Paying for parking

A

ATex7239

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Jan 19, 2017
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If you have to ask, don’t ask…
As some of you may have seen in one of my posts a few weeks ago we got my son his first car. Which he is very excited about. Today is his first day back at high school after the holiday break and he is going to apply for a parking pass so he can start driving himself to school. Walking currently. This is where the title of this thread comes in to play. Why do we have to pay $20 for a parking pass in a public school? I understand how businesses often use parking to generate revenue, and I’m fine with that, but this is a public school. Moreover funding is generated from taxes, bonds, grants, the lottery, etc. (ie, public funds) and it’s mandatory that he goes to school otherwise I could be fined or jailed. So again why are we having to pay for parking? I see it similarly if you’re being summoned to appear in court. If you’re being told attendance is mandatory otherwise you’ll be fined and/or incarcerated then why the charge for parking?

Does paying for parking situations such as this annoy anyone else or is it just a me thing?
 
Back in the last millennium, I got a parking pass because my parents were tired of me calling for a ride home after practice (bus service ended before after-school practice did), and I had to pay a small amount for that. IIRC, Seniors got to park in the "A" lot, and all others were relegated to a "B" or "C" lot, which were a bit cheaper and involved a longer walk to the school. Never really thought about the cost. Maybe they charged us due to not using the bus service that they provided?

All I know is that I was happy to be able to not have to wait for a ride or walk home, because it was uphill and I didn't have shoes... ;)
 
Depends on the circumstances.

Maybe the $20 goes into a "Maintaining the striping and cleaning up all the vape generators and beer bottles the little darlings throw out the windows" fund?

To pay for upped security patrols?

Because the collective mindset of the populus doesn't think the parking lot is worthy of being in the "sacred school budget"?

These are guesses and I'm not judging.
 
That's cheap. It's $40 +$5 processing fee at our Podunk collage.

Screenshot_20260107-121814.webp
 
Paying for a parking pass/sticker should be expected. It's an option to drive and park to school, that option has a cost associated with it. Alternatively he could use the school bus, now if you're in the grey zone where school buses don't run, I believe an argument could be paid that the parking pass cost should be dropped.
 
Parking lot isn't free? has to be plowed and sanded, and painted. Maybe by putting up a small barrier, some won't drive? Or maybe it will go into a fund to repave and expand (highly unlikely!).

Like others, I didn't pay for one when I was a teen, and would have gladly paid for my kids, so I wouldn't have to drive them. Getting to be where $20 is cheap money.
 
supton said:
Parking lot isn't free? has to be plowed and sanded, and painted. Maybe by putting up a small barrier, some won't drive? Or maybe it will go into a fund to repave and expand (highly unlikely!).

Like others, I didn't pay for one when I was a teen, and would have gladly paid for my kids, so I wouldn't have to drive them. Getting to be where $20 is cheap money.
Click to expand...
Sidewalks aren’t free. Neither is cutting the grass. Can walkers be charged as well by that logic?
 
May it have anything to do with controlling who parks at school, i.e., to prevent non-students from parking in the lot?

Does the school charge for other extras, such as lab fees at the school?
 
Kestas said:
May it have anything to do with controlling who parks at school, i.e., to prevent non-students from parking in the lot?
Click to expand...
They restrict access. They put a facility person at the entrance to the parking lot and if you don’t have a pass displayed you can’t even enter. There’s a completely separate entrance for drop off and pick up.
 
ATex7239 said:
Sidewalks aren’t free. Neither is cutting the grass. Can walkers be charged as well by that logic?
Click to expand...
Fair point.

ATex7239 said:
They restrict access. They put a facility person at the entrance to the parking lot and if you don’t have a pass displayed you can’t even enter. There’s a completely separate entrance for drop off and pick up.
Click to expand...
Maybe it pays for this?
 
Not discounting the other valid comments, but the real answer is probably closer to: Because we can.

Does paying mean that there is a expectation that you get protection from vandalism, damage & assurance of available space? Does the area have Hospitals in the vicinity that would see people parking elsewhere to avoid the cost of hospital parking?

Lots (bad pun) of reasons, but mostly IMHO the first one I typed.
 
KGMtech said:
Not discounting the other valid comments, but the real answer is probably closer to: Because we can.

Does paying mean that there is a expectation that you get protection from vandalism, damage & assurance of available space? Does the area have Hospitals in the vicinity that would see people parking elsewhere to avoid the cost of hospital parking?

Lots (bad pun) of reasons, but mostly IMHO the first one I typed.
Click to expand...
Yeah, I think that’s probably the answer. No different than them charging $5 cash only to go to the junior high basketball game in the gymnasium. Why? Cause they can. And they know we’ll pay it to see our kids play.
 
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