Parking at Curtin has long been a hot-button issue. High fines, glitchy apps, parking spaces filling up early in the day forcing staff and students to park further and further out—we’ve all had our fair share of complaints about the current set-up. Now, there’s a Guild-led movement to alter on-campus parking forever—a petition on Megaphone that already boasts over 2,500 signatures just two weeks after its upload.

The petition—addressed to Chief Operating Officer Fiona Notley and Vice-Chancellor Harlene Hayne—wants to scrap CellOPark altogether and implement a more forgiving system that works better for both staff and students who drive to campus. The new system could be a pre-existing alternative or an application created specifically for Curtin. They are also fighting for a reduction in fines from $45 to $20, and the implementation of a mixed permit and pay-as-you-go system—akin to those in place at other universities.

Guild President Dylan Botica says of the movement, “The Guild knows that parking on campus is one of students’ top priority areas. We have consulted broadly with students and other members of the Curtin community and believe that significant improvements can be made. […] The University has the opportunity to work with the Guild to make a fairer parking system for all students.”

The Guild believes that “it is in everyone’s interests to have a parking system that encourages NOT discourages students to be on campus”. This discouragement is something faced by a large sum of the Curtin community—including those who live in student accommodation.

Jacob Findlay is an on-campus resident at Twin Dolphin Hall. “I became involved with the move to remove CellOPark at Curtin University after I was given a fine from the parking team despite having logged in for a session the night before. It turned out there had been a server issue that meant, despite the app showing me as in a session, I had not been logged on.” This is an experience mirrored by many of those who have signed the Guild’s petition.

“After getting the fine, I immediately complained to the reception at Twin Dolphin Hall who told me they had also been given fines and that they couldn’t do anything about it. They recommended I speak to the Guild, which I did. The fine was eventually dropped by the parking team, but it never should have been issued, and it took me being very confrontational with the parking office for them to finally drop it.”

Jacob feels that “[the current parking system] has been a problem since both Twin Dolphin Hall and St Cats opened. While students who don’t live on campus have likely had negative experiences with the parking team, the students living in the new buildings are being purposefully targeted by a ridiculous system.”

Efforts have been made to resolve the problems faced by those who live on campus, but they have not been fruitful and led to no quantifiable change. Meetings with UniLodge and the parking team left those impacted by the current system feeling ignored.

“[…] all communication with the parties involved with the parking team has been very blunt and despite the formalities used, the message rings clear; they do not care, and they have no intention of changing,” says Jacob. The parking struggles of on-campus residents also affect those who live off campus and drive into uni.

“St Cats and Twin Dolphin students are forced to park in the green bays at the hockey stadium, filling up all the bays close to the buildings and the university. This means non-residents are forced to park and walk further if they do not want to be forced into paying the more expensive rates elsewhere.”

The idea of a permit system, especially for St Cats and Twin Dolphin residents, is one that Jacob thinks could help resolve this issue, but when previously raised with the parking team the concept has been rejected. “The parking team, and by extension Fiona Notely, have previously stated that implementing a parking permit system for Twin Dolphin Hall and St Cats isn’t an option due to administration costs.”

“As a student who previously lived in Vickery House, another of the student residencies available, I know for a fact that the university can in fact set up a parking permit system because they have one in place across every other UniLodge residency including Vickery, the Guild House, Erica Underwood, and Kurrajong Village. Having two separate systems in place for residencies on the same campus, operated by the same company, isn’t just confusing, it’s ridiculous. This system actively punishes anyone who lives in St Cats or Twin Dolphin who owns a car, and the predatory practices of the parking team mean that we are being disproportionately targeted by them.”

Given that many students are living below the poverty line, parking fines can be debilitating. “There are students here who report having had over 8 fines this year alone. And the cost to park in the green bays works out to an extra $42 per fortnight on top of our rent, only to be charged $45 in fines if we forget to log in one time or the app crashes. […] A single fine, equal to two weeks of parking, has so much impact that it literally makes the difference between affording lunch for the week or skipping meals.”

For Jacob, the solution is obvious. “I believe without a doubt the resolution to this issue lies in a traditional parking permit system. This may be less profitable for the university, but we already pay fees and residents who live here pay rent on top of that. All students who regularly attend university, or live on campus, should have access to purchasing a parking permit at the start of the year.”

“A flat cost of $100 for yearlong unlimited parking in green and blue bays. For students who do not regularly attend university then CellOPark may come into use and should be limited to one area of the university, specifically for their use. The orange short-term bays should also stay as short-term bays, as their direct access to buildings should not be hogged by whoever arrives earliest in the morning. There should also be a decline in the amount served in fines, as the financial burden this brings on students is completely unjustifiable.”

If you would like to add your signature and story to the Guild’s petition, the link can be accessed here. The petition and comments will be presented to the university by the Guild—“in a way they cannot ignore any more”.