Lincoln Park and Ride to require permits this fall

Free-of-charge permits will be required for the Lincoln Creek Park and Ride starting this fall quarter on Monday, September 21. This will be part of a transition period regarding permits in the park and ride from fall 2015 to fall 2016. Starting in fall 2016 permits will cost a fee, to be determined by the parking and transportation committee, said Julia Gassman, manager of Parking Services at Western. Although this is a transition period for Western and the permits will be no-charge for the time-being, $30 parking citations will be issued to non-permit holders for as parking there with no permit will be against regulation, Gassman said. The permit will be put into effect to have the park and ride become consistent with all of the Western parking lots, which all currently require a permit. Adding a fee will offset the cost for current and future maintenance, Gassman said. “We do have quite a bit of maintenance in that lot that we received no revenue for,” Gassman said. Not much of a change in people using the park and ride is anticipated for the first year of permits because they will be free of charge, Gassman said. People who want to use the lot can go online to the parking services website to print the permit from the downloadable QR code, Gassman said. “It’s pretty accessible to get the permit for no-charge,” Gassman said. Students are most likely going to be affected by the changes of the park and ride and might be less frequented by students, faculty and staff, said, Western student, Kaija Colburn. Gassman said she does not suspect an impact on the WTA bus system because students are going to have a mandatory fee whether it is on in the C-lots or at the park and ride. Colburn said she might consider purchasing a campus parking permit or find closer off-campus spots, Colburn said. “I might consider parking elsewhere,” Colburn said. “If I have to purchase a permit anyway, I might just purchase one, then I don’t have to take a bus to campus.” Street parking on 21st Street. and High Street, where permits are not required, is overwhelming and far away, Ladner said. “There are already no spots [off campus], even now,” Ladner said. “It’s going to be even more of a problem, definitely.” There will not be an increase in the amount of passes that the C-lots will sell because parking services sell out every year, Gassman said. However, Gassman said she assumes there will be more people on the waiting list to purchase C-lot permits. Western Student, Molly Ladner, considered buying a permit for summer quarter but chose to use the park and ride due to the high fee of the permits. Student park and ride users rely on the permit free parking to avoid paying, Ladner said “I have to get one [of the permits], I don’t want to pay for campus parking,” Ladner said. “A summer parking pass is $65, and I think that is even too much,” Lander said. “I am in college and I can’t spend that much money.” Around 450 park and ride permits will be available for students and faculty members to register for. More permits than spots will be available because not all permit holders will be parking there at the same time. Gassman said.  

---