In planning the opening of southeast light rail, RTD officials worry more about parking than anything else.
Specifically, whether they will have enough spaces to accommodate the anticipated demand.
Southwest train service between Littleton and the I-25/Broadway station opened in 2000, and inadequate parking capacity remains a problem.
The new southeast route will have 7,500 spaces at its 13 stations.
“Some lots will fill up earlier than others,” and commuters will try to figure out the best parking options once regular weekday southeast rail service begins, said O’Neill Quinlan, a Regional Transportation District director who represents many residents in the new rail corridor.
Denver has installed parking restrictions on local streets near some rail stations to prevent rail riders from taking away neighborhood spaces.
It may take until April for RTD to assess commuting patterns and the depth of its southeast parking problem, Quinlan said.
Private operators may offer parking concessions to help relieve any shortfall, he added. “There are lots of entrepreneurial opportunities.”
The 7,500 spaces on the southeast line already include 1,000 that RTD has leased from a private developer near the Arapahoe station. The lease allows the private owner to charge RTD riders for the service.
The transit agency tried to install its own pay-for-parking plan that would have charged those who leave vehicles in RTD lots for more than one day, or those who live outside the transit district for even first-day parking.
The Colorado General Assembly scuttled that scheme, but RTD officials hope to go back to the legislature early next year for some relief on the issue.
Some people leave vehicles at RTD park-n-Rides for days at a time, and the district might free up more spaces for daily riders if it had a parking management plan that included charges for long-term stays, Quinlan said.
