Riders rail against T parking rate bump

Tough economy makes it difficult for commuters to soak the rise in lot prices

 On Saturday, the parking fees at all MBTA commuter lots will increase by $2, which in most cases will double the current rates — a reality not sitting well with many riders.

In recent weeks, Metro has received dozens of emails and calls from riders angry about the parking fees going up.

One rider complained it will add more than $500 extra a year for him to commute to work. Another rider, 27-year-old Richard Tardiff, has even spent his morning and evening commutes on the Rockport line collecting signatures of other upset commuters. He said he’d collected more than 1,000.

“People are losing their houses every day. My 401K is down 30 percent this year. Some people just can’t afford this,” Tardiff said.

But the economic downtown is partially the reason rates are going up, T officials say. The MBTA Board of Directors approved the $2 increase last month as the agency faces a whopping $8 billion in debt. Though ridership went up this year due to high gas prices, the T’s fuel costs have outpaced the extra revenue, and the agency said its financial woes “cannot be offset simply through internal cost cutting and existing revenues.”

MBTA officials also say commuter rail parking rates haven’t gone up in six years, and most subway station parking rates have remained in place for three years.