No more searching for parking
Apparently time really is money.
Despite last spring’s protests against increasing the cost of parking permits, many Utah State University students said they are generally satisfied with on-campus parking this year, citing greater availability of spots as the main reason.
“It’s been a whole lot better this year,” said Caryn Hansen, a senior majoring in horticulture who bought a B permit. “It’s been a lot less crowded. Last year it cost half as much, but [the increase] was worth it.
Sales of parking permits are down, making more spots available to students, but due to a 114 percent increase in the cost of B permits and an 80 percent increase in economy permits, parking and transportation is still generating more revenue than last year.
This money is earmarked to pay for the $425,000 bond for the parking terrace that is being built as part of the Living and Learning Community on campus.
Lisa Leishman, director of Parking and Transportation Services at USU, said there was no way around the increase in price.
“Unfortunately, the [new] terrace is already bonded,” Leishman said. “We can’t not build the terrace at this point.”
The price of economy permits rose from $10 last year to $18 this year and the price of B permits rose from $35 to $75. This year, students say they are trading the added cost for time saved by not needing to hunt for a parking spot.
Emil Dixon, a junior majoring in journalism, is one student who has noticed the improvement.
“It’s been a lot easier to to find parking by the terrace,” she said. “I can always get it every Monday, Wednesday and Friday.”
Leishman said that the price increase isn’t necessarily permanent, but it is not likely to decrease soon because the drop in permit sales has been greater than expected, due to the prices and an overall decrease in enrollment at the university.
“If we’re able to meet our bond payment and still have revenue, then yes, we will lower prices,” Leishman said. “We’ll be fair to our constituents.”
Justin Atkinson, the ASUSU Student Advocate vice president, said the ombudsman committee has received no formal complaints about the parking situation.
“What we’ve done is given out information on parking,” Atkinson said. “We’ve done a lot of studying on the issue, trying to educate ourselves on the reasons [for the increase] so we can educate students.”
There are still some complaints, however, about some of the lots on campus.
“I wish there was more parking,” Kasey Golightly, a junior with an economy permit majoring in interior design, said.
“Parking in the terrace is outrageous,” Jaydeen Blackburn, a junior majoring in finance, said. “It’s gone up $.50 [per hour] since last year.”
For comments or questions about parking contact Atkinson at 797-1720.
-jenbeasley@cc.usu.edu