The cost of driving

If you have a car on campus, chances are that you’ve also amassed a pile of Public Safety-issued parking tickets. Last year, the University collected $46,000 for parking violations—and that’s a lot of double parking. Many students respond to a parking ticket with a shrug and then throw it out. Because tickets are tied to student accounts, the charge might not seem immediate—or if you’re lucky, they’ll be taken care of by whoever writes the check for your tuition anyway. Still, parking violations can and do add up, and we implore students to think about where that money is going. $46,000 may be a drop in the University’s budget bucket, but that money is coming from somewhere, and it might be you.

While parking violations don’t occur in any one isolated area, the lack of parking around the Foss Hill dorms makes the area especially prone to ticketing. The recently added crosswalk to the nearby Vine Street parking lot is a good safety measure, and should encourage students to use that lot rather than parking on Foss Hill’s curbs. Still, marking the few parking spots along Foss Hill Drive with a 15-minute limit might force students to be more considerate: dropping off groceries is very different than parking overnight.

We’re fortunate that Wesleyan’s size and polices make it possible for all students, regardless of year, to have a car on campus. The $50 registration fee also pales in comparison to larger schools, even if it doesn’t guarantee a parking spot close to your residence.

And speaking of proximity: “Can I get a ride to New Haven?” One of the principle perks of having a car on campus (or a friend with one) is the ease of weekend escape. We’ve said it before and we’ll say it again: an affordable, convenient, Wesleyan-sponsored Friday afternoon shuttle to New Haven is a basic service this campus lacks. Cuts in Peter Pan Bus service from Middletown, combined with the large expense of a cab ride, have put even more pressure on students with cars to haul the rest of campus around. In the past, efforts to create a New Haven shuttle have hit roadblocks due to cost. Why not set aside some of that parking ticket revenue to fund such a worthwhile service? Then we’d really be getting somewhere.