A fellow first-year recently encountered the University’s parking system first-hand. She would be in Charlottesville five days between visits back home to Virginia Beach, a relatively short time around which it would not make sense to get a three-hour ride between here and Virginia Beach from her parents. Instead, she contacted the Office of Parking and Transportation to receive a temporary permit, and arrived back at the University Sunday afternoon. Since the parking office was closed, she rode to University police, where she was told to place a note in her windshield in place of a permit. In spite of this note, she received a warning. Upon leaving the University five days later, she drove her car from the University Hall parking lot to the McCormick Road lot near the Astronomy Buildings. In the four minutes she was out of her car to retrieve her belongings, she received a $45.00 ticket from the University police. The parking office never once gave my friend the benefit of the doubt or took extenuating circumstances into account until a formal complaint was lodged. I understand the need to lay down a firm position on parking policy, but the first priority should always be service to University students. The Department of Parking and Transportation is making some good changes toward meeting student needs, but should seriously consider further lowering prices to make student driving easier.
The high cost of student permits is the main problem with the system. Even though the office is not increasing student rates for next year, our parking rates are already notoriously high when compared to other universities. Virginia Tech permit rates are $114 per year for all students, with James Madison University charging $192 per year. A comparable permit at the University costs $192 per year at the Emmett/Ivy parking garage. Even though Rebecca White, Director of Parking and Transportation, acknowledged that the central lots fill yearly, this charge seems exceptionally high for a simple parking permit, especially when most of the lots are still far from Central Grounds in the first place.
High permit costs also represent another nail in the coffin for on-Grounds upper-class housing, most of which is only accessible through the Northline bus system, an hour round trip. Parking permit fees and other such costs are likely part of the reason that on-Grounds housing falls to around 30 percent among third-year students. Huge costs for citations, which run higher than parking violations in Charlottesville city, contribute further to the problem. Even with parking tickets running at over $45 an offense, it would take ten parking citations to even match the price of student parking for a year.
Despite this, the Department of Parking and Transportation is taking some measures in the direction of acknowledging student needs. The most significant of these measures was the recent decision by the department to cap student permit prices for the 2009-2010 school year. Despite the economic situation and increasing demand for parking permits, the University will keep almost all prices the same for the upcoming year, a move that White estimates will cost $260,000, or 2.7 percent of the total revenue budget. This move is only positive news for the students: the transportation office is forced to avoid salary increases and allow positions to sit vacant to keep prices from rising. The University’s massive bus system is also a testament to the hard work of this department, with exceptional efficiency and convenience for students getting around Grounds. The department is certainly doing its best to meet student needs with the budget it is provided.
The University also places a great emphasis on charging the student body to get involved in the Charlottesville community, touting close-by experiences to prospective students and encouraging service through Madison House and other relatable projects. If the surrounding Charlottesville community and Albemarle county are to be available to students, the University should place a greater emphasis on allow students the convenience of parking a car on-Grounds. Doing so should never be a privilege of the few who can afford it; instead of raising prices as demand for parking spots increases, extra lots or garages could provide a reasonable solution.
As the University continues to add academic buildings and increases the size of each incoming class despite the trying economy, care should be taken to ensure parking for upper-class students. Perhaps short-term and metered parking spots on Central Grounds could enable greater convenience in retrieving and dropping off belongings. Decreased cost for parking citations for students would ensure that the University community isn’t turning its back on those it strives to serve. The department seems to be doing its best to handle the financial situation, but it should not solely rely on self-sufficient revenue from parking permits and other means; the University needs to acknowledge its commitment to student needs, enabling greater parking flexibility with a higher budget for the parking department. Capping the costs of upper-class parking permits is a good first step toward more student-centered parking system, but should not be the last.
Anthony Nobles’ column appears Fridays in The Cavalier Daily. He can be reached at a.nobles@cavalierdaily.com.
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