Price increase may influence parking permit sales

The increased price of parking on campus may make it take longer for students to save the amount of money to purchase them, said Lynnette Forman, MSU parking operations manager.

Forman said she expects permits for Lot 91, located just south of Hubbard and Fee halls, to sell out around Aug. 23, the same day they sold out last year.

The permits went on sale July 16 on the MSU Department of Police and Public Safety’s Web site.

But given trends during the last four years, it might take a little longer.

The parking division’s records showed that permits for Lot 91 were sold out by Aug. 23 in 2007, Aug. 18 in 2006 and Aug. 8 in 2005.

“In my opinion I think it’s taking longer to sell out, because the permit prices are increasing,” Forman said.

A student permit for the lot costs $170 this fall, a 19 percent increase from $143 in 2007. This price was increased from $129 in 2006.

Before 2004, the sellout time periods were fairly consistent because they weren’t sold online, she said. Now students can only purchase permits online.

Records show the trend found in Lot 91 is also true for all the university’s residence hall lots, Forman said.

As the cost increased for a permit granting access to lots 25 and 51, located near Owen Graduate Hall and across from Shaw Hall respectively, the parking spaces went from selling out on Aug. 4 in 2004 to selling out on Aug. 20 last year.

But student demand probably isn’t changing, Forman said. Students are just waiting longer into summer to purchase the permits.

“I think that expenses in general are increasing, and it’s taking students longer than usual to earn their money (during the summer),” she said.

Roberto Reyes, a second-year rhetoric and writing graduate student, said he never purchased parking permits, because the convenience of parking on campus was not worth the price.

“It’s usually easier to park a block or two away from campus and walk on,” he said.

Ben Guild, an electrical engineering senior, said he bought a parking permit when he lived on campus in the residence halls.

“Now I live at Chandler (Crossings Apartments), and parking in the engineering lot is very expensive. On a normal week it costs on average about $2.40 per class (to park) — compound that and it gets to quite a lot.”

The parking division does not receive financing from the university, meaning that the costs for lot maintenance are paid for by the permits.

“Inflation rates have increased substantially over the last six to eight years,” she said.

Published on Monday, July 21, 2008