Waiting list for Calgary Transit reserved parking

[variable_x]

I am interested in getting a reserved parking at the Dalhousie station. Anyone have any idea how long the waiting list is? Currently Calgary Transit only allows people to sign up 1 month ahead. Will I get a reserved parking for sure in 1 month or should I sign up multiple months in advance?

And if I sign up multiple months in advance, what happens if the parking becomes available earlier than I need. Can I remain in the queue for the next month?

Thanks a lot ppl!!

[Skyline_Addict]

You will get an e-mail confirmation after you make your reservation which will let you know your place in queue. If the waiting list for Dalhousie is anything like Crowfoot, you are probably going to be on the waiting list for months. I believe there are over 1000 people on the waiting list there, which is puzzling because the reserved lot always seems to be half-empty before 10:00 am.

You are certainly not obligated to accept the parking spot if it becomes available too early for you. If you don't accept it, I'm not sure if you get put back into the queue and retain your position, or if you have to re-book the reservation at which point you will be at the back of the queue again. I suspect it's the latter though.

You will have better luck at Brentwood and should be able to get a spot after a month or so, if things haven't changed over the past few months.

[94CoRd]

http://app.calgarytransit.com/parkandride/

Looks like you'd be able to get a reserved at Brentwood immediately.

You could get a reserved at Brentwood, and place your name on Dalhousie wait list. ;)

[schocker]

Originally posted by Skyline_Addict
You will get an e-mail confirmation after you make your reservation which will let you know your place in queue. If the waiting list for Dalhousie is anything like Crowfoot, you are probably going to be on the waiting list for months. I believe there are over 1000 people on the waiting list there, which is puzzling because the reserved lot always seems to be half-empty before 10:00 am.

Yeah, it makes no sense unless there are people who pay who never use it :rofl:
Main portion fills up by about 730-8 and the other side of the parking lot never gets more than half full.

[Penis McNickels]

Always spots at Brentwood.

I don't know why but they keep expanding the reserve area but I don't think it's being completely used. I assume they are slowly trying to push out the free spots and make it all pay.... sneaky bastards.

[Pacman]

same thing at the new station in the SW by Westside Rec. The wait list has over 500 people and there are no cars in the reserved spots in the mornings.

[Xtrema]

IMO reservation should be valid til 8am and not 10am. The you will probably see the spots fills up better.

And It should be demand based. Cost should raise every month by $5 until waiting list is clear. Reverse for lots that have empties, drop $5 til space is filled.

[liquid1010]

Originally posted by Xtrema
IMO reservation should be valid til 8am and not 10am. The you will probably see the spots fills up better.

And It should be demand based. Cost should raise every motnth by $5 until waiting list is clear. Reverse for lots that have empties, drop $5 il space is filled.

:banghead:

For part A - That's an awful idea. What if your job starts slightly later than most (ie: 10am) - are you just SOL then regardless of if you pay for a reserved spot or not?

For Part B - simply because I was proactive enough to get on the waiting list early doesn't mean I should be penalized because someone is willing to pay more than I am.....

[403ep3]

Is reserved parking even worth it? I'm changing jobs and wouldn't mind training instead of bus.

[nickyh]

Yes, imo reserved parking is worth it. I park at the 69th lrt parkade and the covered section is full by 6am for thr free spots, i dont know about the roof but i do prefer to not have to scrape snow and ice off my car or risk hail in the summer. This means i am at my desk before 6:30am.

I am on the reserved wait list, i started at 318 middle of January after getting sick & tired of playing the parking wars in the morning and i am up to #267. At this rate i will have a spot by Christmas.

[rc2002]

Originally posted by nickyh
Yes, imo reserved parking is worth it. I park at the 69th lrt parkade and the covered section is full by 6am for thr free spots, i dont know about the roof but i do prefer to not have to scrape snow and ice off my car or risk hail in the summer. This means i am at my desk before 6:30am.

I am on the reserved wait list, i started at 318 middle of January after getting sick & tired of playing the parking wars in the morning and i am up to #267. At this rate i will have a spot by Christmas.

Roof is generally full before 6:30am. A couple of times it's been full by 6:15am.

The reserved parking system is broken. I started the list in the 90's and got pushed down into the 100's.

In January, Calgary Transit magically released 90 additional spots but they were offered to the first 90 people to reply to an email instead of the next 90 people on the wait list.

The entire LRT parking system has been poorly planned from the start when pay stations were installed, only to be removed before they even paid out.

It's no wonder Calgary transit operates on a loss every year.

This is a shot of the reserved parking section of 69th street station at 10am:

[schocker]

Originally posted by 403ep3
Is reserved parking even worth it? I'm changing jobs and wouldn't mind training instead of bus.
Yes as you are always guaranteed a spot so you don't avhe to worry about driving further down crowchild to find a spot. I used to have to go Crowfoot, Dalhousie, Brentwood to get a spot, big waste of time and brentwood is the sketchiest nw station :rofl:

Now I just get to crowfoot whenever I feel like and have a spot. If I go early I can park right next to the bridge to cross to the station.

[FraserB]

Originally posted by richardchan2002
It's no wonder Calgary transit operates on a loss every year.


CT is funded at almost a 50/50 split through fares and city funding, there is no public transit system in NA that operates at a profit.

[nickyh]

Originally posted by richardchan2002


Roof is generally full before 6:30am. A couple of times it's been full by 6:15am.

The entire LRT parking system has been poorly planned from the start when pay stations were installed, only to be removed before they even paid out.



What a joke this parkade, but what other choice do we have? Taking the bus is a 20-25min ride on the shuttle bus and is always packed in the morning and then the afternoon its jammed with kids.

I just love how the map on the website says one thing but the signs in the parkade are something different (the ramp on level sows at free but the signs say different).
http://www.calgarytransit.com/pdf/reserved_parking_69_street_station_parkade.pdf

[rc2002]

Originally posted by FraserB


CT is funded at almost a 50/50 split through fares and city funding, there is no public transit system in NA that operates at a profit.

Point taken, but you can't argue that CT finances would be in a better position if they made better decisions.

[Xtrema]

Originally posted by richardchan2002


Point taken, but you can't argue that CT finances would be in a better position if they made better decisions.

It's public transit. Unless you have population density or Asian cities or New York, tax payer will always have to fund portions of it.


Originally posted by liquid1010


:banghead:

For part A - That's an awful idea. What if your job starts slightly later than most (ie: 10am) - are you just SOL then regardless of if you pay for a reserved spot or not?

For Part B - simply because I was proactive enough to get on the waiting list early doesn't mean I should be penalized because someone is willing to pay more than I am.....

A) We are in the west. The people who starts work later than 10am is the minority. May be reserve til 8:30 for people who starts at 9am. But that's as late as we need to be. Saving space for niche user contradict idea of a public system (So is paying for reservation in a sense but I'm all for ways for CT to generate more revenue on its own).

B) No. This is simply supply and demand. You don't like the extra $5? Reserve and drive to the next lot. Each lot you drive down the line, you save $5. So we won't have the issue of extreme waiting lists at some and nobody using parking in others.

And this helps you too on the waiting list because demand will die off and you get to the front of the list quicker.


doesn't mean I should be penalized because someone is willing to pay more than I am

And you don't see the irony in that statement? As someone who is willing to pay to have a spot in a parking lot for public transit?

[JaffX]

The city should have kept the pay to park thing... :dunno:

[kenny]

Based on observed usage of the reserved spots, I'm surprised Calgary Transit doesn't adopt a strategy from the airlines and just oversell the reserved spots.

Usage of the reserved spots will go up and those that don't reserve will be happier that they aren't going to waste. Since it seems that a lot of the spots go unused, it appears nobody will be negatively affected.

[Pacman]

We just got the email for a spot at the Westside station. Only problem is, we don't really need it until October as my wife is happy to walk to the station in the summer.

Are there any rules against sub-leasing out the spot? I might just offer it for $50/month until October and eat the $20 difference just to hold onto it.

[schocker]

Originally posted by Pacman
We just got the email for a spot at the Westside station. Only problem is, we don't really need it until October as my wife is happy to walk to the station in the summer.

Are there any rules against sub-leasing out the spot? I might just offer it for $50/month until October and eat the $20 difference just to hold onto it.
It should be fine as you can put up to like 5 license plates so they would never know as you can enter whatever.

[Xtrema]

Originally posted by schocker

It should be fine as you can put up to like 5 license plates so they would never know as you can enter whatever.

Oh really?

Will they issue tickets if all 5 plates shows up at the same time?

So I can get a spot in Crowfoot and charge $50/mth x 4?

:rofl:

[schocker]

Originally posted by Xtrema


Oh really?

Will they issue tickets if all 5 plates shows up at the same time?

So I can get a spot in Crowfoot and charge $50/mth x 4?

:rofl:
Haha no only one at a time or you get a ticket otherwise it would be great :rofl:
I just had a few other cars in so if I drove something else, no ticket and no worrying about it when I needed to as I had a bunch of plates entered.

[nickyh]

Originally posted by Pacman
We just got the email for a spot at the Westside station. Only problem is, we don't really need it until October as my wife is happy to walk to the station in the summer.

Are there any rules against sub-leasing out the spot? I might just offer it for $50/month until October and eat the $20 difference just to hold onto it.

When you say Westside, do you mean the 69th parkade? I would happliy sub lease the spot if thats the case.
I am #184 on the list, sigh.

[rc2002]

I got the email for a spot a while ago and let it lapse since I get there early enough to park for free. I figure I can use the $840/year for something else.

I put my name back on the list for fun and I'm now #684.

[nickyh]

^^ I am tired of parking before 5:40am to get a decent free spot, i can put a price on my sleep. Come Feb i'll be looking to sublease my spot anyway, no way i would give up my place if thats the current waitlist #.

[rc2002]

I was surprised at the waitlist number too considering how many spots are empty in that lot.

I've been there as late as 6:45am and still gotten a free spot. I find that 6:30am is pretty safe.

I'm so used to empty trains now that I don't think I'd be able to adjust to being on the train during rush hour.

[Disoblige]

Originally posted by richardchan2002

I'm so used to empty trains now that I don't think I'd be able to adjust to being on the train during rush hour.
You'll be annoyed, that's for sure.

I miss the City Centre train that stopped at 10 St. SW Station before the West LRT opened. It was almost empty during the peak of rush hour when 99% of people wanted to go on Crowfoot trains. It was pure bliss.