Last year, it only cost $50 to buy a parking pass for the summer in lot five, six or seven. This year, parking is restricted to lot nine for students and Parking Services is charging $163.
It seems that they have brought prices up to the rate they charge for the fall and winter semester. However, there are good reasons why parking passes were (and should continue to be) cheaper in the summer. Maintenance costs are much lower in the summer, since snow removal and salting are not required and there are fewer permit holders using the lots.
In addition, most students taking classes in the summer are only coming in one or two days a week. Parking permits are meant to make parking more affordable for people who come to Carleton on a regular basis, but this year most students taking summer courses will find it cheap to pay (six dollars+) each visit.
Either way, it’s ridiculous to increase the price by this much from one year to the next. Nothing has changed significantly since last summer and if Parking Services has ample parking space, there is no reason to restrict permit holders to P9.
Eli Burbidge
Student