Suddenly, a ‘stall’ is a sign of progress – especially if it means a lot more of them now available for your vehicle.

Metrolinx has just unveiled 115 new parking spaces in the East Gwillimbury GO Station surface lot, which will make the lives of customers just a bit easier from the moment they arrive in to the time they drive out.

In November 2018, Metrolinx announced 364 spaces would be added to the lot. Designers opened 250 at that time – though the remaining spaces had to wait until a retaining wall was built nearby. That wall was completed last month, and contractors were then able to put down asphalt for the remaining 115 spots – yes, there was one extra added in.

It’s good news for customers at the station, which saw a 14 per cent increase in ridership in April to July 2019, when compared to the same period last year. That bump in customers came after GO Transit moved to all-day service on the Barrie corridor in 2018.

Lack of adequate parking is an important issue for customers who live in York Region. Indeed, the same is true in most of the regions GO Transit operates in.

When customers consider the work of Metrolinx, they likely think of delivering efficient transit options through GO Transit and UP Express, or fare payments through PRESTO.

But Metrolinx is also the owner of more than 75,000 parking spaces on the GO network. To put it in context, that’s about the same number of parking spaces operated or maintained by Toronto Parking Authority and Montreal’s Stationnement de Montreal combined.

Now add 115 more for customers of East Gwillimbury GO Station and York Region. And these days, who couldn’t use a bit more personal space?