Starting with the 2013-14 school year, commuters will have to pay a minimum $227 fee if they want to utilize the University’s park-and-ride lots. While the fee is in place to offset a $6.1 million increase in transportation costs, it makes parking services less accessible.
The Department of Public Safety will charge the fee using a sliding scale based on income. The minimum of $277 equates to slightly less than $1 per day for the services, significantly less than buying an on-campus pass.
To some lower-income families and employees, $277 is a significant portion of their annual budget when they already have to balance the constantly fluctuating price of gas.
The purpose of the park-and-ride lots is to encourage carpooling and provide convenience for employees who live farther away from campus but cannot afford the charge for on-campus parking passes.
For those who have to commute to the University every day from more rural areas, the free services of the park-and-ride lots have been the only affordable option.
Although all of the policy’s nuances have not been completely ironed out, there should be a pay-as-you-go option in order to ease the transition for these lower-income families.
For some families, having to pay this fee up front makes the park-and-ride lots unaffordable.
It is understandable that DPS is looking to ease the burden of transportation costs that on-campus permit holders have previously borne.
But this fee imposes the burden on families and students who will feel it more than those who can already afford to park on campus.
