Students at James Cook University in Cairns this week have staged a protest against the university’s parking situation, insisting the university needs to boost the number of spaces and make them free of charge.
According to Cairns.com.au, about half of the campus’ 979 parking spaces have been restricted to permit holders this year, meaning students have to pay $63 for an annual parking permit. Drivers with a permit however are not guaranteed a spot. Assuming that students attend the university 150 days a year this would equate to all of $0.42 per day! No public transport could possibly compete with this and therefore it is not surprising that students would rather drive!
The university said it is supporting greener commuting by promoting public transport, through subsidising student bus travel and investing in infrastructure to encourage students to use public transport more often.