Paying for parking

[andrew_j]

My daughter in HS charged $200/year . They use funds for bussing and clearly not parking lot as it’s full of potholes. The city is full of money.

They do waive it for folks who cannot afford it.

 

[ATex7239]

$20? That’s dirt cheap! Wait till he goes to college

My oldest is in college. He’ll be picking up the tab on that parking pass just like his older sibling. I’m paying tuition. They can figure out parking.

 

[PF52]

Sidewalks aren’t free. Neither is cutting the grass. Can walkers be charged as well by that logic?

You probably are already paying a city services bill or an HOA fee; that's what pays for your sidewalks.

 

[andrew_j]

The reality of $20 is a fee is needed to pay for likely sticker/overhead/inventory spaces and assignment process guessing to specific space if they do that. Seems like a small fee to control extra cars just showing up and not knowing if you got a space.

It equates to $0.12/day fee….

That all being said student parking is not a right or requirement of a high school nor education. It’s a convience for parent’s lives.

 

[ATex7239]

You probably are already paying a city services bill or an HOA fee; that's what pays for your sidewalks.

Right so it’s including in budget/tax/bond/assessments whether individuals use it or not. Same with the soccer field or the football stadium. I think it just goes right back to they charge for it cause they can.

 

[97prizm]

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?

I'd be going to the local school board building. I don't see how legally a public school can charge to park.

 

[andrew_j]

I'd be going to the local school board building. I don't see how legally a public school can charge to park.

If parking is a barrier to attending school it likely falls to illegal. However if transportation is provided it is legal to charge fees depending on state.

 

[PandaBear]

I'd be going to the local school board building. I don't see how legally a public school can charge to park.

They can also take away the parking and force everyone to have parent drop off or take the bus too. My school district has absolutely NO parking other than for staffs. You either walk, drop off, take the public bus (every 20 mins), or if you are disabled or live in regulated area (i.e. not within walking distance or has to cross railroad tracks) they will provide a bus for you.

If we want parking they probably have to buy another 50 houses (2.5M each), tear them down, and build a parking structure. That probably would cost us a 500M bonds to be paid back over 20 years and another 500 a year increase in property tax. Or they can tear down their football field and disband the football program.

So yeah no parking for all is the obvious answer. Problem solved?

 

[andrew_j]

On parking the churches adjacent to daughter’s school make a mint on student parking. The order of getting school permit for fee is seniors, then jrs who have very limited amount.

The Mormons are really kind and let everyone use their lot as pickup and drop off as gesture to community. However when they have services they block off with velvet and have someone get cars away. No threats of towing etc .

 

[ATex7239]

Got his pass approved. He’ll be driving to and from school next week. Total was $23 to be exact. They gotta get those 3 additional bucks.

 

[Pew]

Got his pass approved. He’ll be driving to and from school next week. Total was $23 to be exact. They gotta get those 3 additional bucks.

Dang it was $150/semester in my HS! I just took the bus or walked.

 

[zzyzzx]

They can also take away the parking and force everyone to have parent drop off or take the bus too. My school district has absolutely NO parking other than for staffs. You either walk, drop off, take the public bus (every 20 mins), or if you are disabled or live in regulated area (i.e. not within walking distance or has to cross railroad tracks) they will provide a bus for you.

If we want parking they probably have to buy another 50 houses (2.5M each), tear them down, and build a parking structure. That probably would cost us a 500M bonds to be paid back over 20 years and another 500 a year increase in property tax. Or they can tear down their football field and disband the football program.

Where do people park when they attend football games?

 

[ATex7239]

I’m sure cities are different. It’s harder to get parking lots established due to space and cost. However live in a small town (semi rural area) there is plenty of parking and empty fields to expand around the school. Heck now that I think of it there is even an overflow lot that rarely gets used. Mostly there for additional parking for games or big events and such.

 

[PandaBear]

Where do people park when they attend football games?

They either get a ride on the city bus or they walk from their homes. We do have a pretty good public bus system and my guess is they also use the school bus during those events. I know they run special school bus schedules for student honoring event for those families who don't have cars and are not living near public bus lines.

One thing I notice is we have public bus line specifically designed to run through multiple schools and go from one train station to another. This is a zig zag line that goes in parallel with a faster straight line bus so you can choose depends on what you need and how many people can they take. Some are also express bus that skip minor stations and others are articulated one that can take a lot of people.

 

[Merek]

They charged for the parking permit when I was in high school which was back in the mid 90s and Votech was another one. I think it was something like $20 for the school and then $15 for the other. My parents hardly did anything for me, had to do everything on my own and even had to pay for drivers ed myself which was $125 and didn't take the driving test until I was like a junior or senior. I remember they actually bumped me up in line because I hadn't taken it yet. I got my learners at 15 and 8 months which is what is was back then. Sometime later they got the bright idea of dropping the age to get your learners to 15 but that didn't work out so well, they changed it again to 15 1/2 but you can't get the actual license until 16 1/2.

 

[SC Maintenance]

Sidewalks aren’t free. Neither is cutting the grass. Can walkers be charged as well by that logic?

Freedom of movement is guaranteed in the constitution (driving a car is a privilege legally). So I can walk on the road if there is no sidewalk and the pedestrian always has the right of way, or really anywhere I want on a public easement if there is no path. So sidewalks are put in really as a safety feature and benefit to drivers as much as they are pedestrians.