Why there’s absolutely no point in bringing your car to Berkeley

The average student at Berkeley pays a whopping amount for tuition. If you plan on having a car in the city, the price spikes up even more – not to mention all the risk involved in actually owning a car in Berkeley.

Its not worth it and, more often than not, it’s a hassle.

So here it goes: a giant list of all the reasons why you shouldn’t bring your car to Berkeley.

The $$$ UC parking permit

The costs for a semester of parking is $365!

In addition to paying tuition you have this ridiculous cost that does not renew for a whole semester – nope,  you have to pay that twice. This much money just so you can get a pretty little sticker on your shiny little placard saying that you are legitimate for three and a half months? Get real.

The residential permit is no better

If you get a residential permit, you still have to deal with competitive 2-hour street parking. There are no spots guaranteed for your car. And, good luck finding getting to all the places you need to get with your specific zone sticker.

If you have a C Permit but the grocery store is in the A zone…good luck.

2 hour parking

If you plan on bringing your car to Berkeley and using up the 2 hour parking zones, well, then you’re what we like to call a real daredevil.

Some are paid and some are unpaid, but are regulated by Meter Maids. These “Meter Maids” are brutal and those white chalk marks on your tire don’t just show up coincidentally. Especially with a busy class schedule, this is the least ideal method. There’s no getting out of it.

The traffic stinks too 

Other than parking, you will be faced with other issues when you bring your car to Berkeley.  The amount of foot and car traffic in the this city scaling from Piedmont Avenue to Shattuck is unbelievable. Plus, with an overflow students feel street signs are optional, good luck not eventually committing manslaughter.

There are so many accidents

One of the gifts that comes with an overpopulated area and lots of foot traffic is the much higher risk of accident. Whether it be getting rear-ended or dinging your car on a parking structure, this city has no mercy. Start investing in auto insurance (which is yet another additional cost).

Terrifying, nit picking parking tickets

Even when you pay the $360 per semester, even if you avoid all accidents, you are still prone to the ruthlessness of parking tickets. Berkeley is notorious for ridiculously specific relations on firstly what structures you can park at, which levels you can park on, and what specific times on those specific levels at those specific parking garages you can park in.

Yes, even in those designated parking structures, you will have to read the fine tiny print that says students can only park on the 3rd floor, not the 1st, 2nd, or 4th floors. And even when you have been parking on that 1st floor for over a year, you will still end up getting an addition $80 ticket in a pretty little envelope on your windshield.

Unfortunately, tuition and housing are not expensive enough. Even the students who relieve the housing market by commuting from further away get punished with ridiculous permit costs and superfluous citations. Traffic is abysmal and really the only way to bring your car to Berkeley would just to let it rust in a spot in front of your place because you can’t risk moving it for fear of someone else taking your own spot.

In short, this can be summarized: don’t bring your car to Berkeley.