Dear Editor,
This morning, I entered the CCT Parking Garage to park as usual. I did not expect any problems as I had bought a reserved parking permit for the CCT Garage at the begin- ning of this year. However, I was outraged when I was not able to find one empty parking spot. While searching for a spot, I noticed several other cars coming into the parking garage with the proper parking permit and encountering the same problem.
The most worrying part of this is that I noticed several cars that were taking up the parking spots had only paid for day parking, through using the Pay and Display parking machines. I find it difficult to comprehend why these Pay and Display parking machines are located in a parking garage that is reserved for students like me who have paid $800+ to be guaranteed a parking spot.
After not being able to locate a parking spot, I had no choice but to go to the parking office. The attendant relocated me to Lot 5. While pulling out of the parking office lot, I noticed
several cars pulling up who displayed CCT Garage parking permits as well. I imagine they were experiencing the same problem.
It seems contradictory and fraudulent to me that the CCT Garage is supposed to be reserved for those of us who have paid the extra funds for reserved spots, but continues to stay available for anyone who wants to park there and pay with the Pay and Display machines. This defeats the point of purchasing a reserved parking permit, when effec- tively, the spots are not being reserved at all.
As a student who owns a reserved CCT Garage parking permit, I would like to see this issue resolved as soon as possi- ble. I imagine I am not the only one experiencing this problem. There should not be Pay and Display machines in reserved parking lots. Not only does it defeat the purpose of purchasing a reserved parking permit, it also demonstrates poor business ethics towards UTM parking students.
Anthony Barbieri
there are lots of spots in the garage if you didn’t wait until right before a midday class to show up. Suck it up.
I should be able to park anytime I want, that’s the difference between a RESERVED and UNRESERVED lot. Hence, the whole point of the letter.
I’m glad to see that certain people are rich enough to waste $800 on a pass that is otherwise ineffective unless you have early classes. Unfortunately, I am not one of these people. This isn’t so much a case of dealing with what we are given. Rather,the issue is getting what we paid for.
It shouldn’t matter WHEN you park. The purpose of a reserved parking pass is so that students are able to park in that particular lot at any hour of any given day. It’s ridiculous that there now a designated time for when the parking lot is reserved and unreserved. Why should we have to show up at 10am if our class isn’t until, lets say, 2pm?
If UTM parking had set guidelines BEFORE allowing students to purchase reserved parking passes, then I would agree that Anthony’s complaint holds no ground. However, the fact of the matter is that pay-and-display machines are in an area where they have never been in the past. Suck it up? I don’t think so.
I assume that if there were so many spots in the RESERVED parking garage, UTM parking authority wouldn’t have restricted non-CCT Garage permit holders from parking there during “peak hours.”
This can be seen here:
http://archive.themedium.ca/2009/09/29/pay-and-display-parking-restricted/
And here:
http://www.utm.utoronto.ca/1648.0.html (Scroll down a tad).
Before an individual advises someone to “suck it up,” I suggest they “suck up” some information on the subject beforehand.
Reserved parking pass holders should NOT have to ‘suck it up’ and accommodate ineffective parking regulations. They paid for a service, and they’re not getting it. Simple as that.
As Rosalie said, if parking was only ‘really’ reserved in the morning hours, then that should have been made clear before the passes were sold.
Since when would ANYONE agree to ‘suck it up’ when they’re told that they won’t actually get what they paid for? Why is that okay here?
I can appreciate Anthony’s concern, and it really isn’t a situation that should be dealt with by merely ‘sucking it up.’ The parking service was paid for and so should be guaranteed to the pass-holder, regardless of the time of day they show up to the garage.
Technically, they should be making x number of spots available for the x number of students who purchased the passes.
I’m curious to see how UTM and those who regulate parking will deal with this matter.
Goodluck