Defending the real heroes and patriots
Calling it like it is — the quadruple-loonie lot!
MICHAEL SILICZ, STAFF
Apparently, there are now three things we can count on in our lives: that we will be taxed, that we will inevitably die, and that parking prices at the University of Manitoba will always rise. There is absolutely no justification for the authoritarian and Draconian parking prices found on the U of M campus.
Why is this even a debate? Better yet, what is there to even debate in the first place? The price of parking is unjustified, plain and simple. The cost of a parking pass this year is an astonishing $455.80. We are now home to the “double-toonie lot,” which is a misnomer because it should really be called “the quadruple-loonie” lot, in honour of the olden days when parking in the middle of no-man’s land used to be a single loonie per day. And the only reason that meters are still 25 cents is because 50 cent meters do not exist. However, with the ability for U of M Parking Services to gouge us of as much of our money as possible, I should really bite my tongue. I’m sure if U of M Parking Services invested one-tenth of its excess revenue into the research and development of methods to make parking even more expensive, we would probably have Robocops patrolling the parking lots instead of the infamous boys in white shirts and cowboy hats. Long story short, the university, through its partner in crime, U of M Parking Services, is unjustifiably making a lot of money off of already cash-strapped students.
There is no reason to support this brutal and oppressive burden on car owners. Granted, there will always be people out that will try to convince you, a hard working, property owning, law-abiding citizen, that your car is bad. Do not listen to them! After all, vocal minorities who stand on their soapboxes will always exist, trying to convince the silent majority that they are wrong and evil. In today’s age of political correctness this and global warming that, it takes true patriotism to stand up and proudly admit that you drive a car. Car drivers, in fact, are the real heroes. People who’ve worked hard to own and operate a car should take pride in their accomplishment, and the last thing these patriots deserve is to be pushed around by another bully, the U of M parking system. To those of you who drive cars to school every day, I salute you!
After all, cars are a necessity in this city. How else are we supposed to get to school? The bus is all right, but people who own cars do not generally ride the bus. What would be the point of having a car if you’re not going to drive it? Biking isn’t an option for most students. Furthermore, it is next to impossible to ride a bike during the months of winter. And worst of all, how are we supposed to rid the world of Saskatchewan Roughrider fans on bikes? An “I don’t break for Rider fans” bumper sticker wouldn’t work that well on a bicycle. Walking to school is nigh impossible for all but a minority who live very close to campus. The reality is that, in Winnipeg, people need cars. As such, those in charge of high demand, low supply parking spaces are taking advantage of this unfortunate economic reality.
When I first attended the University of Manitoba six years ago, parking cost $280. Yes, you read that correctly, two hundred eighty dollars. I’m sure it had risen to that price, as well, from the years beforehand. The following year, the price skyrocketed to $350. Then $375. Then $425. Now, parking costs a whopping $455.80 after tax. With these increases in mind, it seems trite and sardonic to even contemplate whether this is justifiable.
But again, why do students continually face prohibitively high parking prices? It would be understandable, for example, if the extra capital collected were somehow reinvested in the general area of “parking services.” Yet the money is not reinvested back into our parking system. The parking lots on campus are appalling. Most lots are far away from the heart of campus. We have but one multi-level parking facility. Worse, that very parkade by University Centre is almost always full after 8:30 a.m.. The quadruple loonie lot isn’t paved and doesn’t even have plugs for the winter. Finding an unoccupied parking meter on campus is a rare occasion that calls for celebration. Parking passes, which cost more than a half-year arts course, are not transferable. You cannot sell them to other people, either. You cannot even park in a lot unassigned to your tag, even though those lots are half-empty. And let’s not even touch the issue of parking fines on campus.
Where then has this extra parking revenue gone? It certainly hasn’t gone to upgrading parking services, that’s for sure. Was it invested in magic beans? Speaking of which, it sure as hell didn’t go into purchasing a competent and reliable system for purchasing the parking passes, as anyone who suffered through the comedy of errors involved in getting a pass this year will certainly attest. How could anyone possibly justify parking prices after all these faults?
Where, pray tell, has the money gone?
Michael Silicz is the comment editor of the Manitoban, and is a student of law and political studies.
