With meters at $1 per hour, parking pass is cheapest option for most students
Written by Crow's Nest Staff, Oct 11, 2011, 0 Comments
One quarter. Twenty-five cents.
In 1806, hungry restaurant-goers could trade one for a full meal of meat and a pint of cold beer or cider. The same amount could buy a 12 oz box of Kellogg’s Corn Flakes in 1966. As soon ago as the ’80s, children meekly handed 25 cents to cashiers to pay for Hershey Bars.
What’s a quarter worth now?
About 15 minutes on Central Avenue, it seems.
As of Oct. 1, metered parking in the City of St. Petersburg costs $1 per hour, up from the previous rate of 75 cents. Officials expect the increase to net the city an additional $313,000 per year, to go toward downtown parking programs and garages. The money will also be used to balance the city’s general fund, which pays for services like police and firefighting. The increase is partially due to Mayor Bill Foster and the St. Petersburg City Council’s decision to decrease property taxes for yet another year, according to the St. Petersburg Times.
Downtown parking costs have doubled in just over a year.
With a population of almost 245,000 people, St. Petersburg is the 76th largest city in the United States. Jersey City, N.J., the 75th largest city in the country, also boasts a downtown district with a prominent waterfront. Just last year, Jersey City also raised its metered parking rate, from 50 cents per hour to 75 cents per hour—the first rate hike in 20 years.
Other cities of similar sizes: Chula Vista, Calif. (77th largest, 25 to 50 cents per hour), Greensboro, N.C. (69th largest, 50 cents per hour), and Wichita, Kan. (49th largest, 50 cents per hour). Large cities such as New York and Los Angeles charge up to $3 per hour in certain areas.
St. Petersburg city crews have been working since the beginning of the month to manually change all of the parking meters in the city, including the ones around campus. But what’s a measly quarter to a bunch of kids who already pay thousands of dollars for an education?
Students who choose to use the meters instead of purchasing a pass to park in the garage might be paying more with the increase, depending on the amount of hours they spend on campus per semester.
Students who take 15 credit hours per semester paid about $11.75 per week under the old rates, or about $176 per semester. Under the new rates, they would pay $225. Using parking meters for 12 credit hours used to cost about $135—upped to $180 with the increase.
However, most students who use parking meters go to school part time. One three-credit hour class would cost approximately $34 under old rates, two would cost $68, and three about $101. With the 25 cent increase, they will pay $45, $90 and $135, respectively. A parking pass is $80 per semester.
Under the new rates, only students who take one three-credit hour class per semester will save money by using metered parking. For all other students, a parking pass is the cheaper option.
Of course, the fine for an expired meter—at $25—is a lot more than a quarter.
