All Student Vote (Spring 2022)

Fair Parking for Students

This motion seeks to lobby the University against the high prices of parking for students.

Fair Parking for Students 

This Union Notes:

This section should include any facts, figures or statements that you believe are relevant to the topic of your policy. Remember in this section clear and effective referencing is important.

1. That social distancing can be challenging on public transport and “Close contact is typically the primary route of COVID-19 transmission”. [1]
2. That people with disabilities or who have been identified as high risk from Covid-19 may feel uncomfortable using the often-packed buses to campus or cannot use them at all for accessibility reasons. This leaves no option but to seek alternative methods of transport to campus which might include driving by car.
3. That many students have complained about the frequency and quality of service of Stagecoach buses, one of the main public transport providers for Warwick students going to and from campus.
4. That the university have recently announced that ANPR cameras will be installed in most campus car parks. [2]
5. That the parking charges for the general public and students in campus car parks regularly increase and the current cost of parking for a full day on campus is £7. [3]
6. That ANPR parking systems have been identified to possess many flaws. These include but are not limited to:
   1. Technical glitches in the software.[4]
   2. Having to leave a car park as it was full but still getting fined.[5]
   3. Dirty cameras being unable to properly read numberplates.[6]
   4. Glare from the sun, heavy rain or snow obstructing the camera. [7]
   5. Confusion of similar characters e.g. ‘0’ and ‘O’ or ‘1’ and ‘I’. [8]
   6. Crossing pedestrians obstructing the view of the number plate. [9]
   7. Simple human error of typing a number plate in wrong/selecting the incorrect car park.[10]
7. That various studies have suggested that the error rate of ANPR cameras when reading number plates can be as high as 7% of all cars that pass them. [11]
8. That salaried staff, non-salaried stuff, postgraduate researchers, and RLT staff are all eligible for permits at reduced rates. [12] [13] [14] [15]
9. That ‘Community Members’ of the Warwick Sports and Wellness Hub are eligible for 4 hours of free parking in the Hub’s car park. Student members are not eligible for any free time in this car park. [16]
10. That there are a limited number of permits available for sports and societies but very few of the societies and clubs that apply will receive one.[17]

This Union Believes:

This section should include opinions or supporting statements for your policy.

1. That the current parking charges on campus are too expensive for most students.
2. That the parking charges for students should be less than the parking charges for the general public.
3. That the parking fines for students should be less than the parking fines for the general public.
4. That student members of the university’s Sport and Wellness hub should receive the same benefits on offer to ‘Community Members’.
5. That ANPR parking systems possess many issues that could result in students receiving undeserved fines.
6. The current public transport offering for students is inadequate to meet the demand.
7. That travelling by public transport increases the chance of catching Covid-19.
8. That during the coronavirus pandemic and during this period of sub-standard bus services, students should not be discouraged from driving to campus.
9. That more permits should be made available to societies and sports clubs to allow them to carry out their day-to-day activities more efficiently and to allow them to offer more activities to their members.

This Union Resolves:

This section should be about how you want the SU to react, the outcome of this policy. Remember to mandate specific departments/sabbatical officers; this will make things easier for future accountability

1. That the President, Welfare and Campaigns Officer and the Democracy and Development Officer should contact the relevant parties involved with the management of parking at the university highlighting and condemning the unfair treatment of student drivers by the university, the high prices that students have to pay for parking, and the introduction of an ANPR system.
2. That the President, Welfare and Campaigns Officer and the Democracy and Development Officer should lobby the university to implement the following measures:
   1. Refrain from fining any students or staff flagged by the ANPR system until the error rate of the software is fully established. Constant reviews of the quality of the system should take place and if a significant number of errors are identified then the system should be suspended.
   2. Reduce the parking rate for university students to less that it is for the general public. A small rise in the cost of parking for the general public should subsidise the reduction for students.
   3. Increase the availability of permits to general students with the ultimate aim of making parking permits available to all students by the start of the next academic year.
   4. No longer actively discourage students from bringing cars to university and driving to campus.
3. That the Societies Officer and the Sports Officer should lobby the university to increase the number of parking permits available to be allocated to clubs and societies. In their case, they should refer to the increased number of societies at Warwick due to new societies being constantly approved and the increased numbers of students attending the university in recent years.
4. That the Sports Officer should lobby Warwick Sport to introduce free parking in the Sports and Wellness Hub car park for student members.
5. That the Welfare Officer should continue to pressure Stagecoach to improve their service regardless of any decisions regarding student parking.