The university doubled the price for parking at the meters on Wilson Boulevard recently, without notifying students or even telling us after the fact. This left unfortunate students to discover the new price as they began putting coins in the meter so they could hurry to class.
Parking meters owned by the City of Rochester cost 25 cents per 26 minutes. At UR, parking meters cost 25 cents for 12.5 minutes. This difference is ridiculous and looks even more out of line when compared with parking costs elsewhere.
The privately-owned parking deck by Eastman is only 20 cents for 30 minutes. That parking is protected, monitored and covered, unlike our meters. There is no reason for parking meters on campus to cost more than a parking deck in downtown Rochester.
UR Parking Services gave no notice to students about this increase. Even before construction began on Kendrick Road, all students and faculty were notified of the construction.
The City seems to believe that these meters are primarily used by joggers using Bausch and Lomb Riverside Park. We, however, disagree. People who do not attend UR do not seem to use the trails between UR and the Genesee River very much. Rather, they are found at Genesee Valley Park where parking is free.
These meters are used by everyone ? off-campus students, visitors, students running late to class or carrying too much. Even students with permits elsewhere use them. These are who use the meters along Wilson Boulevard. Without notification, many unprepared students were left stranded with expired meters.
Parking services should have respected students enough to notify them of the change before they were forced to shell out twice as much from their shallow pockets.
