Why parking at Kirkland REM station will be off-limits for some West Islanders

The City of Kirkland's plan to create 200 parking spots at its REM station—reserved solely for its residents—is not sitting well with a neighbouring West Island community.

The REM station, located at Jean-Yves Street and Sainte-Marie Road, is part of Montreal's light rail system, which has been plagued by delays.

Kirkland initially wanted 500 parking spots, but the contractor in charge of the project says that was never part of the vision.

CDPQ-Infra, a branch of the Caisse de depot, has said the REM is meant to encourage people to leave their cars at home and that building parking lots is inconsistent with the city's goal of reducing cars.

Instead, CDPQ-Infra sold the land surrounding the station to developers, which will build housing close to public transport. It believes that will add more value to the land than a parking lot.

Kirkland made a deal with developers Broccolini and RioCan to transform the land currently occupied by the Cineplex Kirkland movie theatre in exchange for the 200 parking spots reserved for Kirkland residents.

But adequate parking is "critical" to the REM's success, says the mayor of neighbouring Beaconsfield, who confirmed the parking deal in Kirkland on Tuesday.

"If you're going to service both Kirkland and Beaconsfield out of that station because that's a natural for both, then 200 spaces is not enough. You could have had 1,000 spaces or even more," said George Bourelle.

Bourelle says there is a lack of understanding from the City of Montreal regarding the needs of West Islanders.

"You have no choice but to use your car here. Because first of all, the public transportation is totally inadequate for the needs of the residents, certainly in Beaconsfield, and I would say, most of the West," he said.

Kirkland Mayor Michael Gibson did not return repeated calls from CTV News.

Drivers will still be able to park in lots at the Des Sources station in Pointe-Claire, and at the Sainte-Anne-De-Bellevue stations, according to CDPQ-Infra.

There are also spots at Pierrefonds-Roxboro and Sunnybrooke, stations from the former Deux-Montagnes train line to be replaced by REM stations under the same names.

The REM to Sainte-Anne-de-Bellevue and Deux-Montagnes are now set to open in late 2024, while the first section, connecting Brossard to Montreal's Central Station, is now in its final stages of testing and could open during the summer if all goes according to plan. 

-with files from CTV News Montreal's Keila DePape