Getting to university should not become another financial barrier. I’m launching a campaign to understand how campus car parking affects Lancaster students, from the cost of daily parking to the challenges of finding a permit that works for them.
University is expensive. Between rent, food, bills, travel and the everyday costs of living, many students are already having to make difficult decisions about where their money goes. As students, we are often told to make our budgets stretch further, but there is only so much we can cut back on when the essentials are already becoming harder to afford.
One cost that I think deserves more attention is parking.
As a student at Lancaster University, I have experienced first-hand how stressful parking can be. I know what it is like to worry about the cost of getting to campus alongside all the other expenses that come with being a student. Parking is not always something you can simply choose to avoid, and the financial pressure it creates can feel like yet another thing to worry about.
I have also experienced how easy it is to make a mistake with parking. After forgetting to pay for parking on campus, I received a parking notice. It was an honest oversight,, but the experience made me reflect on the wider system, how students navigate it and how stressful an additional charge can be when money is already tight.
I know my experience will not be the same as everyone else's, which is exactly why I want to hear from other students.
What does parking really cost students?
At Lancaster University, daily parking can cost £6. That might not sound like a huge amount in isolation, but the costs quickly add up.
For a student commuting five days a week over 30 teaching weeks, parking alone could cost £900 a year. That is before paying for fuel, insurance, car maintenance and everything else that comes with owning a car.
For someone already struggling to afford rent, food or bills, £900 is a significant amount of money. It could cover weeks of groceries, contribute towards household bills or make a real difference to someone's ability to manage their finances.
Of course, not every student drives every day, and some students are eligible for parking permits. However, the cost of daily parking illustrates the potential financial burden for students who cannot access a suitable permit or need to pay as they go.
For some students, driving is a preference. For others, it is a necessity. Where you live, your caring responsibilities, work commitments, disability or the availability of practical public transport alternatives can all influence whether driving is a realistic option.
We need to recognise that students do not all have the same circumstances, and that the cost of accessing education can affect people differently.
Listening to students before deciding what needs to change
This campaign is not about arriving with all the answers or assuming that every student has the same experience. I want to build a clearer picture of what is actually happening across our student community.
That means asking questions, listening to students and gathering evidence before deciding what the next steps should be.
How many students can access a suitable parking permit? How many rely on daily parking? Where are students parking most often? How do parking costs affect their finances, and what challenges do they face when trying to get to campus?
These are some of the questions I want us to explore.
Through a student survey and a campus parking heat map, we can begin to understand not only how much parking costs, but also how the current arrangements affect students in practice. Every response will help us build a more representative picture of the different experiences across Lancaster.
I also want this to be an opportunity for constructive conversations with the University. By bringing together students' experiences and evidence, we can have a more informed discussion about parking, affordability and access to campus.
Have your say
I'll be at our Students' Union stall in Alexandra Square on Thursday 29 October, from 9am to 4pm, inviting students to share their experiences. Find out more about the campaign here, and fill out the LUSU Car Parking Survey here.
You can complete the survey at the stall, tell us about your experiences of parking and mark on our heat map where you park most often. Whether you drive to campus every day, occasionally need to bring your car, have struggled to access a permit or have concerns about the cost, I want to hear from you.
You do not need to have had a negative experience to take part. Understanding what works well is just as important as understanding what needs attention.
Ultimately, this campaign is personal to me because I understand how quickly the costs of university life can build up. But it is about much more than my own experience. It is about making sure students have the opportunity to share their experiences and that those experiences help inform the conversation.
Getting to university should not be an additional source of financial hardship. By listening to one another and working together, we can build a better understanding of student parking at Lancaster and what a fairer experience could look like.
I would encourage every student who has something to share to get involved. Your experience matters, and I want to hear it.
