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The news site of Santa Barbara City College.

The Channels

The news site of Santa Barbara City College.

The Channels

Campus parking permits could jump by hundreds of dollars

A+traffic+block+is+formed+by+cars+waiting+for+open+parking+spots+on+Tuesday%2C+Feb.+25%2C+at+parking+lot+5-3+on+West+Campus%2C+in+Santa+Barbara.+Drivers+have+to+wait+several+minutes+for+spots+to+open+up+because+of+the+lack+of+parking+at+City+College+Campus.
Charlotte Knegt
A traffic block is formed by cars waiting for open parking spots on Tuesday, Feb. 25, at parking lot 5-3 on West Campus, in Santa Barbara. Drivers have to wait several minutes for spots to open up because of the lack of parking at City College Campus.

The Transportation Alternatives Group reconvened Friday, Feb. 28, with a focus on creating incentives for students and faculty to drive to campus less frequently.

The group gave a presentation compiled by transportation consultants Fehr and Peers, which detailed how students and faculty got to and from campus and where they park.

Fehr and Peers found that West Campus had more auto trips while East Campus had more pedestrian and transit trips as well as information on which parking lots were full during certain times in the day.

“Last semester was the first time in two years I’ve gotten complaints about faculty parking on campus,” said Joe Sullivan, vice president of business services.

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Paul Bishop, vice president of information technology, responded by saying that there needs to be some sort of incentive not to drive.

The main topics the group discussed were creating a system that rewards faculty and students for not driving to school as well as raising parking fees, discouraging people from driving.

The price and payment options they discussed were:

  • $450 for an annual permit, July through June
  • $118 for a quarterly permit, which corresponds with UCSB
  • $56 for a 30-day permit, sold on campus
  • $37.50 monthly for a multi-year permit, equivalent to an annual permit

Dr. Adam Green, environmental studies professor, noted that one of the biggest problems is that accessing City College by walking or biking is difficult.

“There needs to be some sort of trail that leads onto campus,” Green said. “I’ve seen people struggling to bike up Cliff Drive and other areas leading to campus, there needs to be a better way.”

The group will meet again in March to further analyze the pros and the cons of the incentive system it discussed Friday.

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