Council looks to offer night parking discount

Student Council recently finalized an agreement with the Department of Parking and Transportation to offer discounted late night parking at the Central Grounds Parking Garage outside Newcomb Hall, Council President John Nelson said.

“As of June 1, there will be a $1 fee for any portion of the time between 10 p.m. and 8 a.m. that will be implemented by the Parking and Transportation Committee,” Safety and Wellness Co-Chair CoCo Fraiche said.

The parking initiative, which the Safety and Wellness Committee introduced last fall, was proposed because of concerns about student safety, Fraiche said.

A Council survey of more than 1,300 students conducted last semester revealed that many students ignore safety in favor of saving money and not parking in the garage, she added.

“The purpose [of the initiative] was to allow students to take control of their safety,” Fraiche said. “Hopefully it’ll encourage students to drive if they feel unsafe.”

Additionally, Fraiche noted that although the initial goal was to institute a free parking validation system at the garage, she is pleased with the final initiative in light of the current state of the economy and the consequent budget cuts the University incurred.

Rebecca White, University director of the Department of Parking and Transportation, said the compromise simply extended the parking garage’s current late night discount hours.

“The request was to consider a different rate for late night parking in the Central Grounds Garage,” she said, “so what we did was take the rate we take from midnight to 8 a.m. and back it up from 10 p.m. to 8 a.m.”

Nelson and Fraiche also said students will be able to park in the garage during the final exam period from April 30 until May 8 for any length of time between 5 p.m. and 8 a.m. for a flat rate of $1 with their identification cards.