The solution to the current parking woes facing city administration at Village Landing park and ride is staring them in the face and no expense to taxpayers would be required.
What is it you ask? Sitting quietly unused in Servus Credit Union Place are currently hundreds of empty (fully paved/marked) parking stalls, which could be used during the days to provide for students to be bused directly to Grant MacEwan, NAIT or the University of Alberta.
These stalls are only two blocks from the St. Albert Transit facility on Carnegie. These designated buses could go directly to Servus Place on Carnegie, pick up the students and take them directly to Grant MacEwan, NAIT or the U of A. Straight down Campbell Road to St. Albert Trail (Mark Messier Trail).
The buses can return directly to the transit facility and alleviate the traffic congestion at Hebert and St. Albert and the roads around Village Landing, let alone the fuel savings in buses not idling at all the traffic lights.
City administration will quickly remind us that they’ve “been there, tried that” at Akinsdale Arena. There is one major difference in that buses will go directly to Grant MacEwan, NAIT or the U of A, not inconveniencing bus patrons of having to make a secondary stop at Village Landing.
There is a second bonus to this scheme. Why not provide reduced rates to the students who choose this park and ride to use the facilities at Servus Credit Union Place, thereby increasing patron usage of the financially struggling facility.
Just a thought from a tax-saving citizen.
R.A. Morash, St. Albert
