In today’s society, the desire for free goods or services, as expressed in a recent Argonaut opinion article, is ever strong. This simple yet enticing word — FREE — is boldly printed on coupons, catalogs and Internet offers in a marketing effort to motivate behavior or increase consumer interest. However, many consumers do not recognize that seemingly free goods or services have a cost.
Offering free parking on campus is no exclusion to this point. As desirable as it may seem, providing free parking poses potential negative impacts to the price of campus permits, overall balance of the parking system and, more broadly, the environment.
The University of Idaho parking system operates as a self-supporting entity. The fixed costs associated with maintenance and operations are largely funded by annual permit sales. To offer free parking areas on campus, permit prices for paying customers would consequently increase. Increasing permit prices to subsidize free parking would likely become an area of high concern for permit holders.
Parking and Transportation Services is committed to providing a parking system that maintains orderly vehicular access on the UI campus as well as environmental sustainability. Offering students free campus parking would highly incentivize the use of cars as a primary mode of transportation. An increase in trips made by car would lead to reduced use of alternative modes of travel such as riding a bike or utilizing city transit. This shift in behavior would increase harmful emissions and heighten vehicular circulation and congestion.
PTS offers an array of parking choices that allow the campus community to select an option that best fits their individual needs and budget. These options include permits priced in regard to their proximity to campus, day use permits, SMART meters and the ability to purchase permits for a pro-rated price throughout the year.
Fortunately for those parking on a modest budget, the UI campus is designed so economical parking locations are only as far as an eight minute walk from the core of campus. Commuters who desire a cost-effective option may purchase a Blue permit priced at just $64 for the academic year.
On the other hand, members of the campus community are not limited to purchasing an annual permit. Those who wish to commute to campus by walking or biking during months of favorable weather but drive during the winter months have economical options as well. For instance, to hold a Blue permit from December through February, one could purchase the permit for the pro-rated price of $45 and return it on March 1 for a refund of $19.
— Shawna Bertlin information specialist for UI Parking and Transportation Services