Parking can be the most time-consuming and tedious process, especially on days when the snooze button was hit a few more times than it should have been.
While the parking on campus isn’t always ideal, TCC students have it considerably better than students at some universities and even other two-year colleges.
The elimination of parking permits, which were free to begin with, won’t add any extra hassle but will, in fact, make the registration process go more smoothly and decrease wait time. Students will no longer have to take the extra step of standing in line to get a permit unless they attend TR Campus. This change only benefits students.
TR is the only campus that has benefited from the permits to date. The downtown area, where TR is located, has limited parking, and paying a meter can be expensive. The permits ensure only students are taking advantage of the TCC parking areas.
The permits never seemed to have much of a point. They were given out for free and didn’t guarantee a close spot to the building. Not every campus has areas designated for visitors, and there was no way to be 100 percent sure that it was a visitor and not a student parking there anyway.
The blending of visitor and student parking will not affect spot availability by a large margin because most of the campuses have multiple parking lots to accommodate the demand.
Compared to other colleges around the area, TCC actually has one of the most lenient parking situations. It is also another way students who choose to take classes at TCC save money.
Parking at the University of Texas at Arlington for students varies on the permit type but can range from $110 for a single-semester pass to $640 for a reserved parking garage pass for a semester.
The University of North Texas has different permits available starting as low as $5 for a day pass and rising to $250 for an annual permit.
If a student is found without a permit or breaking parking regulations at most schools, fines are assessed. At TCC, the fine for parking in faculty and staff parking or handicap without the proper permit will remain even though the general permits will be discontinued.
On top of not having to pay for parking, TCC students also have cheaper fines. The parking violations range from $25 for parking in a faculty spot to $5 for first offenses on several different violations. After the first offense, the fines increase $10 each additional offense.
Texas Wesleyan has fines that range from $30 to $75. UTA can actually tow a vehicle from the property if someone has any outstanding citations for parking misconduct that total more than $200.
With college already an expensive endeavor, it seems ridiculous to have such steep charges just to park a car after driving to attend classes that are already hundreds of dollars themselves.
Some days the walk might be a little bit longer, but at least it didn’t cost a $100 to park what feels like 10 miles away.
It is safe to say the discontinuation of the parking permits on campuses won’t result in a great amount of change, but as a whole, TCC students are very lucky to have the free parking.
