A community member is trying to make the River Rock Casino bring back a parking lot which was previously both operational and free to use.
Until recently, Catherine Miller had been using the free parking lot of the River Rock Casino, leaving her car there before she got to the metro line to get to her workplace in Vancouver. The woman travels from Richmond on a daily basis and had been parking her vehicle in a vacant lot under Bridgeport Canada Line station for half a decade until she found it closed about two months ago.
Ms. Miller claims that the closure of the free parking lot is causing a lot of parking troubles for many members of the community, including herself. Since the lot was closed off at the end of August, people have been forced to leave their vehicles at the crowded south parkade of the casino venue, which costs them CA$2.50 daily. Since this parking lot has been overcrowded with cars, Ms. Miller and other commuters had to spend a lot of time circling around not only the parkade but also the surrounding streets and try to find another parking option.
As reported by the Richmond News, Catherine Miller explained that all spots in the parkade are taken by 8:30 AM every morning, with these spots being blocked for the day, as they are used mostly by commuters like herself. She further noted that it was very hard for people to find another parking option in the area because there usually are certain parking limits, not to mention that the casino also has some spaces which were specially reserved for its visitors.
Former Casino’s Free Parkade to Undergo an Upgrade
Ms. Miller protested against the closure of the previously free parking lot. In fact, she said she was ready to pay for a parking spot, as it would save her some inconveniences.
The commuter has contacted the casino and has been told that the venue is trying to work out a solution to the problem with competent Richmond authorities.
The media relations’ director of the Great Canadian Gaming, which owns the casino venue, Sonja Mandic, explained to the Richmond News that the formerly free parking lot to the south-east of Bridgeport station had to stop operation because some people started using it as “a dumping ground”. Ms. Mandic further said that the company has joined forces with the city’s authorities to make sure that the vacant area undergoes the upgrades needed in order to guarantee that it was safe to use by all people who would like to park their vehicles in the area.
She also reminded that the public could take advantage of the 24-hour South Parkade in return to CA$2.50 a day until the upgrade project is finalized or at least a temporary parking solution is offered in the near future.
