Parking fees may increase by more than 50 percent during the next four years, according to a recent proposal from University of Idaho Parking and Transportation Services.
“Blue parking passes will go up to $71 next year, $80 the following year, $90 the year after and finally $100, where it should stay.” said Rebecca Couch, parking and transportation information specialist.
The revised proposal includes resolutions to keep lot 60 a blue lot, remove overnight parking and increase the blue parking fee from $64 to an eventual $100 over the next four years. The other proposed changes will remain the same.
The previous version suggested that the blue pass go from its current price of $64 to $80 next year and $100 the following year. Couch said negative feedback about the accelerated price jump led PTS to spread the price increase over four years instead.
“In the first fee proposal released in November 2011, the main change would have altered lot 60 from a blue overnight lot to a red lot without overnight parking,” said Carl Root, parking and transportation director. “We wanted to make this change because the future construction of the Intermodal Transit Center building, and that will be going on in that lot, to create more revenue and to ensure more efficient snow removal in the lot.”
Root said proposals provide decision makers with knowledge about the public’s interests and issues.
“The original proposal created a lot of negative feedback from employees about the loss of the cheap parking in the blue lot,” Root said. “We listened to the people that had a strong message, and created an alternative plan that wouldn’t impact as many people.”
To ensure Greek residents enough overnight parking, the proposal included converting portions of green lot 111, the north portion of red lot 6 and red lot 112 to purple.
“With the removal of the overnight parking in blue lot 60, we knew we needed to find more purple parking options,” Root said. “We are confident that by next year we will have specific areas that will be changed to purple, because we understand the pressure that purple (pass holders have) with finding parking.”
Permit increases which raise the red permit price from $172 to $177, and the residential permits (purple, silver and green) to $136 remain unchanged from the original proposal.
“We want to be (as) accommodating as we can,” Root said. “When there is a strong reaction from the public, we go back to the drawing board to look for other options.”
Couch said administrators will review the finalized proposal and decide to approve or disapprove of it. The final parking fee changes for 2012-2013 will be released later this spring.