by John J. Wilson

Having lived in the UK most of my life, it seems to me that driving and car ownership presents a more complex ethical dilemma in Canada than it does in most other countries. Everyone must be aware that gas-guzzling automobiles are largely responsible for global climate change, causing melting icecaps, widespread flooding, hurricanes and other “natural” disasters.

But in a city where the places you need to be seem unnecessarily far apart, owning a car and driving might seem less a choice than a necessity.

For travel within the city of Guelph, the CSA and GSA does a good job promoting use of public transport by providing the student bus pass, but the city seems unable to provide a transit system that works. During the winter it can be incredibly frustrating when, after standing outside in freezing conditions, the bus you’ve been patiently waiting for drives past late, with “sorry bus full” glowing above the driver. Having lived in London, I can assure you these buses are nowhere near full by the standards of other cities.

While I always try to encourage my friends to walk or use public transport I remain constantly amazed at those who will drive short distances without considering the environmental consequences. If this is not important to them (and unbelievably this sometimes appears to be the case) I would have figured that the financial cost  would motivate walking.

For those who have no option but to drive, perhaps because they live far from a bus route or out of town, the cost of parking on campus can require careful budgeting. During the “Thoughtfully Global, Thankfully Local” event in the UC last week, CUPE local president, Janice Folk-Dawson, raised the issue of whether it is appropriate for workers to be charged to park at their place of work. An interesting calculation would be to see how much a basic university wage is reduced due to incidental but unavoidable fees such as parking.

Providing parking lots, with appropriate signage and regular maintenance, including snow removal is very expensive. Should this cost be covered by only those who drive, or the community as a whole – is it your responsibility to provide the professor of  your class with a place to park while she is teaching you, or should she be the one to foot the bill – is it her “choice” to drive? From another perspective, if parking was free on campus, how many people who currently walk or bus would instead drive?

It is impractical to expect students to move into campus residences using public transport. Those who drive from their home towns to Guelph at the start of term, and keep their cars on campus ready to pack up again and return home also face substantial “extra” charges for parking on campus.

Parking enforcement on campus can seem unnecessarily strict and dogmatic. Is it appropriate to ticket for overnight parking, under the rationale of snow removal when it hasn’t snowed for weeks and ploughing didn’t even happen? Signage in some lots can be small and ambiguous, and lines can be difficult to see under a layer of snow, making occasional “infringements” unavoidable.

As someone who walks, bikes, or takes the bus to campus, my experience with campus parking and the associated ethical dilemmas have developed through my position as GSA rep on the parking appeals committee. This committee of six people vote on whether an appeal against an issued ticket is granted or (the most probable outcome with the current committee) denied. The committee is comprised of reps from the various unions on campus, and currently I am the only student. Based on my experience sitting for over one year on the committee, here are my recommendations to avoid a ticket in the first place and what to do if you get one:

1. Take the bus, bike or walk to campus

2. Come to campus after 5pm weekdays or on weekends when parking is free in most lots.

3. If one and two are not practical be informed about where you can park, buy the appropriate permit and don’t forget to display it.

4. If you don’t drive to campus regularly use the vistor parking lot instead of meters.

5. If  is not practical and you have to park at a meter, be sure to overfeed it. Meetings, exams and doctors appointments always take longer than you expect and feeding an extra $2 to the meter is better than returning to your car <1 minute late and finding a $20 citation. [That said the fine for being late back to a meter is less than parking in a permit lot without a valid permit.]

6. Most lots have restricted hours at night for snow removal. Cars parked during these time are subject to tow. If you are studying in the library til 2am don’t forget your car could have been fine during the day but at that time of night might be parked illegally.

7. The “grace” parking period at the start of a semester doesn’t exist despite what other people might tell you.

8. If you do get a ticket a reasonable excuse for leaving your car parked illegally is being under the influence. Receiving a parking ticket for making the sensible choice not to drink and drive is usually looked on leniently.

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