I remember being really surprised when I learned that there was no fee to park on Oxy’s campus. I had talked to other friends and some of them had to pay up to 400 dollars to park on their campus. I thought I was lucky. But now that I have become more environmentally aware, I don’t think the lack of a parking fee is lucky at all. In fact I think it is a detriment to the college. The environmental impact of parking lots are at least twofold on our campus. First parking indicates the use of cars which contribute to green house gas emissions. Second parking lots reduce the amount of green space available and negatively impact the environment through runoff. Not having a parking fee encourages students to bring their cars to campus and deters the use of alternate transportation methods.
Claremont McKenna College recently reported the top ranking sustainable liberal arts colleges. The colleges selected to be analyzed in the report were the top 50 liberal arts colleges in the nation (based on U.S. News and World Report 2009 rankings). All of the top ten ranking colleges have parking fees and most do not allow freshman students to have a vehicle on campus. For instance Amherst, Williams, and Mount Holyoke have a parking permit fee from 60 to 150 dollars a year. I think Oxy should instate a similar parking fee and follow in the footsteps of Mildbury College,
“Beginning in the 2009-2010 academic year Middlebury College will charge students $50 per semester ($100/year, $25 summer) to park cars on campus. Previously, the college allowed students to register cars without a fee. Middlebury will use funds from this new fee to support its carbon neutrality initiative by distributing revenue between carbon reduction efforts and public transportation, in addition to paying for maintenance of parking lots.”
http://www.middlebury.edu/sustainability/news-events/news/2009/node/117802
A parking fee at Oxy could go to a number of environmental interests; the bike sharing program, zip cars, bus passes, free rides to the airport during breaks, even general parking lot maintenance. This could mean a lot of money towards sustainable projects at Oxy. For instance if 400 students park their car on campus and the fee is 50 dollars per year, that would mean 20,000 dollars. Even if oxy doesn’t institute a parking fee, our website ( like many other colleges) should stress that a car is not needed and that ride sharing or other forms of transportation are preferred.
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I agree that there should be a parking fee at Oxy. While it is harder to get around L.A. without a car than it is many other cities, it is certainly not impossible. I have recently reduced the amount that I use my car, and have instead been taking public transportation. I have found that the system is much easier than I thought. Getting to and from LAX can actually be faster and cheaper than driving (if you use the FlyAway bus and the metro gold line from Union Station to the Highland Park stop). Taking public transportation makes me feel more engaged with the city and its inhabitants.
ReplyDeleteIt is important that students internalize at least a portion of the costs that having a car has on the environment and campus. If the fee angers students, then maybe they don't value having a car as much as they thought.
It would be nice to see Oxy take this simple step to reduce our carbon footprint.
Not only does Oxy not support alternative transportation, I would go as far as to say that Occidental encourages car use. Our campus is the most car-oriented campus that I have ever been on. At the schools where most of my friends attend (University of Oregon, Portland State) and the other campuses I've experienced bikes and bus are major modes of transportation. However, they are relatively non-existent here and I feel like the primary reason for this is school policy. For example, It seems like half of our campus is parking lots, while there is zero bus system access on campus. I think charging students for parking is a positive step, but i would also like to see less parking in general.
ReplyDeleteIt's absurd that we still have free parking. Since it might be difficult to get students to agree to this policy, I think we should go about first proposing that staff and faculty be required to purchase a pass. Metro also offers student discounts for monthly passes but Oxy has not opted into that program. Oxy should certainly offer those passes and could subsidize them with the money gathered through parking permits.
ReplyDeleteI completely agree. There are no incentives for students right now do drive less, or car pool. I think that a fee (or even not letting freshman bring cars) is a great idea to encourage sustainable practices on campus. Yes, getting around LA is hard without a car, but by no means is it impossible. I have not had a car on campus for any of my 4 years here, and i seem to have managed just fine. More needs to be done on campus to encourage students to give up the car mentality that seems to exist.
ReplyDeleteWhile Oxy continues to have free parking, many of us have seen the services that the school offers as a substitute to driving cut during out time at the school. A prime example of this is the Bengal Bus that used to run to the Gold Line station in Highland Park. LA Metro is the city's most valuable asset in terms of public transportation, and Oxy's decision to cut services of the Bengal Bus to that system reinforces driving culture at Oxy just as much as our free parking does. Therefore, it is essential that we institute a small parking fee at the very least, and follow the lead of other schools in using the generated revenue to reinvest in valuable alternative transportation systems.
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