As part of an attempt to make the University of Utah a residential campus, the Kahlert Village parking lot has closed to begin construction on new student housing. Despite the attempt to create “college town magic” on campus, the U remains an 84% commuter campus with limited accessible parking options. The U continually plans to improve campus life by increasing the housing on campus. This makes campus less accessible to current students.

On-campus housing is very unaffordable — especially for upperclassmen. This forces students to find housing off-campus and commute daily. This is costly, time-consuming and inefficient. High costs for campus parking passes make the U even less affordable.

The U fails its commuting students by offering no affordable parking options or solutions. The U must provide affordable parking options to alleviate the financial burden on those who rely on driving to campus.

The U’s Price Gouging

On-campus housing is extremely unaffordable, with costs reaching up to $12,970 per academic year for upperclassmen. This has turned the U into a commuter campus with almost all students driving to school.

Given the high housing costs, one might expect more affordable parking and commuting options — this is not the case. Parking at the student union costs $30 for one day or $3 per hour.

Parking pass prices increase annually, even as campus parking lots continuously close. This parking shortage has become a significant issue on campus. The most basic parking pass, the U Pass, costs $345 per year and does not guarantee a parking spot. Additionally, the prices are rising — by 2028 the U pass will cost $516.48.

Even with this parking pass, more often than not students still need to park far away and walk to their destination even after paying over $300 for a parking pass. The A Parking Pass currently costs $828 and will rise $1239.60 by 2028. This excessive pricing is a money grab, which is disappointing for a public institution with an in-state tuition of $9,002 and out-of-state tuition of $30,488 per semester.

Beyond student life, visitor parking at the university is nearly nonexistent. Students living on campus have few parking options for visiting family and friends. The university hasn’t offered many helpful solutions to this issue, other than parking far away and walking or taking the Trax.

Unreceived Student Feedback

Many students have expressed frustration with the U’s ability to understand their concerns. Parking permits and day passes are not affordable for students paying for their own housing or tuition. Even if students choose to get a job on campus or become resident advisers at the dorms, parking passes or accommodations are still not offered.

If students are being paid minimum wage by our university, paying for day parking would cost four hours of their daily salary. Resident advisors must also pay for parking passes despite living on campus as upperclassmen. Students have been expressing their dissatisfaction with school parking for far too long. Even with a heavy push for change from students, the university is yet to create an effective solution.

Failed Solutions From the U

The university has proposed long-term solutions but most are ineffective and littered with flaws. One proposed solution is shifting class start times to spread out parking lot usage. Although this will help traffic, most people will spend the full day on campus when they have class. If class start times shift, the parking lots will still have limited available spots.

The U has also implemented increased prices for parking passes so less people purchase one. This only makes parking at the university unaffordable for students and is not a solution to the parking crisis. The solutions students are asking for have repeatedly been ignored. 

What needs to be done?

The U’s current solutions don’t address students’ needs. The last parking garage was built in 2015, despite a 1,000-student increase in enrollment over the past two years.

The University of Utah must offer affordable or free accessible parking for students. With the amount of money each student is paying to attend the U, a centrally located parking garage, free or reasonably priced, would better serve students than costly freshmen-only housing.

The U must invest in resources that benefit all students. The U already has the “college town magic” it seeks — what students really need is somewhere to park their car. 

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@Emmalucille__