Donna and Larry Branton have held Edmonton Elks season tickets for nearly 25 years.
The couple from Pigeon Lake, Alta., about 45 minutes south of Edmonton, usually drive to the Davies Transit Centre, where they park their car and hop on a shuttle bus to Commonwealth Stadium, home of the Edmonton Elks.
“It’s really handy, really nice,” Larry Branton said.
“Now, (it’s a) different story.”
Changes made to residential parking permits near the stadium and the city’s park-and-ride program are causing headaches for residents and Elks fans ahead of Saturday’s home opener.
Valley Line LRT construction has prompted changes to the Elks Park and Ride service, which offers free transit rides to anyone with a game-day ticket. Bus service at Davies station has been replaced with the Valley Line LRT.
Fans can still park for free at Davies Transit Centre but will instead ride the Valley Line LRT to Churchill Station before taking the Capital Line LRT to Stadium Station rather than boarding a bus.
Larry Branton said he and Donna enjoyed the park-and-ride bus service at the Davies Station because of its proximity and convenience.
The change means fans have to climb stairs, board several trains, spend more time in transit and walk longer distances, which could be challenging for older fans like the Brantons, Larry said.
“I’ve got a bad knee (and) Donna can’t walk as well as she used to,” he said.
“It’s just going to take a lot longer to get to and from the game, so it’s not as comfortable anymore.”
Park and ride shuttle service is still available in four areas of the city that aren’t connected by the LRT, said Sarah Feldman, director of transit planning, ridership and revenue with the Edmonton Transit Service.
“We rely heavily on the (Stadium Station) to fill (Commonwealth) for major events,” she said.
Residents living near the stadium may also notice changes affecting their residential parking permits.
During large-scale events like Elks games, residents living within 800 metres of Commonwealth Stadium will need a permit to park on the street. Parking permits aren’t required on roads that no longer fall within the boundaries.
People living in the area aren’t pleased.
“Finding a parking spot in front of my house is going to be a challenge,” said Andrei Nikiforuk, a resident of the area since 1978.
“There’s barely enough room for all the residents now.”
Resident Brian Bradford said he is unsure whether allowing parking without a permit in his neighbourhood is a good idea. He also expects it to become an inconvenience for residents.
“There are parking lots close by where they charge $5, so this is obviously going to fill up first and a lot of people that have multiple cars will not be able to park out here,” Bradford said.
As the city pushes for more residents to ditch their vehicles in favour of public transit, Feldman said ETS will monitor LRT capacity and add trains to the stadium line or increase frequency if needed.
“We’ll keep a close eye if we need to add park and ride or other shuttle services for the future,” she said.
“But we’re really confident for the Elks games we’ll be able to move everyone.”
As for the Brantons, they plan to hold out on hopping the train.
“My daughter’s going tomorrow with some of her friends, so she’s going to let us know how it went,” Larry Branton said.