Vaudreuil-Dorion cracks down on use of sports centre parking by commuters
Vaudreuil-Dorion is adopting new parking requirements at its Centre Multisports due to the number of commuters from the adjacent Vaudreuil train station who use the parking lot of the sports complex on De la Gare Blvd.
Beginning next week, motorists will be allowed to park at the centre for a maximum of four consecutive hours on weekdays, between 9 a.m. and 6 p.m. (The requirements do to not apply on weekends.) The new regulations come into effect next Monday.
At a news conference Monday, Mayor Guy Pilon said the new measures are necessary in order to provide adequate accessibility to the Multisports Centre. He said too many commuters were parking all day at the centre, which meant not enough spots were left for users of the city’s popular recreation facility, which opened in the fall of 2012.
“We have no choice,” he said. “It’s a question of accessibility. People are coming to the Centre Multisports, but they can’t find anywhere to park. Something has to change.”
The mayor said the city adopted the new measures after receiving numerous complaints from users of the Centre Multisports.
Pilon said studies estimate that about 100 parking spots at the centre are being used by commuters taking the train or the A-40 bus.
“They park here early in the morning and they stay all day,” he noted.
The mayor said the Vaudreuil train station parking lot needs to be enlarged, and properly paved, so commuters won’t be inclined to park at the Centre Multisports.
Pilon said the city has been pushing for improvements to the station parking lot for over a decade, to no avail.
“This situation results from the inertia of the Agence métropolitaine Transport (AMT) and the Quebec Ministry of Transportation (MTQ). For more than 15 years, we have been meeting so that the station’s current parking lot is finalized, which would allow for more parking spaces,” he said.
Pilon said land was set aside to expand the parking lot, but so far no action has been taken.
He said the AMT owns a piece of land “adjacent to the existing parking lot that was to be built to accommodate the growing number of users. We even, at our expense, set up a temporary parking lot on rue Boileau.
“Everyone is aware of the problem, but nothing has been done,” Pilon said. “My patience has reached its limits.”
The mayor said he has written transportation agencies requesting immediate action to address the issue.
“We are asking the AMT to fulfil its promises,” he said.
“The CIT La Presqu’Île is expanding, which is great news. That is why we hope that the MTQ and the AMT will carry out the necessary work as soon as possible, especially if they want, as they say, to promote public transit and reduce vehicular traffic on the roads of the Montreal area,” he added.
Posters notifying users of the new parking requirements at the Centre Multisports were to be put up March 14.
Everyone is aware of the problem, but nothing has been done. My patience has reached its limits.