Pretty penny to park: KPU doubling parking fees is the wrong move
Starting this month, the daily and hourly parking rates for on-campus spots have increased to $10 and $4 respectively
KPU's new daily parking rate is higher than similarly sized institutions like Douglas College and Capilano University. (Diego Minor Martínez)
Picture this: A Kwantlen Polytechnic University student is scrolling on Instagram when they get an email notification that the school is doubling the hourly and daily campus parking starting May 1.
The student does the math and understands that they can either pay $80 a month for the eight days they’ll need to drive to campus or purchase a $58 monthly pass.
They realize students like them, who come to campus about once a week, will be forced to pay for around 20-days’ worth of extra parking every month because daily parking increased to $10 from $5. If that wasn’t enough, the hourly parking rate jumped to $4 from $2.
In comparison, Douglas College has a daily parking rate of $5.50, while Langara College’s is $8.50 and Capilano University’s is $8.
I think KPU’s new fee prices place them more in line with the University of British Columbia and Simon Fraser University — institutions that have tens of thousands of more students than we do.
Most people would look at this increase and say, “It’s only a couple of dollars. Why does it matter?”
It matters because it affects the average student who works a part-time or even full-time job and struggles to afford housing in an ever-rising market. All the while, they try to get to work on time and ensure their schoolwork is handed in by the due date.
If they can’t pay the new parking rate, they can keep their car in a less secure spot off campus or risk ending up with incredibly expensive parking tickets.
When it comes to alternatives, cycling to school is difficult with Surrey’s lack of bike-friendly infrastructure, and the campus is often too far for many students to walk to or from home or work.
Without a doubt, the bigger problem at hand is Surrey’s car dependency. Prior to the Second World War, Surrey was connected to the New Westminster Southern Railways. Yet, Surrey became a victim of the post-war focus on city-wide, car-focused infrastructure and developing suburban homes and communities.
Surrey has been growing in population ever since. While governments have built and added tons of bus routes and SkyTrain stops in Surrey, it doesn’t fix the underlying problem of the city’s car-centred design.
Unfortunately, most residents still rely on their cars to get around — and KPU expects its students to pay even more for parking.
KPU has done wonders pioneering affordable and accessible education for thousands of people, and I am proud to say I attend this school. However, this increase was a negative decision and it should be rescinded.
