to say that students shouldn't own cars?

[carlajean]

I'm living in Bristol, which is rolling out Residents Parking Schemes throughout the city (an excellent idea, I think). We have lots of students here, which is great, but many of them own cars. If they didn't, the streets would be considerably quieter. I know that other universities tell students that they can't have cars, and I really can't see why they would need them, and it would be a good way of helping with parking problems .

My DCs were students in different cities, and all told not to bring cars. We are also in Bristol and our road has become a "student accommodation area", so you get seven students in a house built for one family.

this is a problem. The problem is that you can't simply target students. They have the right to a car just like anyone else.

That doesn't mean there isn't a problem, but you simply have to treat everyone the same. There are several ways of dealing with this. Limiting the number of parking permits per household is one way. Another way is to do what you always do when the resource doesn't fit the demand: raise the price of parking permits. That way you'll find out, student or not, who really needs a car. the council, a rational and benevolent body, could make high priced parking permits revenue neutral by lowering council tax.

I am sure there are better suggestions out there too.

Why are you blaming students for the lack of parking? It's the fault of the public transport companies, and the town planners for not doing what they are paid to do - plan.

Also the student body, and therefore their experiences and expectations, are much more diverse than in your day. Times change, roll with it.

Yes, YABU.

Though, in my day [old] very few students did have cars. Those were the days when a £2150 annual grant really could cover all your accommodation and other costs from October to June, though, if you didn't drink it all. What it didn't leave was the money to afford a car.

"how dare you discriminate against a demographic??!"

Clearly some of the bleeding heart liberals gasping in shock here live in provincial one horse towns, where overcrowding isn't a problem because no one wants to move there.

Many University towns suffer from a chronic shortage of University provided student housing, students usually gravitate to particular areas and live in HMO's (Houses of multiple occupancy).

Net result is you now have unto 8 cars per house parked on a road designed for two cars per family household, tops.

Universities can and do bang students bringing cars with them, but this of course can be tricky to actually enforce.

keepitsimple wrote:

• The problem is that you can't simply target students. They have the right to a car just like anyone else.

you simply have to treat everyone the same. *

Dear oh dear. This is simply incorrect. Do you also believe in communism?

Taking your augment to it's logical conclusion, we shouldn't be giving out disabled badges, because everyone should be treated the same.

Cheers!

Plus a lot of students work as well, because the loans aren't enough to live on. So they may need transport for other reasons.
Travelling home and back with stuff, getting to lectures and tutorials, I agree that Bristol's buses are crap if you are trying to get to UWE on time.
We've got one car in our family, with 4 adults, we could theoretically have 4.
Like our neighbours. It was the first question they asked us when we moved here, 'How many vehicles do you have?'

When I was at uni hardly anyone had a car. But then again nobody had a mobile phone either! (this was mid-1990s).

We walked everywhere and got public transport (buses and taxis for a night out). The bus service was ok but not amazing, hence the walking!

Not sure how students afford them!

But if students do need them because public transport is shit then they need to sort that out!

YABU - DS needs a lot of equipment on his course, and we have to cart it back and forth for him. He is in Cambridge, and now he is in a house and out of halls it's hard to even unload him and his stuff as a traffic warden patrols what seems like every half hour. We dropped him off at 7pm last time, hoping to be safe - just as we left we passed a warden! At that time of night!

DS and four others are sharing a house. It has quite a long frontage, in a nice quiet street - but no parking permit is allowed for any student, even though there are usually spaces in that street. I asked the agent about parking permits and couldn't believe it when I was told that the council wouldn't allow students permits. I read the original arguments, and it was all about making life easier for long-term residents. If they had their way, anyone who owned a house would have a car, anyone who only rented, would not.

Clearly some of the bleeding heart liberals gasping in shock here live in provincial one horse towns, where overcrowding isn't a problem because no one wants to move there.

my one horse town is called London. Heard of it?

Do you also believe in communism?

oh dear indeed. so equal under the law is a communist ideal? I think most people refer to what's being proposed as not discriminatory.

Giving disabled people more access is one thing. Giving another group less access is another.

Giving disabled people more access is one thing. Giving another group less access is another.

Your logic is Incorrect. When you have over subscription/contention on a finite resource, the sensible and logical thing to do is prioritise access to that resource. This is reasonable. This happens in every walk of life. Prioritising access for X means Y has a lower priority. You cannot have your cake and eat it.

Cheers!

When you have over subscription/contention on a finite resource, the sensible and logical thing to do is prioritise access to that resource.

it sounds like you believe in communism?

I in fact suggested a way of doing this based not on some arbitrary discriminatory policy, but with pricing.

huh? I think you need to double check your understanding of communism.

Cheers!

huh? I think you need to double check your understanding of communism.

you are the one advocating allocating scarce goods by some means other than pricing.

Ban students in Bristol from having a car unless they make a special case for a permit ?

I've read it all now , quite astonishing !

most of the excuses for needing a car here are ridiculous.

Which ones?

Why does anyone need an excuse for owning a car? Want one? Learn to drive, pass tests, get a job and earn and save for car and insurance, maintenance and petrol. You don't have to justify it to anyone.

Yabu.
I had a car when I was at uni, I used it very regularly, and I needed it as I suffered anxiety which restricted the places I would go to. I couldn't cope with public transport and struggled to walk down the street alone.

Banning someone from having a parking permit is one thing. If you read the OP, Carla thinks students should be banned from owning cars How on earth does anyone think that is sensible or legal?

you are the one advocating allocating scarce goods by some means other than pricing.

At no point have i said this.But anyway, given your misunderstanding of communism, are we to assume your broadband provider is a communist organisation for throttling your bandwidth at peak times?

needing a car for anxiety reasons? would a bike not have done?

There is no valid reason for a student to drive a car, proving they live in the same city as there uni is based in.

Yes YABVU.
Students need cars just like anyone else. Many students study far away from home and have part time jobs to support them during their studies so they need a car just as much as you need one.
And shock horror, they might just use them for leisure activities too!

Students don't need cars?? One of the stupidest statements I've heard in a while!

Well this student has a car, because this student also has children, family in far flung corners of the UK and a disability.

I also believe in communism in its true form.

I live in the same city as my uni, it still takes me almost an hour to get there.

I am amazed that so many students can afford cars. Especially as insurance is so high for young people.

I can't see how or why they should be banned, but I would be surprised if anything other than a minority of all undergraduates have cars. The only student I know who has a car is my DN who lives in a v rural location and inherited an ancient family runabout to put an end to TaxiOfMumAndDad- but he doesn't take it to Uni with him.

If these students had gone straight into the workplace would you consider that they didn't need cars, OP? Between two people of the same age why is one who studies less entitled to car ownership than one who works in a chemist?