Pointe-Claire to restrict parking around train stations so residents get priority

Out-of-town commuters who drive to Pointe-Claire to hop on the Vaudreuil-Hudson line in the morning will soon have to walk a few blocks if they don't want a parking ticket.

Starting March 9, any car parked near Cedar Park, Valois or Pointe-Claire station will need a residential parking sticker if they want to park between 7 a.m. and 10 a.m. Monday to Friday.

Those who live on the affected streets will get one free parking sticker. The rest of Pointe-Claire's residents will be able to buy one for $20 and it will be good for two years.

Everybody else will have to hoof it from further away.

This means residents of the West Island suburb won't have to "walk two or three blocks to reach the station," said Mayor John Belvedere.

"We are not trying to discourage people from parking on the streets," he said.

"We know they are going to come down, they're going to park on the streets, they're going to park in the parking lots, that's fine. We want people to use public transit."

The idea, he said, is to give residents priority.

He said the new measure is in response to the planned two-year service disruption on the Deux Montagnes train line which starts next month.

The worry is that commuters won't rely on the mitigation measures that the train line is offering while the Mount Royal tunnel is closed. They may drive down to Pointe-Claire instead, Belvedere said.

"We had already had inquiries about our train stations," he said.

"I said there's going to be a lot of people coming down to the south side to park, and we said 'you know what, we have to find a solution for our citizens.'"

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The new parking permit system for Zone 50 may be expanded or reduced with time once Pointe-Claire evaluates the parking situation.

"If there is no situation, we will adapt," he said.

Kelly Traynoris among those who will be affected by the new parking rules. She drives to work in Pointe-Claire, and says she'll now have to leave her car somewhere else.

"It's a bit frustrating, but it's okay," she said. "I'll get some exercise, I guess."