No such thing as free parking

Parking on campus is, to put it mildly, a chaotic mess. The "free" parking at Turner Field often invites a mad scramble for limited spaces, followed by annoying waits for shuttles. Paid parking in M-Deck is more convenient — if you are lucky enough to acquire a permit at the beginning of the semester, that is. Georgia State set another record for enrollment this semester, so the problem is only going to get worse. Moreover, as was noted in a recent editorial in The Signal, the cost of a MARTA monthly pass for students is rising by nearly 50 percent beginning in November. This will almost certainly lead to more students deciding to drive and park on campus rather than use transit. What is the solution to the parking problem? It's actually pretty simple: charge more for parking. I can practically hear all the mumbled curses coming my way after that last sentence. With tuition and fees going up, and financial aid being reduced, who wants to pay more for parking? But as our economics students will tell you, scarce resources are supposed to cost more. Parking is a scarce resource. According to Auxiliary and Support Services, there are 3,977 spaces available for a student enrollment that topped 32,000 this semester.  The law of supply and demand states that when demand exceeds supply, prices go higher. Parking is no different. Think of it like rent: When many people want to live in a location and there is a limited supply of housing, rental rates are high. Obviously, a public university follows a somewhat different dynamic than a for-profit business, which is why revenues from increases in parking fees could be used to offset student costs elsewhere. If Georgia State charges more for parking, including the spaces at Turner Field that are currently "free" (actually, they're subsidized by the student transportation fee), fewer people will choose to park on or near campus. Some will choose to use MARTA. If revenues raised from increases in parking fees are directed toward further subsidizing of MARTA discounts for students, then even more people may opt to take the train or bus. Currently, the school kicks in $8 from student transportation fees for the monthly MARTA passes. That means a student pass that is normally $49 will cost students at Georgia State $41. Due to fare hikes by MARTA, in November the cost of the pass will go to $61, including that same $8 subsidy. This subsidy should be enhanced as much as possible, to help soften the blow of this large price increase. By charging more for parking, the MARTA discount could be further subsidized without increasing the student transportation fee, and more people would choose to take MARTA rather than pay for parking. Of course, some students have no choice but to drive and park on campus. Though they would not be able to avoid paying more, they would benefit from the greater availability of parking spaces that would result from the increase in charges. For those who choose to drive and park simply because it is more convenient, they would have to pay more for that choice. Convenience has a cost. Perhaps it goes without saying that reducing the number of cars on campus has other benefits besides making it easier to find a parking space. But I'm not going to let it go without saying. Atlanta ranks among the worst metropolitan areas in the country for traffic congestion and air quality. If charging more for parking results in fewer cars on the road, the quality of life in our region is improved. We all benefit from less traffic and less pollution. Environmental issues aside, the price of parking should reflect the short supply and high demand. Ideally, the fees should be raised enough to convince those who park on campus for the sake of convenience to look for other alternatives. Realistically, some will choose to pay for parking no matter what the price. Those who choose to pay more for the convenience of a parking space could help lower the costs for those who use MARTA. If more students are incentivized to use public transit, fewer students will find themselves late for class because they were fruitlessly searching for a space to park their car. The bottom line is there are too many students vying for a limited number of parking spaces. The best way Georgia State can immediately improve parking availability is to charge more for it.