Well it has happened and without complaint or much opposition, the University has sealed the fate of its students again by idly allowing the residents of the University Oaks community to go private, and thereby restricting parking from UH students.
In a Daily Cougar article, UH students were told that the University Oaks community, a quaint, yet beautiful neighborhood adjacent to the University, has certified its community with the City of Houston as a “Residential Permit Parking” neighborhood, which in essence bans UH students from parking in the neighborhood. The ban, now enforceable by the good ol’ boys of HPD as of Feb. 15, comes as surprise for many students who had been utilizing the neighborhood for reasons of affordability and proximity, as it is the closest free “parking lot” for University students.
Students should be outraged by the current parking conditions, as well as the economic conditions of the average student — broke! Many students are strapped for cash, which makes parking permits, or paying parking citations an egregious expense.
To the students who park legitimately and visibly display the proper parking permits with Cougar pride, I commend and praise you for your respect and obedience to the law. To those whom genuinely cannot afford parking, for whatever reason this year, you have my sympathy. The University Oaks neighborhood, which is mostly up for sale, was a convenient, cost-free alternative and the University should have negotiated, at least, for an extension, perhaps until the end of May.
But to sympathize with University Oaks’ residents: enough is enough. The reality of it is that UH has a really bad parking problem that is one parking spot past becoming a parking crisis.
The University has not slowed or deterred ambitions, in-line with Tier One strategies to add to its 40,000 plus students with more students, many of which are predicted to live on campus. It’s really a no-brainer at that point to realize that many of those students will occupy several spaces well before the morning influx of the other 70 to 85 percent of students who do not live on campus.
So where will they park? In a quiet lot several miles from the University, serviced by a sluggish shuttle that will be the University’s solution until that too, would be overwhelmed.
However, the good folks in the University Oaks neighborhood were forced to endure a small, but heavily concentrated percentage of those frustrated commuters adding traffic, noise and even a degree of crime.
Their solution was simple, effective and enacted rather quickly. And who can blame them? This is the mess of the University spilling over into their community.
If we must point fingers then we have to point those fingers at the people responsible for parking and transportation here. If their efficiency in citing and towing student’s cars is any indication, then parking and transportation is not a division or department, but what seems to be a multi-million dollar business. It’s almost as if the towing contractors have a sixth sense for students parked illegitimately on campus.
Currently, the University doesn’t seem able or capable of accommodating any more students, as far as parking is concerned.
An extension until May would have allowed students utilizing the University Oaks community a considerable amount of time to find an alternative, or to save the money to purchase a parking permit. But that would be looking after students, a service UH does not commit to well.
Instead it will allow those students to take on risky ventures by parking on campus without authorization, out of frustration and desperation. This is actually more profitable for the University when you add up the citations and possible towing fees those students will face.
What more authority do students need to park on campus other than to be enrolled as students on campus; is tuition not enough? Most students are very proud of the Tier One designation and all the strategies the University has in place to better this campus. But sometimes we wonder: are we the pride or simply the purse?
I don't think the university cares enough about her students to want to take any sort of action. Slapping parking fines is another way for UH to generate fees which is what the bottom line at UH is about. The school constructed a parking garage, which on most occasions, is less than 40% occupied.
Some solutions: the field by the entrance of UH could be converted into a parking lot, however, if this is done than the roads need to be repaired as there are big holes and broken pavement which makes it harder for students to drive their cars.
If the university had any common sense, they would realize that as a primarily commuter school, UH needs to make parking woes its priorities.
But no, instead the school wasted millions of dollars on a gym when most commuter students like myself could just as easily used a local gym near our neighborhoods without having to dish out an additional $90.00 or so in fees to help keep the expensive gym running.
" the University has sealed the fate of its students again by idly allowing the residents of the University Oaks community to go private, and thereby restricting parking from UH students." Neimon this statement implies that somehow the University controls whether or not the University Oaks Neighborhood is open for parking…The University Oaks Neighborhood is a private neighborhood and has the right to apply for a neighborhood parking permit program with the City of Houston to which they were granted; the University has no control over this so to imply that they do is misleading.
Furthermore, you must understand that Parking is a business, because it has to be, the Parking and Transportation Office recieves no funding subsidies from the State nor does it recieve funding from the University, it is entirely funded by the sale of parking permits and ticket revenue, with the latter being a small percentage. In other words without the sale of parking permits, there would be no funds to provide parking for students on campus.
However students are not without recourse, their are alternative means of transportation to which an increasing number of students are utilizing, some with flexible schedules are carpooling, or taking the bus or if they live close biking to campus, these alternative options are not for everyone and the vast majority will likely not utilize these options, however the more students that seek to do so the more parking spaces will be available. The way to "solve" the parking challenge on campus is to increase the number of parking spaces while also reducing demand for parking by encouraging alternative means of transportation. the solution is not just build your way out, you must also reduce demand.
I would advise that you visit the division of administration and finance webpage and check out the Universities long term plans for Parking and Transportation. There is a plan, their will be growing pains, but in the long term its better to be a part of the solution to a contributor to the problem. This opinion piece while a expression of feeling does nothing to highlight the real reason students have issues with parking and what can be done to resolve them, contrary to popular belief complaining without knowledge of the the entirety and or complexity of the issue does not help.
visit http://www.uh.edu/af to view the long term plans for parking and transportation.
I would advise that you visit the division of administration and finance webpage and check out the Universities long term plans for Parking and Transportation. There is a plan, their will be growing pains, but in the long term its better to be a part of the solution to a contributor to the problem. This opinion piece while a expression of feeling does nothing to highlight the real reason students have issues with parking and what can be done to resolve them, contrary to popular belief complaining without knowledge of the the entirety and or complexity of the issue does not help.
visit http://www.uh.edu/af to view the long term plans for parking and transportation.
I would advise that you visit the division of administration and finance webpage and check out the Universities long term plans for Parking and Transportation. There is a plan, their will be growing pains, but in the long term its better to be a part of the solution to a contributor to the problem. This opinion piece while a expression of feeling does nothing to highlight the real reason students have issues with parking and what can be done to resolve them, contrary to popular belief complaining without knowledge of the the entirety and or complexity of the issue does not help.
visit http://www.uh.edu/af to view the long term plans for parking and transportation.
I would advise that you visit the division of administration and finance webpage and check out the Universities long term plans for Parking and Transportation. There is a plan, their will be growing pains, but in the long term its better to be a part of the solution to a contributor to the problem. This opinion piece while a expression of feeling does nothing to highlight the real reason students have issues with parking and what can be done to resolve them, contrary to popular belief complaining without knowledge of the the entirety and or complexity of the issue does not help.
visit http://www.uh.edu/af to view the long term plans for parking and transportation.
I would advise that you visit the division of administration and finance webpage and check out the Universities long term plans for Parking and Transportation. There is a plan, their will be growing pains, but in the long term its better to be a part of the solution to a contributor to the problem. This opinion piece while a expression of feeling does nothing to highlight the real reason students have issues with parking and what can be done to resolve them, contrary to popular belief complaining without knowledge of the the entirety and or complexity of the issue does not help.
visit http://www.uh.edu/af to view the long term plans for parking and transportation.
Leave it to UH to say one thing and do another. I see all the faculty make speeches, and Khator reminds us that she is working for us students. Then UH goes and charges me $150 for a parking pass, THEN charges me $146 when my car is in a parking space that's "reserved" because someone else parked in MY space, THEN UH tows me after the fine AND charges me for the towing.
I'm sure Khator keeps us in mind, but the University of Houston doesn't seem to give a care.
Rosa, did you read what I wrote? ? They have no choice but to charge you for parking, It is an idependent self-funded enterprise, if their was no parking permits their would be no funds to build and maintain parking.
I'm also assuming the $146 is a ticket? If so are you saying that you should not get a ticket for illegally parking in "reserved" spot to which you did not pay for, when everyone else who doesn't have a ticket is parked in a space that their paid for permit allows them to be legally parked in? There are rules for a reason…parking permit revenue allows the University to fund the contruction and maintaince of its parking infrastructures, the rules guiding the permits allow for an regulated use of available space. I'm sorry you were ticketed and towed but those are the rules that everyone must abide by, faculty staff and students.
Rosa you really need to grow up! We live in the 4th largest city in America. Do you think the parking situation is much better at NYU or UCLA? Come on a grow up please. If your too cheap to pay the parking fees go park next to the popeyes. I am a senior and I have been parking there for my entire time at U of H and have never had a problem ever. Bottom line is if your that unhappy with U of H then you can always transfer to U of H downtown or TSU I hear they have a lot of parking. The University of Houston has to make extra money somehow to overcome the budget shortfalls that are coming. I bet if they didnt add these fees etc that you would then be saying how U of H doesnt care about teaching its students. Get over it people life isnt easy and everyone has to do what they can to get by.
counterpoint: the university's policy of overselling parking permits is theft, thus disobeying the parking laws and avoiding fines is a moral act.
Well if they don't oversell they run the risk of having lots sit empty while people are denied their perceived "right" to have cheap parking (for example, Greg's post from 1 week ago). And all because people are too lazy to take the bus 🙂
"take the bus"… do you know what city you are in? are you lost? do you need a policeman?
Haha! No kidding. I doubt more than 10% of the car-dependent students could even find the main campus if it weren't for Spur 5 🙂 And reading a transit map…well, that's just out of the question!
i meant that metro is an underfunded corrupt mess used primarily to funnel public funds to private contractors. and i can't justify waking up three hours before my first class so i can make it to the nearest park and ride and get to class on time. if houston had a big-boy public transit system like a big-boy city, then yes driving a car would be morally inexcusable. until then, driving is going to be the primary method of travel.
Well I guess if you put it that way, the extra $ for a parking garage guaranteed spot suddenly isn't much at all.
this guy
F*** UH i hate this place
If UH wants to bring in more parking $ they can start by keeping people from sneaking out the Welcome Center visitor garage without paying. It's $9 lost each time they do that! And if they catch them, I am sure the ticket will be worth even more.