September parking at u of m a 'crunch,' but there are options
Parking situation at other institutions highly variable
CHRISTINE LEONG VOLUNTEER STAFF
PHOTO WARREN BRITTON
Not only are parking permit fees at the University of Manitoba increasing every year, but this September, students who pay for these spots are finding themselves without a place to park.
Vehicles with a paid parking permit have been found illegally parked in open space within their assigned lot or on the grass along the edge of their lot. Security has dispensed tickets to these cars.
“Sometimes the lot gets so full that I start seeing people parked on the grass with a valid parking permit,” said Jennifer Mayor, a fifthyear human ecology student and an owner of a U-lot permit. “I think it’s unfair that these people get ticketed, especially when I see a lot of cars without a parking permit parked in my lot.”
Norma Carswell, director of Parking Services for the University of Manitoba said that by October, “things will calm down to a point where everybody will find parking in their assigned lot.”
“Well, of course in the first few weeks of September, there is always what they call the ‘parking crunch.’ There are always people parking on campus that shouldn’t be,” said Carswell. “So unfortunately, it always creates problems and sometimes for permit holders.”
Carswell also mentioned that they’ve been conducting daily surveys of the parking lots and they “know that there are spaces available on campus.” However, in the event that there are no spaces available, students are to report to parking services immediately.
“We do have an option for permit holders if they can’t find a place to park,” explained Carswell. “We give them alternate places to go to if their lot is full . . . so if people were saying they are having trouble finding places to park it may be because they don’t know that there is an alternative for them. [This] is written in their parking guidelines, which they get with their parking permit.”
According to Alan Simms, associate vice-president (administration), the current number of spots allocated for student parking at the U of M is 2,773. Simms also quoted the number of student permits issued as of Sept. 22 for the 2006-07 academic year is 3,784.
“This represents a 36 per cent oversell factor,” noted Simms.
Judy Wall, acting manager of parking services for the University of Saskatchewan, cited that their university also oversells the number of permits than parking spots available, but by 555 for the upcoming academic year.
“We try to set our oversell rates to maximize usage, while still providing parking for permit holders when they need it,” said Wall. “There may be times when a student cannot get into a lot, but those would be the exception, not the rule.”
At the U of M, regular students pay $439.90 for the 2006-07 academic year beginning in September and ending in April. This number is up from $395 plus GST for the last academic year.
“Parking must operate as cost recovery and meet lot administration, maintenance and development expenses,” explained Simms. “For example, all but the SD lot is energized, so electrical consumption is [a] factor.”
Still, many students believe the current price of a parking permit is too high.
“Parking used to be around $285 for an academic year in 2002,” said John Weselake, a former student at the University of Manitoba. “In 2003, the pass went up to about $350 and in 2004 it was about $375. It’s pretty ridiculous how much it has gone up in past years.”
When comparing permit prices with other institutions, the University of Manitoba is certainly not the cheapest. Students at the University of Saskatchewan pay $183.58 an eightmonth academic year for an electrified surface lot and $153.58 per academic year for a non-electrified surface lot. To park in a parking garage, students pay $250 per academic year — almost half the price of a surface lot with a plug-in at the U of M.
That is not to say the U of M is the most expensive. In fact, at the University of Alberta, student passes are sold by the month from $56.71 a month for a surface lot with no power to $87.67 a month for a heated underground lot. This amounts to a range of $453.86 per eight months to $701.36 per eight months for a student.
There are also institutions in Canada that do not have the same issue with parking. At the University of Toronto, only 400 parking permits are sold out of the 730 permits available. Toronto universities do not have a U-pass, or discounted bus passes for university students, as do Edmonton and Vancouver postsecondary students.
Katherine Cormack, director of communications for the University of Winnipeg, explained that an institution that is a “downtown, urban campus — centrally located with incredible access to transit” may have a very different parking situation than that of the U of M. Cormack further noted that “drop-offs” and “access” to campus are of major importance in this case.
“Ease of access is, of course, a serious consideration . . . and we have endeavored to make access a priority,” said Cormack. “The University is also a part of carpooling in a joint effort with University of Winnipeg Students’ Association.”
To serve its 9,000 students the University of Winnipeg provides 28 stalls specifically for students and they sell about 40 parking passes for $35 per month. Cormack also mentioned that there are about 75 stalls for “scramble parking” at a rate of $5-$5.50 a day.
The University of Manitoba, unlike the University of Saskatchewan and Alberta, has a waiting list for students wanting to purchase a parking permit.
“As of September 22, the student waiting list was 139 students and these students will be contacted depending on the rate of (inevitable) cancellations,” said Simms. “Last year, for example, all wait-listed students were accommodated by mid-October.”
The U of M Parking and Shuttle Services web page suggests alternative ways a student can get to school, which may help alleviate congested parking lots and other difficult parking situations.
“UMSU’s carpooling options are presented as a link on our parking web page; there is a shuttle bus between Bannatyne and Fort Garry campuses; city transit has a major terminus at Fort Garry; we have developed the Fort Garry Campus parkade and SD lot (and H lot at Bannatyne) to meet casual parking needs,” explained Simms.
“It just takes a while for students and staff to establish alternative ways of coming to campus. A lot of people come to campus with their cars and they don’t know what to do so they park in the lot. So it creates a bit of an overflow situation. [But] there are options for them,” said Carswell.
