Drivers deal with overcrowded lots

ATHOL SPRINGS, N.Y. (WIVB) - Many people are taking public transportation these days to save some cash.

One viewer e-mailed News 4 with concerns about overcrowding at the Park & Ride lots in the southtowns.

The Park & Ride lot in Athol Springs has become so crowded, drivers are parking in handicap spots just to get a space.

With only 90 spaces available, parking there is at a premium.

One problem is car poolers who don't even ride the Metro Bus.

News 4's Lorey Schultz asked, "Do you use the lot to car pool?"

A driver said, "Yes."

Schultz asked, "Do you know you're not supposed to?"

The driver said, "Oh, we're not?"

Niagara Frontier Transportation Authority spokesman C. Douglas Hartmayer said, "We are working really hard here every day to increase our ridership so it's a growing pain if you will, so we're a victim of our own success. It's something we're going to work at."

Concerned driver John Price asked, "Why doesn't the NFTA or somebody enforce this, ya know?"

Schultz said, "They say they're working on it."

Price asked, "They're working on it?"

The NFTA says it's looking to expand into nearby satellite lots.