When did parking for Amtrak in Northampton require everyone to pay by the hour? I was dismayed to see a sign saying 75 cents an hour as I went to pick up my son at the train station today.
Another sign said Amtrak use was free, but I couldn’t enter without taking a ticket. The signage said the first 15 minutes were free. Wow, how generous. What if the train is late and I had to wait longer?
At the nearby Gare garage, the first hour is free. The same should apply for Amtrak pickups. Who owns this lot and how did they get permission to charge the way they do? Amtrak is our national rail system and picking up people shouldn’t require a fee.
Valley Flyer runs have been added to boost ridership. Springfield and New Haven, for example, have a free area to wait in your car as you pick up a loved one. How can we change this parking policy?
Jeffrey Zesiger
Northampton