriving at 12:16 p.m.
· A westbound Lakeshore West train departing Union Station at 5:20 p.m. making all stops to Aldershot GO Station, arriving at 6:30 p.m.
· An eastbound Lakeshore East train departing Exhibition GO Station at 5:30 p.m. making all stops to Oshawa GO Station, arriving at 6:32 p.m.


Visit gotransit.com for information about this extra service, as well as regular schedule information. All regular GO Train and GO Bus service will not be affected; extra train-meet buses will not be provided.

The event is expected to draw more than one million people to downtown Toronto. GO is a comfortable transportation alternative without the stress of traffic and parking.

We promise to make your experience comfortable, visit gotransit.com/promise/comfort.

For more information on GO services, the public can call 416.869.3200, 1.888.GET ON GO (438.6646), 1.800.387.3652 TTY, or visit gotransit.com.

GO Transit is the Province of Ontario's interregional public transit system linking Toronto with the surrounding regions of the Greater Toronto & Hamilton Area. GO carries about 57 million passengers a year in an extensive network of train and bus services that spans over 10,000 square kilometres. GO Transit is a division of Metrolinx, an agency of the Province of Ontario. Follow GO on Twitter and Facebook.
Disponible en français
For further information: Media enquiries - Vanessa Thomas, (416) 874-5974 or Malon Edwards, (416) 874-5945.

 

[gweed123]

A very good question. At a minimum GO shouldn't be charging less for parking than people are paying for the local transit to the GO station. Either GO should start charging for parking, or they should increase the local subsidy they pay so that the ride is free.

That's exactly what I was thinking. I wonder if there's a way to make it a 'hidden' cost in the fare, but that cost would be deducted if you tapped onto Presto before or after taking GO (before in the AM, after in the PM). Of course, this would also punish those who use the Kiss n Ride. I would think that if they can work out a way to encorporate the parking cost into the fare, but without actually directly charging for parking, that it may convince people to switch.

The basic idea that I'm getting at here is reward people with a reduced fare for taking transit to the GO station, and charge people who park there all day more money, but don't create a separate fee for parking there.

 

[doady]

I don't think charging for parking should be used to raise funds for building parking lots, it should be revenue neutral. Because the fare cost should come down, especially for people who don't park because it is really expensive right now (though at the same time, the discount fare arrangement with local transit can be scrapped). Like right now, the fare from Streetsville to Union is over $13. Should only be something like $10 at most.

I believe the new budget has $80+ million for parking expansion.

GO plans on building 4,000 parking spots a year.

LOL, that says it all. They're expanding parking more than they're expanding service, spending almost $100 million on parking instead of upgrading rail infrastructure. What a joke.

 

[TOareaFan]

I don't think charging for parking should be used to raise funds for building parking lots, it should be revenue neutral. Because the fare cost should come down, especially for people who don't park because it is really expensive right now (though at the same time, the discount fare arrangement with local transit can be scrapped). Like right now, the fare from Streetsville to Union is over $13. Should only be something like $10 at most.

LOL, that says it all. They're expanding parking more than they're expanding service, spending almost $100 million on parking instead of upgrading rail infrastructure. What a joke.

But it is a harsh reality.....expanding service should attract new riders.....the parking lots are currently full....what happens when 5 mid-day trains appear on the GTown line and people (shift workers, tourists, daytrippers) show up at Brampton and can't park? They turn away from the system and your new mid-day service does not actually attract new riders and it, in turn, loses more money.

They have to strike a delicate balance and to suggest that GO can keep increasing service levels and keep increasing ridership but not increase parking availibility is naive

 

[doady]

Agreed completely. Many of those people need the car for other trips - picking up kids from daycare, etc - and aren't going to take a bus. Add onto that the service frequencies typical in 905 and it's often simply too slow to take local transit. Given that you can ride local transit to/from go stations for something like $25 a month on most systems, you can bet that people who are choosing to pay the extra cost of driving are doing it for a reason.

It is very difficult for local transit to service trains that largely operate only in one direction, during rush hours only, and at low frequencies. And it doesn't help that many GO stations are positioned to serve parking lots at the expense of local pedestrian access from the street, Dixie Station being a prime example, and the local 5 Dixie bus definitely not a low frequency route. Neither is the 19 Hurontario (Cooksville), 26 Burnhamthorpe (Erindale), 13/29 Glen Erin/Park Royal (Clarkson), 23 Lakeshore (Clarkson, Port Credit, Long Branch), 11 Steeles (Bramelea), 1/501 Queen + 2 Main (Brampton), Viva Vlue/Purple/Pink (Langstaff), etc.

But no matter how high the frequencies, don't expect GO riders to use local transit when they are essentially forced to pay for GO parking.

 

[doady]

But it is a harsh reality.....expanding service should attract new riders.....the parking lots are currently full....what happens when 5 mid-day trains appear on the GTown line and people (shift workers, tourists, daytrippers) show up at Brampton and can't park? They turn away from the system and your new mid-day service does not actually attract new riders and it, in turn, loses more money.

They have to strike a delicate balance and to suggest that GO can keep increasing service levels and keep increasing ridership but not increase parking availibility is naive

That's why GO transit should start charging motorists for parking (or stop charging local transit riders for parking, depending on how you look at it). Making service expansion dependent and contingent on new parking is foolish.

Losing money is subsidizing parking and building huge parking structures. Lots of space and money for parking is not efficient at all.

 

[jeff316]

That said, GO has to be wary of the total cost of commute not just the cost of parking relative to parking downtown. If a monthly pass at Lisgar (to use an example) is $239 and then there was a cost of $120 a month to park.....that is now a $359 commute cost....is that a total cost that makes a significant amount of commuters think (rightly or wrongly) "it is cheaper and more convenient to drive".

Don't forget to add monthly TTC costs if your work is not within walking distance of Union.

 

[TOareaFan]

Don't forget to add monthly TTC costs if your work is not within walking distance of Union.

I wasn't building a case against transit (I like transit) I was simply trying to point out how the average joe commuter would view fees for parking.