If you have ever tried to find parking at the U of M, you know how difficult and frustrating it is to acquire a parking spot, regardless of whether you have a parking pass or are simply trying to find a place for the day. Overall, it is an infuriating ordeal.
I am no stranger to the daily parking lot duels between students struggling to find a parking spot despite paying for one. These parking lot battles are the bane of my existence. Although, while some might argue it is easier to bus, when you live far from the U of M, it can be a trek.
The number of tickets I have been issued from U of M parking services is astronomical. Whether it’s not parking perfectly between the lines, parking in the wrong lot or getting caught before even having a chance to pay at a pay station, they will find a way to ticket you. No matter the case or where you seem to be, U of M parking services are always waiting to leap out of the bushes and ticket you.
Despite all these troubles of finding parking and being fined, you also have the scramble at the beginning of every school year to get a parking pass. If you did not manage to nab a parking spot in late August, you are then added to a waitlist. Unfortunately, you never know when a spot will open to grant you a parking pass. Permits are also extremely expensive for full-time commuters. A parking pass costs roughly $82 dollars a month, adding up to $328 a term, limiting those who can get a permit to an exclusive bunch.
The lack of parking spots and permits creates disadvantages for those students who have long commutes to campus. The lack of awareness for students spending hundreds and thousands of dollars at a university that cannot accommodate their student population is disingenuous to students’ needs and wants.
Throughout 2023, between Jan. 1 and Dec. 31, the U of M issued over 13,000 parking citations according to the Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act, which enables students and staff to access public information from the U of M.
The total revenue collected from these citations was $584,974.40, paid to the U of M.
One may ask where all the money from these parking citations is going, and that is a great question.
Where is all the students’ money from these parking citations going?
From my own experience with U of M parking services, I have probably paid them enough money to build a small section of a parking building.
The U of M is also phasing out parking pay stations across campus, making physical payments even more inaccessible for students and drivers in general. Parking transactions are being limited to strictly mobile payment. These changes make students’ access to services they need limited and exhausting.
Students already have enough to handle without duelling each other for parking spots on campus. The prices and fines for parking are ridiculous, and the prices are financially straining and an overall hassle.
The hope is that one day, these prices and fines will be managed responsibly without having to price gouge the students on campus who have no other option but to pay and find parking on campus. That is, parking should be regulated and priced so students can afford it.
Parking should be the least financially draining or time-consuming thing on campus. Education should be the top priority of administrators and staff whose morals should be helping students accommodate their daily needs instead of adding to the already stressful and financial burden of attending school.
