Some residents receiving warnings for parking at Conestoga Mall to use ION

Mall security has left the notices on the windshields of the cars to warn them about being towed in the future.

Regional Councillor, Tom Galloway, told The Mike Farwell Show on 570 NEWS the notices were never mentioned to him.

“We thought the agreement was that they would monitor it and if there was a problem, we would deal with it. We're certainly willing to lease spaces or provide a solution to whatever the problem actually is.”

Galloway also says that the region is willing to work out some sort of arrangement with the mall, whether that be leasing spots from the mall or otherwise.

When asked why Conestoga Mall does not have the same parking rules as Fairview Mall in Kitchener, Galloway said the region had anticipated users needing parking at Fairview.

“All the day students who come in off the 401 who have U-passes are going to park there and take the train so they don't have to pay for parking. We knew that there would be a lot more park-and-ride at Fairway than there ever will be at Conestoga so we made sure that we had a facility down there. We're not sure there's a need for a smiliar facitlity, certainly not the same size at the north end.”

Karl Ditoro, general manager of Conestoga Mall, provided the following statement to 570 NEWS on Wednesday afternoon:

“Thanks for your interest in Conestoga Mall. Parking at Conestoga Mall is intended for people visiting the centre, which we support by ensuring ease of use and accessibility. During Ion's launch period, Conestoga Mall is focused on educating the public on our parking policies through issuing warnings and additional parking notice signs. For those who are accessing Conestoga Mall's parking to board the new trains for the day, we are issuing notices to inform drivers that the parking lot is not for commuter use. We understand that riders are learning about parking accessibility along the new LRT route, and will continue to work with the Region of Waterloo while upholding our responsibility to our stakeholders and our shoppers.”

During opening weekend, over 73,000 residents tried out the region's new light rail transit system.

You can ride the ION for free up until Canada Day.