TO THE EDITOR:
The new five-year transit plan (“Board approves new fees, permits,” Mar. 25) is the latest example of the University balancing its budget on the backs of those who can least afford it.
Student Body President Medlin is right to be concerned about the fact that students’ share of transit costs is increasing relative to the contribution from the towns of Chapel Hill and Carrboro.
But this argument does not go far enough.
Most graduate and professional students live and work in Chapel Hill and Carrboro year round, contributing to the local tax base that pays the remainder of the transit expenses.
I am already paying twice for the so-called “free” bus that serves my neighborhood: once through my rent, which pays my landlord’s property tax to the town of Carrboro, and once through student fees.
No other group (faculty, staff, or local residents) is double-billed in this manner.
Under the new plan, the transit fee will increase by $14 annually, we will pay for transit a third time through the night parking fee, and park and ride lots will be inaccessible for infrequent users, because they will require a paid permit.
Through this nickel and diming, students subsidize “free” transit for the entire community. Meanwhile, the privileged few who park on campus will only see miniscule increases in the cost of a parking permit, and the Board of Trustees will continue to enjoy the privilege of parking on campus for “free,” which is to say, at the students’ expense.
