I’d agree. I think that it’s nuanced. You don’t automatically get a ticket for parking at a movie or game you pay to watch either, or a mall you pay to shop at, or even a job you work. I think that it depends on the situation. I don’t think a school should make revenue off of parking. I think that if they own a lot, it is fair to charge the costs to cover costs of maintaining and keeping the lot, security, electricity for lighting, cleaning and maintaining pavement, insurance, etc. the option to have parking at a cost is better than no parking, but there is a certain expectation the school will facilitate attendance of students at a reasonable cost, and simply saying that they COULD earn more using the lot for private parking or their use, the parking costs are “competitive for the area,” or that they could sell the lot at a profit aren’t sufficient.
The school exists to educate. So it needs to cover its own costs as well as some budget for things like inflation of costs in the future, fair wages and raises, and improvement or expansion of facilities and equipment or curriculum. It also makes sense the primary people who should shoulder these costs are those who benefit directly from the school- namely students. But it DOES cost money to run a parking facility or private parking and roads. “Free parking” would just mean a raise in Tuition most likely anyway- and then all students would shoulder the burden including those who do not park or may not even own a car at all. That hardly seems fair and seems it would penalize those who use alternative transportation.
And therein lies another large point- the school may be using parking fees to encourage students not to drive to school. Asides the reduced costs for upkeep, insurance, and traffic management seen by a decrease in driving- an increase in pedestrian safety (theoretically...) there are also factors like a decrease in congestion especially at “peak” times, alleviation of traffic on local shared roads and freeways for non students, and environmental, health, and likely cost benefits of alternative transportation. Colleges tend to be forward thinking places that try to instill certain civic values in people, they are supposed to be beacons of public trust, and reducing pollution and congestion serve those ends. Free parking could be seen as an incentive to drive over other means.
But it all somewhat depends. A school which has easy access by public transit, makes sure to be “friendly” to bicycles etc- I am more willing to accept this reasoning. A school where a large number of people would have prohibitive access without car, there is an expectation for the school to facilitate attendance. Even a shuttle or other service of no public transit exists. I could also see some sort of free or reduced price parking based on need. Those with disabilities, or who upon analysis of their personal lives and finances could be shown that driving was of some level of necessity to allow them to attend classes, where no reasonable alternative existed.
The single parent who has to get the kids after class so needs the car and is on a tight schedule, or the person working 2-3 jobs while trying to get an education and is the primary bread winner for the home and needs to either come straight from and or go straight to work; or can be shown to have no schedule to allow sleep or personal time otherwise (by necessity and not design or want.) Those people I could see NEEDING to have free parking to be able to actually attend class.
But no. Not just every student who wants to drive or doesn’t feel like biking should get free parking. You don’t get free books, free food, free clothes, or any of the other things that go along with college. You don’t get free room and board- those things are extra. Base tuition generally doesn’t include a form or meals or parking. Those are things people can add if they need them.
But those in situations that make college graduation prohibitive should receive assistance to facilitate successful completion of college. That’s how the cycle of poverty can be broken. Part of it anyway. If your school is in the middle of nowhere and doesn’t have reasonable alternative transit options then perhaps they should provide parking for free- or at least a minimal rate- in EXTREMES of remoteness I’d say parking should be part of tuition as in such cases no reasonable person would be expected to do anything other than drive.
And people don’t deserve tickets for parking outside a building they live in. But there’s Parking permits and street cleaning and various other things to be aware of if you live downtown.
a college can be seen as one of 2 things.
1. a place of education in which case parking should be free.
or
2. a place of business in which case parking for customers should be free.
Lets say that you ran a college campus. And you had a dorm building in a prime area that had a parking lot that was just big enough to hold the cars that belonged to the people who lived in that dorm. How would you go about making sure those people who live in that dorm had appropriate parking for their living situation and that those spaces werent taken over by people who live off campus?
Objection. “A place of business: parking should be free....” Not only is it common in many areas that businesses may only have metered (paid) parking, but it is also common practice for a business to charge for parking. Parking validation isn’t even always “free”but just reduced rate. Many hospitals charge for parking as do airports. All of the above will also issue citations or tow improperly parked or unauthorized vehicles.
Based on that precedent- I also cannot see how a place of education would be exempt from fees for parking. Regardless of how we classify a college I present to you this scenario:
Parking enforcement and upkeep of roadways, signage etc. costs money.
So either:
1. Even those students who do not drive at all shoulder the costs
or
2. Only the students who drive shoulder the costs.
The primary method for this would be the charging of a fee for parking, and the issuance of citations for non compliance.
The next point: wether a school is a business or a place of education- it is flammable and full of people. It is a place where people might not emergency medical care, or where the police may need to respond to help victims of a crime. Therefore the roadways in a school serve the fundamental purpose of safety. Parking areas are designated with that in mind. Without a mechanism to compel students to follow the rules- you’ve put safety on the honor system. I do not want my own safety or that of my loved ones in the hands of thousands of random college kids ability to follow the honor system.
Your last point is inflammatory, nothing about free parking insinuates any increases in risk of roadway blockage than having 200 parking spaces for 2000 commuting students
My interpretation of the question is wether or not students should be charged for parking rights. In that light I agree the last statement isn’t relevant. however- several people including princessmonster have posited it as wether citations (also called “tickets” should be issued- and I can see how one could interpret the question that way as well even if I don’t personally. Bethorien replies to princess specifically referencing citations- and princess confirms that understanding by acknowledging the reply in context and kind. Therefore the last comment is specifically in reference to that interpretation and as you say- has no relevance specifically to wether campus owned parking should be for fee by the school.
Tl:dr- you are correct. Nothing about free parking specifically relates to safety in this way. The relation to safety is based on the premise of parking “tickets” meaning citations issues for improper parking- which seems to be princessmonster’s interpretation. There appear to be two different ideas being. Discussed and I was commenting to the one most central to the thread when referencing safety.
I think you need to start making a ‘tl:dr’ for all ur posts
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deleted
· 4 years ago
I once got a $50 parking ticket at my college for backing into a spot.
I wasn't crooked, I wasn't too close to either car, and I wasn't stuck too far out into the lot. The literal reason listed on the ticket said that I'm not allowed to reverse park.
I got a ticket for being a good driver. At school.
1. a place of education in which case parking should be free.
or
2. a place of business in which case parking for customers should be free.
Parking enforcement and upkeep of roadways, signage etc. costs money.
So either:
1. Even those students who do not drive at all shoulder the costs
or
2. Only the students who drive shoulder the costs.
The primary method for this would be the charging of a fee for parking, and the issuance of citations for non compliance.
I wasn't crooked, I wasn't too close to either car, and I wasn't stuck too far out into the lot. The literal reason listed on the ticket said that I'm not allowed to reverse park.
I got a ticket for being a good driver. At school.