Petition asks BCIT to walk back 68% parking rate increase on Burnaby campus

A petition asking BCIT to walk back an increase in parking fees on campus has gained nearly 1,800 signatures.

The petition, started by Michelle McDonald earlier this month, says that the increase in fees puts undue pressure on students already struggling with intense course loads that make it difficult for them to work part-time, and the high cost of inflation in the Lower Mainland.

McDonald wrote that rates for parking lots available for students and the public on Burnaby campus will rise from $5.50 to $9.25 a day—a 68% increase. There are no hourly rates available.

“At first glance one may assume that this increase [is] a deterrent for students to drive to campus and instead take more sustainable options such as transit or cycling,” the petition reads.

“Unfortunately, many students are in circumstances where taking transit or cycling to campus is not possible. This could be due to living far from campus (often associated with rent costs or financial situation) or mobility issues.”

BCIT confirmed in an emailed statement that parking rates on its Burnaby, Marine, and Downtown campuses will be raised effective Feb. 1.

“Prices have not changed in more than eight years and this brings BCIT more in line with parking rates at similar institutions. There are no rate changes for the Aerospace or Annacis Island campuses,” the school wrote.

“We understand some students are feeling cost pressures related to inflation and rising cost-of-living, which is why we are offering a number of flexible solutions to allow students discounted parking rates.”

BCIT said those solutions include the opening of a student “economy lot” that maintains the current rate. Spaces in that lot, located on the southeast corner of campus on Kyle Street (directly across from the ICBC claim centre), will be available on a first-come, first-serve basis only.

The school is also allowing students to purchase a four-month pass at the current rate until Jan. 31, meaning they would be able to park at the existing rate until May 2023.

While the BCIT website does not list the price of a four-month pass, a monthly parking pass for Burnaby campus is currently listed at $130. If the 4-month pass was priced at the same rate, it would mean a one-time payment of $520.

A number of students commenting on the petition said the economy lot is likely to fill up early in the day—and noted that the lots available for staff are larger and rarely get full.

“Transit isn’t an option for me because it’s about an hour and a half from my house to school, not counting rush hour, and as a full-time parent, as well as a full-time student, I just can’t lose those additional hours, so I have to drive,” wrote one student.

“Assuming five days per week for fifteen weeks, that’s almost $700 per semester just for parking, and that is going to mean the difference between attending and not attending school, especially for those of us who also have to pay for other exorbitantly expensive things like daycare.”