Most parking rates unchanged

Parking permit rates will remain at their current levels through the summer of 2004, under a rate structure approved by the Campus Transportation Committee on Feb. 7.

“Last year’s rate increase helped pay for a variety of programs to ease demand for campus parking,” says Lance Lunsway, Transportation Services director. “The success of those programs and good budgeting make higher rates for our base lots unnecessary.”

Annual parking permits will again fall into three categories: $400, $650 and $990. By comparison, downtown employees parking in lots such as the State Street Capitol Ramp pay $1,128 annually.

One change from the current rate structure will apply to Business Alternate permits. Currently, permit holders can obtain a permit for a second lot free of charge; starting this fall, the second permit will cost $75.

At the direction of Chancellor John Wiley, Transportation Services studied alternative fee structures for 2003-04 that could be scaled by ability to pay, meaning employees with the lowest salaries would automatically pay the cheapest rates.

The study found that a salary-based system would be expensive and difficult to implement and would likely save money for few permit applicants. The study concluded:

• Most staff with the lowest incomes would not see a rate reduction because of a rate floor; they already choose and are assigned the least-expensive lots.
• No one who applied for lots with the lowest rates last year was displaced to the highest-rate lots.
• Some low-income permit-users choose higher-fee lots because they don’t mind paying for the extra convenience. However, under the proposal, they would have been displaced by employees with higher salaries who would choose the most convenient lots because their fees would be the same regardless of location.

“We also had to consider that an employee’s income is not the only determining factor in their ability to pay,” says Lunsway. “Employees may have expenses or other income that impacts how much they are able to pay for parking, but we have no mechanism for determining that.”

Permit rates were increased to their current levels last year to help pay for programs — including free bus passes for faculty and staff, and the Park and Ride program. These programs eased demand for the short supply of parking on campus and increased the lower-cost transportation options. The bus passes will remain free in the fall. Park and Ride lots will continue to cost campus employees $162 for the year. Transportation Services will also expand the Flex parking program to 100 additional participants and three additional lots. Flex parking, which uses a personal parking meter to charge people for parking as they use it, cuts down on campus congestion and pollution by encouraging commuters to walk, bike or bus to work.

In the spring, Transportation Services will provide parking information on how to apply online for a 2003-04 permit. Customers must have a UW ID to apply for annual parking permits in April. Applicants currently without an ID should get one to avoid delay in their ability to apply for a parking assignment.

For more information on parking or parking alternatives such as busing, biking, car and van pools, Flex parking, and Park and Ride, visit the Transportation Services Web site.