Frustrated University of Canterbury students missing class over lack of campus car parks
Photo:
RNZ / Joe Shaw
Frustrated University of Canterbury students are missing out on lectures or late for class because of the daily struggle to find a car park on campus or surrounding Ilam streets.
Christchurch had become a city of choice for students, with enrolments booming to around 25,000 - an all-time high for a third year running and a 12 percent increase on 2024
.
One student told RNZ she was so desperate to make it to an exam after failing to find a park that she was forced to use a space reserved for staff, leave a note on the dashboard and hope for the best.
Engineering student Daniel Middleton said he had been late for important classes because he could not find a park.
"I've had to park quite far away and then try to run into university just to make it in on time, it's always annoying," he said.
"Those [classes] are mandatory for your grade, so quite important to get to."
Student Rhian Beauchamp-Hughes said people were "stuffed" if they did not find a park by 9am, a search made worse by two-hour limits on surrounding streets.
"You have to really fight for it and a lot of the car parking around here has been changed to purely staff parking," she said.
"It's a bit rough seeing the parking wardens walking up and down each day just laying the cars with tickets."
Daniel Middleton.
Photo:
RNZ / Joe Shaw
University of Canterbury Students' Association president Luc MacKay said the lack of parking was a constant problem made worse by growing enrolments.
"Parking has been raised as a barrier to attending class in person. It is a concern of ours and we've certainly been relaying that to the university," he said.
An all-year parking permit for University of Canterbury students had cost $475 since 2019, giving them the right to park on campus, although there was no guarantee of a space. Students could also opt for monthly, quarterly or half-yearly permits.
On average, the university issued 1200 monthly permits and 200 annual, half-yearly and quarterly permits to students.
One student told RNZ he had chosen not to renew his parking permit this year because they were too expensive and he had trouble finding parks last year.
A university spokesperson said 3323 car parks were available for students, staff and visitors, including 82 mobility parks, although 100 car parks were temporarily unavailable because of construction projects.
According to a 2024 university survey, 35 percent of students and staff travelled to campus by car, 21 percent cycled, 20 percent walked and 15 percent took the bus.
The spokesperson said the university encouraged people to take public transport, bike or walk.
University of Canterbury Students' Association president Luc MacKay.
Photo:
RNZ / Joe Shaw
"To support active and sustainable transport, the university provides a range of facilities including secure bike parking and showers across campus," they said.
"The university is also well connected by public transport, with buses running frequently from multiple stops around campus. Students can apply for a tertiary student [bus card], which offers discounted fares to make commuting more affordable."
In 2019 Christchurch City Council stopped issuing new resident-only parking permits that meant locals could park on their street any time, as part of its suburban parking policy.
Riccarton ward councillor Tyla Harrison-Hunt said some students in five-bedroom flats had up to five cars, creating problems for longer-term residents trying to park on the street.
He said parking exemptions could help but ultimately housing and public transport around the university needed to improve.
A University of Canterbury car park.
Photo:
RNZ / Joe Shaw
"You've got students nowhere near the university because there is no housing capacity for them around the vicinity, which means they are going to have to bike, drive or bus. You have students from out of town, who don't know how to use the bus infrastructure, they'll learn, but the easiest thing is to drive a car," he said.
"Housing capacity is really important for the university area, to alleviate the pain and create something more sustainable. If you add more car parks, there are just going to be more cars."
City council transport operations manager Stephen Wright said the area around the university was typically patrolled by parking wardens an average of three times per week.
"The purpose is to ensure compliance with regulations that are in place to manage demand, support safety, and improve turnover of parking spaces," he said.
Wright said the council received parking exemption requests from residents across Christchurch but had chosen not to implement them when a policy review found they would be too complex.
While the council had no immediate plans to amend the suburban parking policy, it was aware that demand for parking in areas like the university had increased, he said.
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