As printed April 26, 2004
by Felicia Fonseca
Daily Lobo
Tuition is up, enrollment is up and now parking permits prices have gone up. Online parking permits went on sale April 26, and included is a 10 percent price increase per year.
Students can expect to pay anywhere from $6 to $11 more than last year, and faculty and staff will see increases between $6 and $42.
"Ouch," said UNM sophomore Ray Saucedo. "It's a travesty. Paying $60 now is hard enough."
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Driving the increases are state taxes, fuel costs and UNM's enrollment.
The state imposed a 5 percent tax on the department because it generates revenue on state property. An additional 5 percent increase comes out of UNM's Parking and Transportation Services.
"The nearly 6 percent increase in the student population has presented a real challenge for us," said Clovis Acosta, director of Parking and Transportation Services, in a news release. "Most students and an increasing number of staff now use park-and-ride facilities."
The number of permits sold for surface lots increased by almost 5 percent from last year. Park-and-ride lot permits increased by 31 percent. Josh Kavanagh, associate director of Parking and Transportation Services, said if there were more opportunities to put large walk-in lots around the University, parking fee increases would not be as common.
"Most people in the park-and-ride lots are of course running more buses and running them longer," Kavanagh said.
To accommodate students, the department has added shuttle drivers. During the last year, the department has seen a 30 percent increase in transportation labor and a 29 percent increase in fuel costs.
"We have put a lot of effort into keeping up with growth by expanding the shuttle fleet and adding drivers to keep up with demand and improve shuttle frequency," Kavanagh said. "Among other things, the rate increase will allow us to maintain these improvements and keep up with our lot maintenance schedules."
Saucedo said taking a shuttle adds 10 to 20 minutes to his daily commute, but he has been happy with the timeliness of shuttle drivers and the service the department provides. He said he plans to buy the cheapest permit because taking a shuttle is inevitable.
The department is user-supported. Funds from the increases will go to maintain paving, shuttles, lot security and maintenance, Kavanagh said.
Students who purchase permits online today will see the state and department-imposed taxes. Faculty and staff will see the increase split on their payroll reductions beginning Wednesday and after August 23. Kavanagh said the parking rates are very fair when compared with other universities. He said the park-and-ride lots are a particularly good deal, ranging from $66 to $166 per year for students. Resident parking permits are paid for by the semester and range from $71 to $82.
NMSU, a university rich with land, charges students $25 per year to park in its lots. The university also offers free parking with shuttle access.
University of Arizona parking permit costs range from $115 to $450, and permits at the University of Nevada-Las Vegas are priced from $72 to $140.
Kavanagh said the April 21 parking forums went well, with a cross-section of University community members attending.
"The desire of customers to keep prices as low as possible was a major consideration," Kavanagh said. "We spent a lot of time working and reworking our projections so that we could submit a balanced budget."
