Beginning Jul. 1, students will face increased costs for parking on campus.
The increases will result in roughly three to five dollars extra per month for permit parking, depending on the lot and the type of permit requested. Outdoor parking will increase by $36 per annum, while semester parking permits will rise less substantially.
Many students feel parking prices are unaffordable as it is.
“I already think they’re too high,” said second-year geophysics student Motwakil Eldoma.
Lauren Rooney, a second-year business and actuarial science student agreed.
“They know that we’re students who don’t have a lot of money, so it’s really frustrating,” she said.
The last parking rate increase was in April of 2005. Accordingly, Ancillary Services justifies the current increase by citing the rise in their costs over that time.
“All our costs have gone up,” said Ancillary Services director Peter Fraser. “Salaries have increased significantly, the price of asphalt, the price of painting the lines, of virtually everything we do. So, this is just to stay whole.”
Fraser also noted that this is the lowest increase in the last six years. However, that may not console those students for whom driving to school is a necessity.
“There are a lot of people who live in areas where transit is not accessible,” noted Lauren Rooney.
Alternatively, parking tickets are available to carpoolers at a discounted rate of $17.50 for a pack of 10.