Parking rates at Carleton University have increased by 10 per cent as of May 1, following approval by the Board of Governors last month.
The rates for student parking permits have gone up $8 per month while rates for staff and faculty parking areas have gone up a maximum of $12 per month, according to Christopher Moy, assistant director of Carleton’s parking services.
Moy said in an email that one of the reasons the parking rates were increased is because the previous rates were below the market average.
According to Carleton’s website, Carleton’s former hourly rate was $3.50 per hour for visitors, and is now $4.00 per hour.
At the University of Ottawa, the parking rate is $5.50 per hour and is $4.00 per hour at Algonquin College.
“I think it’s ridiculous because it’s already expensive, considering it’s so far from downtown,” said Dennie James, a technology innovation management master’s student at Carleton.
He said he did not know that on-campus parking prices had gone up.
James said he already made a one-time payment for full-year parking before May 1, but he will have to pay the increased rates in the following years.
Moy said another reason for the increase was to lower the number of people driving to campus, and to encourage students, faculty and staff to move towards more “sustainable options” of transportation.
The forthcoming 16-month closure of the O-Train in April 2020, is expected to cause increased traffic on campus he said.
Moy added that increasing the cost of parking can push students, faculty and staff to take other forms of transportation, reducing vehicle traffic.
“As long as driving to and parking on campus is the cheapest choice, it will be the preferred choice,” Moy said.
He said that parking infrastructure costs are also expected to rise in the future due to the displacement of parking lots to expansion projects on campus, among other factors.
Adam Landry, communications officer at the Faculty of Engineering and Design, said he has been paying for parking since he started working at Carleton and was “a little surprised” at the increase.
Although Landry said he isn’t sure whether or not parking prices have gone up this much at once before, he said “it seems like quite the jump this year.”
“Of course it’s expected that it’ll go up sometimes, but 10 per cent in one year is fairly high,” he added. “The rates are pretty good [in lot 12]. Obviously, I would like for them to stay the same.”
Landry said he wouldn’t expect university administration to consult with students and other staff and faculty before making a decision such as this one.
“I’m sure they have a reason, but it’s just unfortunate that it’s going up by so much,” he said. “Everyone here probably feels the same. Parking is expensive, whether you’re a faculty member or a staff or a student.”
—With files from Tim Austen
File photo
