By Shanieka Perrier |Staff Writer|
Did you know that a parking ticket at CSUSB is $45 and if you do not pay within the first 21 days the cost will be increased with an additional late fee of $40?
While I was waiting for my paycheck to come in so I could buy a parking permit, I got slapped with a $45 parking violation. The cost of a parking permit is $102 and the ticket is $45, which comes out to a total of $147.
If I am going to pay that much money, I might as well buy the annual pass. The daily parking permits should allow students who live on campus to park inside the gates at University Village and anywhere else they would like.
If you have a quarterly or annual permit you are allowed to park there, so why not allow those that have a daily permit to park there as well? When you live in an apartment complex you not only get your own designated parking space, but you are also given a guest parking space.
Since University Village is an apartment complex and it’s technically not on campus, it doesn’t make any sense that we don’t get these privileges also. We should get the benefit of our own parking space or at least be accommodated at a lesser price.
For students that can only afford the daily parking permits, they are not allowed to park beyond the gates even if they are residents. This is a safety issue for students walking to their apartments at night as well as an inconvenience to students with disabilities.
Both male and female students can be subject to robbery, violence and sexual assault when walking from the open lot to their building. The lights in the parking lot are dim and the cameras do not always work, students can be subject potentially dangerous situations.
For students with disabilities, it’s not only a safety issue but it’s also a big inconvenience. To travel that extra mile from the parking lot can take quite a bit of extra time.
For example, students with crutches or with vision impairment, it can be a big hassle to walk that far.
But if they could park inside the gates, which is closer to their building, these students can get home quickly and safely. The parking regulations should accommodate for these types of situations. It is much safer for students who have residential housing to park inside the gates than in an open lot. What if the open lot is full?
At CSU Fullerton, parking isn’t as pressed as it is here. Students can park anywhere in the designated areas and do not have to worry about getting an expensive parking ticket.
If this system were to be implemented here, students could go to class with peace of mind.
CSUSB Parking Services states on their website that their “vision is to provide effective and efficient parking and transportation services that maximize value.”
“We are committed to the efficient management of parking and transportation resources while providing prompt and professional services to our customers,” reads their mission statement.
What are the services performed by the this department? Why are we paying so much? How are they meeting customer expectations when students here can barely afford the daily five dollar passes let alone the quarterly ones? Allowing housing students to park inside the gate would result in one less worry about parking and would allow students to focus on their studies.
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