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www.oakvillebeaver.com The Oakville Beaver, Wednesday January 2, 2008 - 3 Mayor says Bronte station is low on GO priority list Continued from page 1 close quarters while parking in the laneways has even caused fights among commuters. Wright said that this doubleparking has blocked her car in on more than one occasion. All these concerns were brought to the meeting at which Burton, who is also a member of the GO Transit Board of Directors, noted that the options for resolving the situation are limited. "If someone is blocking your way the station manager will have them towed, that's all there is," he said. "We've got something like 10,000 parking spaces we need to build across the system and we can't build them all the same day and so they're staged. Bronte is not next. It's not nearly as bad as other places and so it's going to continue this way for a while. It is on the list and help is coming, but it won't be tomorrow." Wright explained that the double-parking present in the photos supplied to the mayor did not show the parking lot at its absolute worst as different days seem to yield different volumes of use. Whatever the number of cars double-parked in the pictures Wright assured the mayor and councillors that the situation will soon get worse. "It's going to get worse during the winter because we are going to PARKING VIOLATIONS: Bronte GO Train commuter Laura Sheremeta took this picture to illustrate the problems caused by other commuters parking their cars illegally and blocking the route through the Bronte GO parking lot. lose a lot of spots to snow piles," she said. "There was a salter out there tonight and I would like to see him get through on the bad days when some of these pictures were taken." Wright suggested that vehicles parking in the laneways be ticketed and towed, however, Burton noted that GO Transit's limited resources and staffing made this idea unrealistic. "They're not going to do it and they're not going to hire Halton Police to do it," he said. "GO knows that it is behind and eight ball. It's working hard, it has a number of problems to deal with, not just this. It has a limited amount of resources so it has to allocate them on a priority basis. One of the things they are now tasked to do is increase the ticket patrol to check for free riders. That's going to be a diversion of resources." Solving the parking problem by getting more people to use the bus was also discussed, however, on this front Burton noted he was not willing to force the issue. "There are a lot of people who want us to squeeze you onto the bus by failing to add parking and we're not going that route," he said. Wright said buses are not the answer to the parking problem because many people have to maintain tight schedules of picking up or dropping off children that public transit just can not accommodate. The reliability of bus routes to the Bronte GO Station was also called into question. "Buses arrive just after the trains leave and if you miss your train then you are late for work," said Wright. Ward 4 Regional Councillor Allan Elgar acknowledged the bus schedule has to be fixed. Expanding the Bronte GO Station parking lot by acquiring the adjacent Ontario Hydro lands was also brought up by Wright, who said Oakville MPP Kevin Flynn had met with Ontario Hydro representatives. Wright noted Ontario Hydro had asked GO Transit for formal plans of what was intended for the area, but that GO Transit had yet to produce these plans. Burton said he had received no such information from Flynn. "All across the system, on a proactive basis, we try to buy extra land and where we succeed in getting the land we take it. We've been talking with (Ontario) Hydro for years about their piece of land and they have been nothing but uncooperative," he said. "Kevin (Flynn) undertook, at my request, to talk to Hydro. He has not reported to me a thing about it. So as far as I know there has been no change on that front. In fact I spoke to him last week and he told me that he had asked them and they had not answered." In the end the message conveyed to Wright and Sheremeta was that the Bronte GO Station would have to wait its turn until funding arrives to deal with its congestion problem. However, one councillor even has doubts about the problem being fixed then. "With the ratio of people pouring into the west end, plus the people that drive from Burlington to use the Bronte Station I just don't see it getting better," said Elgar. "I don't." Burton noted that the situation at the Bronte GO Station would be made better not only by adding parking spots, but by adding more GO Trains to keep on top of the need. For the moment, however, Wright and Sheremeta must face the disappointing reality that the crowding at the Bronte GO Station will continue. "Unfortunately, I guess, the money is just not there to be able to do anything about it yet," said Sheremeta. "I think that's the part we're disappointed in that there is no real solution right now. It's something we'll have to wait for." Watch Us Fashions ...In the Heart of Glen Abbey WINTER WHITE SALE! OAKVILLE'S #1 LINEN STORE Open Monday to Saturday 10am - 6pm · Sundays 12 pm - 5pm www.homesweetlinens.com JERSEY SHEETS Any Size FEATHER DUVETS 100% Waterfowl Feathers Any Size 400 TC EGYPTIAN COTTON King Set Sheets 50% ON FALL & WINTER CLOTHING SHOES & WINTERWEAR WINSTON CHURCHILL CHURCHIL BLVD. D OFF $ 49.99 SET $ 49.99 EA. $ 69.99 ALL ITEMS ON SALE! CLEARING OUT FOR NEW STOCK! Bring in coupon to receive when you spend minimum $100 before taxes. Home Sweet Linens. 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