Being in college and a young adult that has only been on her own for two years, I have come to realize that about 75 percent of the time I am completely broke, or at least pretty close to it. Money is limited and has to be managed accordingly. I am pretty sure that we all are aware that college is expensive, and the price does not seem to be decreasing anytime soon.
On campus, many clubs and student organizations realize that most students do not have unlimited funds and usually offer free food, and if you stay long enough you might be able to take some home; the only organization that does not seem to understand that the common student does not have pockets overflowing with Franklins is UA transportation services.
I recently read that transportation services grosses seven million dollars with permits and tickets combined. This is not an accomplishment, but an indication that permit prices and ticket prices are way too high and not within reason. It does not make sense that the city of Tuscaloosa only charges $15 dollars for parking in a handicapped parking spot, but UA transportation services charges $250 dollars.
That is just too big of a gap. The price of permits is also cause for concerns; I remember paying over 200 dollars for a small piece of plastic that lets me park on a campus that I pay thousands of dollars to attend.
I understand that the money is used for parking decks, to pay employees and for maintenance. Additionally, since Transportation Services does not receive state funding, these high prices seem necessary; however, maybe this lack of state funding is a reality that needs to change, especially since parking decks are usually built during the semester, which makes finding parking more difficult than it already is.
A new building is always being built on this campus; with this constant construction comes barriers that block off roads and take up parking lots. In turn, these barriers lead students to venture off far from their final destination to park in a zone that avoids a hefty ticket. As students, our time and money is valuable; a ten to fifteen minute walk from the car and back is beyond inconvenient. Furthermore, paying a $100 dollar ticket is extremely harsh for the pocketbook. Of course students would take the walk, but they should not have to.
There is no denying that our university is a great place to be, but it also an expensive place to attend. Tuition, room and board, meal plans and textbooks are already a burden for most students. A $100 dollar to $200 dollar parking fine is simply the last thing that needs to be added to their student account.
This is not a plea for citations to go away or to let everyone park where they see fit; that would cause chaos. The fines should just be lowered. They should be close to the City of Tuscaloosa parking and ticketing fines. A little extra can be charged because it is on campus, but the citations are on the borderline of being excessive. In fact, that line has already been crossed.
