The car parking at Stirling University is getting beyond a joke

Many Stirling students do not have the privilege of living in Stirling or on campus and so have to drive every day into Stirling, which brings with it a repetition of misery every morning as drivers do several laps around campus to find a parking space – and it’s getting worse.

Now new developments around campus have reduced parking significantly, with some reporting it has been almost halved. Previously, parking spaces were worth their area in gold, but if you turned up early enough, or on a Friday, you would have a space relatively easily. Now with the reduction in spaces you would have more luck finding someone to serve you in Fubar.

This has led to many people reportedly driving around campus for up to an hour before finding a space. Some abandon the idea of trying to find a space and leave their car on paths, kerbs, grass verges and anywhere they can find as long as their car will not be hit by another car.

Of course though you’re technically not allowed to park in places that aren’t marked as spaces and so the campus security hand out £60 penalty notice for everyone who does this.

This hasn’t helped

As if we’re not insulted enough by the fact we can’t find spaces, we then get fined £60 because of the university’s incompetence to provide enough parking spaces and at the same time parking permits have gone UP to £195 a year.

What do you get for paying more money? Less spaces and when people have to leave their cars anywhere on campus, it is expected that we should give them more money. The only way to avoid this is to park in the streets of Bridge of Allan, but that means you’ve paid for a permit that you can’t use and you’re in a space you can get for free.

People aren’t happy about this either.

But here, I’m going to let you in on a little secret. Come close so no one hears me. I’ve never paid for parking. Ever.

Not a parking permit or a pay and display ticket.

I’m not sure if this makes me happy or makes me angry. On the one hand, I’ve went through four years of not paying a penny for parking and getting off scot-free. On the other, I see other people who are paying hundreds of pounds each year and it is quite clear that the campus security can’t be bothered going out to check if it is only those who pay who get the privilege of a space.

It wouldn’t be so bad if I got a penalty notice every single time I parked without a parking ticket, but I’m not. I’m getting the exact same thing you are, but you’re paying nearly £200 a year more than I am.