Parking is a widespread topic on university campuses, and Florida International University is no exception.
Some scholars are deploring about the restricted allowance of parking space accessible on the campus for commuters and beside classrooms. Others issue to the restricted allowance of parking space beside the new dormitory and by the campus Safety Office.
A widespread difficulty at foremost university campuses in the United States anxieties continual parking space shortages. While such a position reflects an insufficient charge means for parking, it furthermore reflects a outcome reliable with monopoly providers of parking services. In this paper, we investigate the parking difficulty from this viewpoint, utilizing a cost-benefit set about that interprets why the inducement structure that lives at American universities makes such difficulties likely.
Background
Florida International University is a mid-sized local university in northeast Florida. Over the preceding 10 years, its enrollments extended from 9,000 to 9,500 students. Altogether, students, school, and staff totaled over 12,000. The university calendar encompasses two normal semesters that last 15 weeks in addition to two five-week summer semesters that rendezvous four days per week. Although the campus had its own residence halls, 80% of the undergraduate community commuted to campus. Students who commuted to campus could get a parking decal for $20 (McBride, 2004).
This would permit them to reserve in any of the 8,350 parking spaces on campus, except for the handicapped spaces and the 458 “green” spaces that were booked for faculty. Faculty could buy decals for $40, permitting them to reserve any location except for the handicapped spaces.
The only other parking restrictions came from the 369 booked parking spaces and the 60 metered spaces. The booked spaces were very befitting to school room structures and needed not only a parking decal, but an added $200 yearly fee. The 60 metered spaces were positioned next to school room structures, and were generally the nearest parking spaces to the classrooms. Drivers could reserve in a metered space at a cost of $.05 for three minutes, $.10 for six minutes, or $.25 for 15 minutes.
With its large number of commuting scholars, the university had a difficulty accommodating all of its drivers. Individuals who reached by 8:00AM had little difficulty finding a location to reserve, but by 9:00AM, the spaces befitting to the school room structures were always filled. Persistent drivers would finally find a parking space, but only in the back allotments that were a longer stroll to the classrooms. The university furthermore sustained a large parking allotment beside its Convocation Center, but the allotment was somewhat far from any of the school rooms and accordingly, sat empty most of the time (Cathrop, 2002).
Problem analysis and suggestions
To address the proceeded flood of complaints, the university made designs to construct a $5.5 million three-tiered parking car dock that would be financed by a bond issue. Although the car dock would not be as close to most school room structures as some of the living ...