Jed Laundry

So sorry for the delay, completely forgot I was supposed to post these here and NOT just on my local development site x.x

I'm sure this rant has been done 100 times before 100 times better than I'm about to do it, but I don't care. I hate the uni's parking. Which is why I take the bus, unless;

1. I'm coming to uni after 1800
2. I've decided I can't sleep and come to uni at 0430 (true story)
3. I've got to go get a parcel from CourierPost's HQ in middle-of-nowhere-land before trudging to a lab.

And unfortunately, its the latter option that had lead to this rant.

While most people should be able to take the bus, or bike, or walk, it seems that the ever increasing costs will never meet the threshold at which uni students won't drive to uni. I say 'most' as I do know of exceptions to the rule; those with disabilities, families of uni-goers, etc. And of course there are the few who occasionally need to use that curbside paperweight. But there's the undeniable fact that a lot of the cars that frequent the uni aren't really needed. But, unlike most rants, I have a plan of action for this problem.

It's called a barrier arm and card reader. Just like the ones that Wintec currently uses. Before being granted entry into the student parking lots, you have to swipe your student ID card. If this is after a certain time of the night, or if this is the first time you've 'swiped in' this week, no problem, free entry. If this is the second visit this week, a small, but reasonable fee of $0.75 or so is deducted from your unicash account.

It's enough of a deterrent for uni students to seriously consider leaving their cars at home, after all, look at the small amount of student parking Wintec students have. Not to mention it's a much more appropriate way of paying for the parking security, then just charging all students. And, as entry (and obviously exit) is controlled by barriers, we know how many cars are in a given lot, so imagine being able to find out where a park is available by sending a text message. Or, better yet, reserving a park for another small fee. Wouldn't it be worth 40 cents to know you're going to get a park once you show up, without circling around?

So, what are your thoughts? Would you support such an idea? Post me a comment before I go crazy and bring this before some of the committees I sit on.