The University's Department of Parking and Transportation announced this week that parking rates will increase starting June 1.
Dormitory parking permits for students living on Grounds next semester will go up $6 per month.
Permits for premium reserved lots around Cabell Hall and Thornton, as well as reserved lots along the southeast corner of the stadium and Culbreth Theatre will experience a four-dollar increase. Permits for commuter/storage parking lots at University Hall and the Far Stadium will experience a one-dollar increase.
However, the largest increase will be parking permits for the Emmet/Ivy garage, rising from $13 to $33 a month, said Rebecca White, director of the University's Parking and Transportation Department. The reason for this sharp increase is that Emmet/Ivy will be converted back to a reserved lot after being used as a commuter/storage lot during the construction of John Paul Jones Arena, said White.
White said the decision for the parking rate increases was formulated as early as November 2005.
The issue has also been discussed among members of the University's Transportation and Parking Committee, which is separate from the department itself, White added.
"Our interest is to try to keep rates of parking as low as possible while maintaining people's access to the quality of parking," committee chair Shamim Sisson said.
White said the decision to increase parking rates was based on three factors. The first factor involved the accommodation of personnel costs.
"All classified staff had a three-percent raise this year," White said. "Those who had more than five years of service had a $50-per-year increase in their base pay."
The second and third factors involved the rising cost of fuel and environmental relief initiatives, such as the price premium for biodiesel fuel.
White said the cost of parking permits will vary depending on proximity.
"The closer in [to Grounds] you park, the more you pay," White said. "The further out, you pay less."
White said she doubts the increased parking rates will greatly affect students and faculty's decisions in purchasing permits for the next school year.
"For the low-cost storage parking, it is such a modest increase," White said.
Politics Prof. Leonard Schoppa, a member of the Transportation and Parking Committee, said the increase will have the greatest impact on faculty.
"The burden is on faculty and staff who tend to park in the closer lots," Schoppa said. "There will be some staff, especially those who park at the Emmet/Ivy garage, who will have to figure out how to adjust their budgets or move to a more affordable lot."
Despite the possible inconveniences of parking rate increases, other options are available for both students and faculty to adjust to the changes.
"If the prices are getting high enough, then people might ride the buses," White said.
Schoppa also suggested that both students and faculty take advantage of the occasional parking program for the Emmet/Ivy garage.
"You trade in a parking pass for an electronic ticket where you put a certain number of dollars on your account and you use it up as frequently as you usually park," Schoppa said. "I haven't used mine up yet and it's possible to stretch it out and reduce parking costs."
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