UBC parking waitlists worry students weeks ahead of fall semester
As if university students don’t have enough to worry about, the fear of not having a parking spot at UBC is growing as the first day of classes nears.
Students have been able to add their names to the parking waitlist, and offers will start to go out next week.
However, the wait has students feeling antsy, especially since the housing crisis is pushing students to live farther and farther away from campus.
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To avoid the competitive rental market where units are snatched up within hours, or UBC housing contract holders and landlords raise prices after they realize the demand, some students are living out in areas like Squamish, Langley, Surrey, and Chilliwack, which can be a transit commute nightmare.
UBC student Bobo Wong told Daily Hive Urbanized the “massive” waitlist for parking permits is weighing on students.
“For people who could feasibly drive to campus because they live maybe an hour or two away, that is still incredibly difficult because there are still barriers to getting a parking permit. And I think that really adds to the stress that a lot of students are facing,” she said.
“People are exhausting all of their options to the point where even parking permits are inaccessible at UBC.”
Students call on each other the help find parking
Students concerned about how they will get to class have been putting out calls for advice and help on Reddit and UBC Facebook groups.
One Reddit user asked, “Just why [are there] not enough permits to accommodate … the vast majority of commuter students who DON’T live near Vancouver at all[?]”
Another user put out a call for advice to secure a parking spot, but not many students responded with solutions.
Instead one person commented, “Kind of disappointed with how competitive [UBC has] made parking.”
“First year for me was no problem, I bought my permit and that was that. Now there’s the added stresses of uncertainty of whether I will or won’t be able to park on campus.”
On Facebook, a student put out a desperate call for a UBC parking pass or spot near the school.
“I cannot bus to class as I need my car to drive to work immediately after class is done so that I can clock in on time,” she said. “Parking everyday is costing me way too much, so please let me know if anyone got a spot I can park at near campus or any ideas on what else I can do.”
She said she is waitlisted for a pass on campus.
UBC says students shouldn’t worry…yet
Director of University Affairs Matthew Ramsey told Daily Hive Urbanized, “We’re not concerned at this time that there won’t … be enough permits for them.”
He says folks with UBC parking have assured him that students who are on the waitlist will receive their permit.
There are 8,000 spots available, but the number of students on the waitlist exceeds the number of spots available since some students applied multiple times with different accounts for a variety of parkades.
“So that may be a little bit of an issue and that’s why the waitlist numbers are not necessarily reflective of the number of people who will actually be parking their cars on a day-to-day basis,” he ensures.
He says the university parking services is working to make sure parkade spots do not get jammed.
“So students who have applied for a permit will get those permits. It’s just they may not get the one that they want. They may have a little bit of a walk,” he said.
Ramsey is asking students to be patient since UBC will release offers in small quantities starting next week.
While driving is a necessity for some students, for those who can, he encourages they take advantage of their U-Passes, cycle to school, or catch a ride using a carshare.
Students under stress
Over the past few weeks, students have said they are under an immense level of stress because of the chaotic and competitive rental search on and off campus.
One parent of an international student told Daily Hive Urbanized earlier in the week that he’s even questioned if UBC was the right fit for his daughter because of the pricy tuition, education student receive, and the frustrating housing search.
“I think everybody at UBC recognizes that the last few weeks of summer with finding homes, especially in Vancouver the way it is now, it’s really difficult and that there are questions students will have if they look towards September. It is a stressful time for sure,” Ramsey admitted.
“We understand that and that’s why we are undertaking to build more student housing than anywhere else in North America. We have more than 15,000 beds between Vancouver and the Okanagan. And we have 8,000 parking spots. We know these stresses exist and we’re doing everything we can to try and make the start of the fall term as smooth and smooth as possible.”