Parking in Sainte-Anne-de-Bellevue
Isabelle Ede
Sustainability Editor
Please allow me this rant.
Hello, my name is Isabelle Ede, and I am a first-year student. During my first semester, I was not made aware of parking passes. I do not blame anyone but myself since I rode my scooter to school, where I could park for free near the footpath next to the Casgrain building. However, as the temperature got colder, I turned to driving myself and public transit. Some mornings I drove my car and was completely confused by the overwhelming number of parking signs.
One day, I was late for class and parked in the “employees only” parking by mistake. At the end of that day, I was fined $44. I turned to public transit, more specifically the 419 bus. If any of you remember, it was much better last semester. This semester though, it’s a disaster. The 419 now only circulates every 30 minutes, people are packed in like sardines, and the last bus is too late for those who want to attend after-school club meetings.
Sickened by the bus, I decided to face my fear and park in the village. This meant that over the past few weeks I had to walk 15 minutes every morning, no matter the weather conditions.
One time, I was late and decided to park on Maple, which is notorious for its strict ticketing if you don’t respect the 2-hour rule on the signs. I decided to go back to my car after my first 2-hour class and repark on that same street for the duration of my next three-hour class, praying for leniency. I unfortunately parked in a residents parking space and was fined $155.
I hate driving my car because of how it damages the environment, but the bus conditions have worsened too much. I even tried to get a parking pass for my second semester and found out that the school only sells them yearly, not for each semester.
If you are also discouraged with the parking and bus conditions, please contact me via MIO. I am sure that with enough determination and a petition for change, we can influence the administration to prioritize this issue for students. They care about our voices, let’s see how far we can go.