Residents are wondering why the Kirkland REM station is right beside a massive parking lot with thousands of spaces that are off limits to people who want to park and ride. “I just got a ticket the other day for $85, and if you don’t pay it within the week, they up it to $125,” said commuter Mary Hakramaj. She said she paid it, while others got a warning. “They told me that if I parked here again, that I’d get a ticket,” said Brian Hamburger. The Kirkland RioCan Centre has hired Stat Park to enforce parking regulations, with the company issuing parking fees to REM users who leave their cars at the shopping centre. “I live far away. So, I can’t take the bus or whatever. So, I need to come with the car. So, I need a parking spot,” said Alexis Laplante. Throughout the planning phase for the REM, West Island residents insisted parking was a necessity. However, the REM station opened with only 200 parking spots reserved for Kirkland residents at the price of $10 per day. “I paid the $10 parking today, and I’m actually the only car in the parking lot, which is a bit crazy,” said Hamburger. Safwan Al Mamlouk lives in Beaconsfield and uses the REM to get to school downtown. “I think it’s absolutely ridiculous,” Al Mamlouk said. As a commuter who is not a Kirkland resident, there is nowhere for him to park without being penalized. “It stays on my mind when I’m away from my car, and I’m parked here. I’m willing to take a risk, but I just find it that it’s unfair,” he told CTV News. In a statement, the REM says, “During the planning phase, parking facilities were integrated where space availability and traffic analyses allowed.” “For our Kirkland station, as for our entire network, we remain open to discussions and partnerships and continuously seek to improve access to our stations, whether by public transit, car or sustainable modes.” For its part, the Office de la protection du consommateur is encouraging people who received a ticket to file a complaint. It points to Section 3, paragraph 6 of Quebec’s Act respecting the collection of certain debts, which forbids collectors from using documentation that could be mistaken for official paperwork by a court, government, municipality or agency. The Kirkland mayor’s office refused an interview request, saying it is not in a position to provide a full response at this time.
