Anyone here having similiar problems in their area?
I use one of the park and ride areas mentioned in the article. Fortunately, I catch the 6:20 or 6:40 am train into Dallas, well before the traditional rush hour/parking frenzy. The article has a picture of a police officer ticketing cars that are parked illegally near the station (that would suck, getting back to your car and finding THAT at the end of the day--unless riders/owners KNEW ahead of time it was an illegal area-- then, IMHO: too bad, so sad).
In DART's defense, they have bus stops near pretty much every neighborhood in this city so taking the bus to the train station IS an option...they also have an on-call shuttle that will pick you up and take you to the station during the rush hours times.
http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/news/localnews/stories/071208dnmetDART.448ef314.htmlAlong the DART Red Line north of Dallas, commuters are parking at big box stores or along curbs up to a half-mile from the station.
More park-and-ride lots in the area are filling to the bursting point. The packed lots are a symbol of transition for a region long wedded to the automobile that now is embracing rail and buses in larger numbers.
Lots are packed in Houston, Phoenix and communities in the Pacific Northwest. The Tri-Rail system in South Florida saw ridership skyrocket 43 percent in June alone, fueling problems there, a spokesman said. Some parking lots in San Diego are holding more than twice as many cars as last year.
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Warren Fortson, a Fry’s supervisor, said commuters began appearing several months ago when gas prices started climbing. He said the store has generally accommodated them but that management will act if the trend begins disrupting business.