Thursday, November 8, 2007

Parking Permits

I believe that parking on campus is a huge issue on campus today. I really don’t see a reason that we are forced to pay for parking. I cannot understand why parking would not be included in our tuition costs being a necessary factor in our ability to get to class. I think that it should be included in our tuition and the only way we should be charged to park is if we were to obtain a parking pass that would allow us to directly park on campus and not have to worry about having to wait for the bus to pick you up and shuttle you to campus.

I have had many times where I arrive at the south lot bus stop 20 minutes before class is to start and still end up late to class. The busses are not efficient and should be on a strict time frame. There are sometimes when there will be three busses or more that are right behind each other and if you miss those busses you have to wait for them to go to campus and loop back around. Instead of all bunching up together they should be on set intervals so every 5 minutes there is a bus stopping at south lot, the yale mall, and the research stops.

In addition if we are going to have to pay for parking pass we should not have to pay more than fifty dollars for a pass. It is ridiculous to have to pay 100+ for a permit that we must have in order to park without any violations. Also if we need to park in the structure I don’t understand the reason that structure prices are so high. I think it should be a set amount for a set amount of time. 1.60 per hour is outrageous. Also I think it should break the time into half hour intervals. I don’t see a reason why we would have to pay an extra 1.60 because you went over the hour by just a few minutes. I think that UNM should come up with a more efficient and reliable system in order to make students happier and getting to class a lot easier.


-Lauren

2 comments:

yvette said...

Lauren,
I couldn't agree with you more on the outrageous prices for the parking permits. My daughter and I had actually thought of sharing a permit but our classes didn't permit it. They talk about starving students..why are we starving? Well da. You might want to even add bit about the tickets you can gt for parking in areas that aren't designated for UNM. You know the parking garage by the hospital...and the tickets you can get for being in the wrong place at the wrong time. Then there are the warrants that result from these tickets that could lead to jail time....well maybe I am a bit off subject here but s just say that I have recently had to suffer the consequences for being parked in the wrong place at the wrong time so this subject is a thorn in my side.
Great subject...and issue.
Yvette

Jo said...

I agree as well. I come in from out of town and find that I have to call my son and have him drop me off just to avoid paying such ridiculous prices for parking. My daughter is a student at another college and she pays $15 per semester to park. I understand that students who live on campus take priority over the off campus students but having to pay such a large fee is obscene. This money could pay for a book, gas, groceries, or a utility bill. Some students are struggling just to make ends. My son is one of these students. We pay so much already for tuition, books, fees and the price of getting an education continues to rise, not to mention the cost of living as well. So... Whats a student to do?