Mount Royal University students concerned about stricter parking rules

New parking rules at Mount Royal University (MRU) have some students fired up.

Over the past five years, the parking prices at the school have skyrocketed according to some students, and now new rules aim to crack down on parking infringements.

“Now they’re making the rules stronger and stricter,” said student Minal Ahuja.

“There’s a lot of people that are talking about it and are concerned.”

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Vehicles will not be allowed to back into stalls because the school is investing in a licence plate scanner. That means anyone who has exceeded their parking time can be caught more quickly.

Anyone who is parked illegally will be ticketed for the first two infractions and then their vehicle will be towed.

Changes also include turning seven per cent of one of the cheapest parking lots into an impound lot where vehicles will be towed if they don’t follow the new rules.

CUT DOWN CONGESTION: MRU

In an emailed statement Tuesday, MRU said it’s aware of the concerns.

The school said its new rules aim to cut down on congestion, reward those who pay for parking and recoup missing revenues due to parking violations.

It also said those revenues support university programming and initiatives.

MRU has 4,300 parking spaces.

Comparing prices of parking permits, at the University of Calgary they range from $123 to $600 per semester.

At MRU, parking permits range from $394.96 to $600 per semester.

Daily parking rates are about the same at both.

Students say with the rise in tuition, books and cost of living they should be given more leeway, not less.

“The university is putting more money into parking security instead of bettering the quality of (the university),” said student Yakov Aluph.

They’re also disappointed student money is being spent to punish students.

“They have to pay a lot to get their cars back. (A few years ago) it was three warnings and used to be $17 fines, now they are $40,” Aluph added.