Student drivers will have to dish out extra cash for parking permits for the 2007-2008 school year, Parking and Transportation Services (P&TS) announced last week. But a price hike is not the only change in store for those who want a car on campus. P&TS has also begun negotiations with vendors to bring a car-sharing program to Stanford this fall, at a time when the students grapple with pricey permits and restricted parking spaces from construction projects.

Under the new pricing system, an academic year “A” permit will cost $603, an increase of $51 over last year’s price. A “C” or “Residential” permit will cost $234, an increase of $18 from last year. Current parking permits expire Aug. 31, and permit holders will be required to display new stickers beginning Sept. 1.

“Our costs are going up,” said Brodie Hamilton, director of Parking and Transportation Services. “Virtually all of our costs are covered by parking permit fees, so increases in our budget are reflected in permit prices.”

Hamilton said he does not believe that the increased permit prices will worsen the frequency of fraudulent behavior in which students doctor their own permits.

“The price increase is so small, most students are going to be paying about another $1.50 per month,” he said. “I don’t see that such a small increase will encourage such drastic behavior.”

Rather than the higher permit prices, students were more concerned with other restrictions in the University’s parking system.

“If prices are going to increase $20, I’m still going to pay for it without much complaining,” Barry Burns ‘09 said. “It’s the logistics more than the pricing. I don’t want to have to deal with a situation where I go to pick someone up at their dorm for five minutes and risk getting a ticket.”

The residential permit system requires students to park only in designated lots on campus. These permits generally restrict students to parking in the vicinity of their current dormitories, making parking across campus difficult.

Hamilton said that these parking restrictions were generated by students who were unable to park in the limited spaces near their dormitories due to the influx of nonresidents who were visiting friends or using facilities on the other side of campus.

Burns suggested that the University should nevertheless make some changes to allow students to get across campus.

“Unless it’s the weekend or after 4 p.m., there is no easy way to park across campus,” Burns said. “They should at least have 10-minute loading zones outside of major residence halls like they do at Tresidder so that you can easily pick someone up without much hassle.”

The increase in permit prices comes at a time when parking is at a premium on campus. Although construction of a 1,200-space parking structure under Wilbur Field has begun, the project has displaced 130 spaces and is not expected to be completed until March 2008.

Hamilton said that the University has taken several measures to mitigate construction-related parking shortages, including the construction of a 100-space lot last year between the Wilbur and Stern residential complexes, as well as additional parallel parking spots on Campus Drive. He said the University also plans to implement attendant-assisted parking in the lot behind Tresidder Union.

In light the parking crunch, Hamilton said that P&TS is also committed to developing alternative transportation programs to reduce the number of individuals who feel the need to have a car on campus. Hamilton said that the University will bid on a car-sharing program that would allow students, faculty and staff to reserve a car over the Internet on an hourly or daily basis. Clusters of loaner cars would be distributed around campus and be available for about $8-9 an hour.

“These prices include everything from gas and insurance to general maintenance,” Hamilton said. “We’re hoping we can get a long-term commitment from the vendor and expect that it will be very successful.”

Freshman would also have access to the program, according to Hamilton. He said he expected freshmen to be key consumers of the car-sharing system because they are not permitted to have cars on campus.

Kate Youngman ‘08, who has never had a car on campus, praised the program for offering students greater flexibility and mobility.

“I’ve gotten by biking locally or getting a ride from a friend,” Youngman said. “Sometimes it can be a hassle, but it’s still not worth it for me to buy a car. A lot of people would be happy to know they have another option.”

Youngman explained that there have been plenty of situations where she has needed access to a car but did not want to burden her friends. To travel to her physical therapy appointments, she knew she had the option of calling a taxi, but she said that taxis cost much more than the proposed car-sharing program.

“It’s also environmentally conscious,” Youngman said. “There is already too much traffic and too many parking lots. I would hate to tear down more greenery to build new ones.”

Hamilton also encouraged students and staff to take advantage of the public transportation already provided by the Marguerite Shuttle Service, as well as the Commute Club, which provides incentives for off-campus commuters to carpool.

“We’re always looking to encourage individuals to use alternate transportation in any form when they’re commuting to campus,” he said. “Whether they’re sharing a ride, taking a bus, riding the train or biking around campus, every little bit helps both from a traffic standpoint and air quality.”