Students encouraged to use alternate methods

With impending increases for student parking permits in the summer and fall semesters, Parking Services manager Larry Emling said students should use alternative transportation to get to class.

Permit prices through the years &bull Fall 2008- Parking permits increased $55-$180 &bull Summer 2009- parking permits increase to $40 &bull Fall 2009 Parking permits will increase to $55-$200 &bull Total of a 21 percent increase since Fall 2007

Buying parking passes in prime locations is not always needed, Emling said. He encourages students to take different forms of transportation if they feel parking permits are too much for their budget.

“I know a lot of students can say ‘I can ride a bike, I can walk or I can take the bus to get to my classes,” he said. “In some ways that’s a good thing. That’s what we encourage people to do.

“That would also ease up on other parking for other students that can pay for the permits. The campus is relatively easy to get around.”

He also suggests buying a less expensive parking pass, like Summit East, and taking the extra 10-minute bus ride to campus.

Freshman architecture major Mike Lyons said many students still need to drive but feel the parking permits are too much money. For some who want to stop parking far away, it might become impossible to justify the cost.

“I feel (it) is quite a large price increase to go into effect at one time,” he said.

Ashley Lynn, freshman intervention specialist major, said some students don’t have the option to take a different route to school because of their personal situation.

“(For) commuters, there are not that many possibilities,” she said. “You have to buy a parking permit, or where are you going to park legally (to avoid) tickets or towing; otherwise, how are you going to get to school?”

Emling said raising the price of parking tickets was necessary to cover the rising costs of the department.

“The snow plowing costs that continue to go up, the parking lot maintenance and repairs that go on (contribute to the price increase),” Emling said. “We try to be very proactive in repairing our lots.”

Contact transportation reporter Carolyn Fertig at [email protected].