Perth's unis face parking crisis

by Rachael Hughes

April 15, 2008

PERTH university students are struggling to find on-campus parking, and good public transport, say their student guilds, leading to illegal parking and less time on campus.

 “The ratio system that the university uses for student parking is inadequate,” Curtin University guild president Collette Swindells said. “There is not enough parking space.”

Ms Swindells believed the problem was ongoing, and said her uni was not adequately serviced by public transport.

“The university has had to supply its own bus service from Canning Bridge to campus,” she said.

University of Western Australia students are also feeling the parking pinch, but guild president Nik Barron said UWA was limited in what it could do.

“We are looking at new public transport options,” Mr Barron said. “At the moment, buses are only available to catch from one end of the campus, but a new route may be put in place that will circle the university.

“Hopefully this will encourage students to take up public transport.”

UWA’s parking availability is so dire, that first year students are not even allowed to apply for a parking permit. Students that do drive are often left competing for pay parking in nearby residential streets.

Mr Barron said the parking dearth affected students’ involvement in campus activities.

“Because of the difficult parking, students will try to minimise their time on campus,” he said.

UWA student Michael Jackson agreed his uni had a problem.

“I don’t drive very often because you can’t get a spot after 10am,” he said, “and if you travel by bus and your classes finish later than 5pm you will probably have to wait 30 minutes for a bus.”

Murdoch University student, Andrea Elliot, experiences similar problems at her uni’s South Street campus.

“The parking is really bad, especially in the middle of the day,” she lamented. “Once, I had to park in a construction area, and have parked on verges just so I am able to make it to my classes.”

Ms Elliot expressed said it was wrong of Murdoch to issue parking fines to students who parked illegally.

“If I pay for a parking permit then I should be entitled to park on campus,” she said. “I shouldn’t have to end up paying extra just because there were no spots available.”

Edith Cowan University guild president Shane Cucow said illegal student parking was commonplace.

“Students tend to park illegally because of proximity, especially if they just want to drop in quickly,” Mr Cucow said. “Joondalup students have good access to public transport because of the train line, but the bus service that runs past the Mount Lawley campus is extremely irregular and students are often left waiting a long time.”

The opening of the Perth to Mandurah train line has helped ease some parking woes, with Curtin University student Mark Perkins now able to travel to campus by train.

“I live in Mandurah,” he said, “so before the train line was built I had to drive to uni every day but now I can catch the train and it’s so much easier.”

Mr Perkins, a Curtin student for the past six years, encouraged students  able to travel by public transport to do so.

“It doesn’t take any longer than driving,” he said, “and it relieves the pain of having to find a parking space.”