Beaconsfield Council divided over train parking

Though the idea divided council, Beaconsfield approved a recommendation by its traffic committee to reserve 30 parking spots on the south side of Highway 20 near Beaurepaire train station exclusively for its own residents at its meeting on Monday night. "I think that the motion is a bit nonsensical," said city councillor David Pollock, who vocally opposed it along with colleague Kate Coulter as it was approved by the rest of council. "I think we should come up with a comprehensive traffic plan," Pollock said. He had been on the traffic advisory committee until being voted out of it in a council decision in early 2008. "We're doing it and that is because we can do it," Mayor Bob Benedetti told The Chronicle later, adding the lots should become exclusive as of June. City hall will issue special permits to help Beaconsfield residents identify their cars. At first, warning tickets will be given out to whoever parts theirs cars there without these permits. Fines would enter the equation as of September.

Though there are about 13 spots on the north side of the 20 near that train station as well, along with an unpaved parking lot near the entrance to Angell Woods, Benedetti maintained none of those are ideal for parking right now.

He said the spots on the north side are simply too few to be of any good as exclusive to residents. As for the unpaved lot near Angell Woods, Benedetti said it could potentially be dangerous to cars due to frequently being cramped. "I've once counted 40 cars there," he told The Chronicle.

Anecdotally, Benedetti said, he has heard of commuters coming from the off-island towns of St. Lazare or Vaudreuil-Dorion arriving to Beaurepaire by car, parking there, and hopping on the train, rather than taking the train from stations in or nearer to their own municipalities. "It's cheaper to take the train from Beaconsfield," he explained.

The Agence Métropolitaine de Transport (AMT) indeed charges differently for off-island residents. Train-only monthly passes for those who would hop on the rails from Hudson or Rigaud cost $140, and anyone coming from a little closer to Montreal Island at Dorion or Vaudreuil stations would have to pay $117. A $15 surcharge is added to those prices for monthly passes that include metro and bus services. Meanwhile, a combined train/metro/bus pass that only covers as far west as the two stations in Beaconsfield and those in Baie d'Urfé and Ste. Anne de Bellevue costs $109. This may amount to savings of up to $56 per month for somebody from Rigaud making full use of transit services. "I understand that a municipality's first concerns must be for their citizens," said Vaudreuil-Dorion Mayor Guy Pilon. "Beaconsfield's municipal council must be feeling some pressure from its citizens, and that pressure could be even stronger than usual due to this being a municipal election year."

Though he said he could not reproach council for this move, Pilon added he would not want to see it become a trend. "I don't know, what if Pointe Claire decides to do this tomorrow?" he said. "What if Dorval decides to do this, and then Côte St. Luc?"

However, he added even he would perhaps consider it if any of the parking lots in his city were under municipal jurisdiction, rather than belonging to the AMT. "But I know that would inconvenience some St. Lazare residents, who come and park in Vaudreuil-Dorion."

Opposition to the motion on Beaconsfield's council did not stem from any perceived unfairness for off-island residents. "I totally support the idea of parking for Beaconsfield residents," said District 4 councillor Kate Coulter. However, she said it would be better to wait until a proper parking lot on the north side is created, in order to make that one exclusive to residents as well.

The fate of the unpaved lot near Angell Woods is currently under negotiation with the AMT for renovations.

Benedetti claimed it would be difficult to negotiate Beaconsfield resident-exclusive spots on that site. "You can only push so far," he said, adding council is already hoping for the transit authority to fully pay for renovation costs that include permeable pavement and low-intensity lighting for the lot.

Though there are about 100 parking lots at the Beaconsfield train station just a little further east than Beaurepaire, those are on land owned by the AMT, where Beaconsfield has no jurisdiction to impose parking limits.