from Kathy xxxxxxxxx@hotmail.com
to cj@thiscrazytrain.com
subject free parking
Mon, Oct 31, 2011 at 3:06 PM
Hi CJ!
I've been reading your blog for quite awhile now, submitted one story to you and have started being a more active commenter. I have a bit of an issue you might want to put to your readers (and of course give your own opinion on).
I travel to Union from (name of station withheld) every day. In the south parking lot, there are many reserved (paid for) parking spots. I have a friend who has one right close to the doors. For months she noticed that the spot right beside her never got used - the point is that she told me about it, assuming that GO made a mistake and has not allocated the spot after someone stopped using it (although we don't know if that's true). Being the goody-two-shoes type of person that I am, I felt horribly guilty when I used the spot a couple of times just because it was raining. I used it a few more times only because of having a morning doctor's appt. etc., when leaving for work later in the morning, and feeling that was better than no spot at all. I honestly haven't used it in months, I just don't feel right about cheating (my mom raised me to be HONEST... crap).
My friend also told another train friend of hers about this spot, and he now parks in it EVERY SINGLE DAY. I see his car there every morning when I walk up, and I get there when there are spots left to catch the morning express, so obviously there are plenty of spots available if he is arriving before me. I have never met the man myself.
So - should I do something? say something? It ticks me off because he is advantage of it more so than necessary. Is it sour grapes because I'm not beating him to it? I don't think so - but I can see how people could judge me that way... I think sometimes I should alert GO so that if the spot is available, they should offer it to someone who is willing to pay for it, I think there is a waiting list for these spots and they are expensive.
What do you think?????
Kathy
Reply
from cj@thiscrazytrain.com
to Kathy
5:05 PM (4 hours ago)
Mmm, instead of using the word cheating, let's call it a moment of opportunity that you've merely used to your advantage. I have to question why your friend would volunteer this info seeing as she pays when she could just cancel her contract and use the free one. This makes me wonder if she's really paying for her spot.
My take on this is that the dude now parking there has over-stayed his welcome.
I'm surprised either of you got away with it as the vehicles parked there are to be checked and verified against the plate numbers recorded on the parking contract (so I've been told).
He's due for a tow and it's only a matter of time.
You can't rat him out for doing something you did but I have to question the morals of your friend.
It would be interesting to hear what the regulars think.
9 comments:
Huh. Interesting. I think, as a one off, parking there was permissible. BUT, now that many people know about it, it has been abused, by both the writer and the other guy. Sorry Kathy, what you did was wrong and you know it.
I would like to know how the friend who told everyone about this spot knows for certain that the spot is empty all day. There is a chance that the person who paid for the spot comes in late and leaves early; does the evening/ night shift thing so that they know they have parking when heading into work at 2pm. For all you know, this person is on a short-term leave, on an extended vacation.
Personally, I think should be reported to GO so that the spot can be monitored. I do not see GO voluntarily checking licence plates unless it has been reported. If the person currently paying for said spot decides that they do not want it, then give it to the next person on the list.
But, I will admit that I am slightly bitter about this because at the Ajax GO station, they keep taking away parking spots and converting them to these reserved spots thinking that it will solve a problem and not make it worse.
As an Ajax boy myself, it's hard to sympathize or feel sorry for those who flaunt the rules. There's no such thing as a free ride. There is such a thing as free parking just not the way Kathy and numnuts went about it.
The difference here is that Kathy recognizes her error in judgement. Douchebag on the other hand ... report him.
How do you know the car parking there now isn't the guy who pays? And I agree above, who's to say the owner of that spot doesn't work weird hours? However if that was the case the car stealing that spot would be ticketed. Either way I would report it just to make sure it is not being used illegally. If this is Ajax where there is a wait list, I seriously doubt metrolinx made a mistake. Once people give up a reserved spot it is offered to someone on the list.
I'm an Ajax person, with a reserved parking spot that I waited 6 months to get so I'm pretty sure they're not just adding spots and taking away free ones.
The south parking lot is ALL reserved now as they made space to build the new parking structure, they didn't actually add any reserved spots.
As someone who's paying for a reserved spot I'd be annoyed at someone else parking for free in the reserved section. I'm not sure why the friend would advertise that fact. There's a parking spot near me that rarely gets used but that may just be because the person is on a different schedule to me.
I would think that someone is paying for that spot as most Go stations have a waitlist for reserved parking. It could also be that they're still within the first 6 months of reserving, don't really need it anymore and are just paying the monthly charge rather than the cancellation fee.
I don't know if I would report it to Go, it seems a bit busybody'ish when you don't really have all the facts.
* Correction the North parking lot is all reserved
Agree with Lucie. While it sounds like people are breaking the rules willy nilly here, I'd hesitate to make any effort without knowing the facts.
Let Karma do its work in this situation.
@ Lucie,
They opened up another row of reserved spots in the south lot. So they did take away those spots from the "free" spots.
Lucie is pretty.
Kathy don't report it to go, you are just as guilty and are just jealous he decided to use it full time, beat him to it or stop complaining.
I am sick to death of people breaking the rules and getting away with it. I often wonder when the universe will catch up with them. Sometimes it needs a push. Report him. Why should he get a $60/month spot for free?
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