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 .

I gave two suggestions, but I am not a town planner.

I wasn't asking for your suggestions, not that you'll have any solutions, i wager.

So your not actually able to offer a solution then? quelle surprise.

Like i said, im neither a town planner (who also seem to be struggling with ideas btw) nor did i say i had a solution. Did you expect a magic wand? Did you expect a fix all solution that i had been keeping under my hat rather than charging my council a fortune for my wisdom?

No, I expected that after you finished regaling in horror about the fact that (shock horror) one group of people may need to be prioritised over another, you wouldn't actually be able to offer a viable alternative.

This is exactly what you did.

Cheers!

I know I'm late to this thread but just wanted to add that my daughter is going to Uni in September to begin a nursing degree. Much of her time will be spent on placements involving all sorts of shift patterns. It's vital that she has a car as her placement could be one of several hospitals in the North East and public transport won't be able to get a to and from work if she is working rally early or late.

It's a sweeping statement to say that students should not own cars. You could target any sector of the community and stop them having cars, it would reduce the cars on the road but it wouldn't make it the right thing to do.

Just a few solutions that spring to mind (but of course there will always be cons to everything so i expect to see objections)

free Much cheaper and much more accessible, reliable and frequent public transport

If student cars are a big problem then universities could be incentivised to provide free regular buses from the high student population areas.

More parking- might mean going upwards.

Raise the costs of parking throughout the city (this is also dependant on the public transport being up to the job of filling the void)

Shock! some people feel inconvenienced so their only solution is that other people suffer.

nice. ridiculous.

As a student I had a car because of placements.

As a grown up I no longer have one as my base is fixed and mr ocado brings my shopping.

Making people justify their need for a parking permit is ridiculous... Restricting the number available /house and zoning new property as not eligible for on street parking is quite acceptable though.

Before they post more, may I suggest everyone stops responding to a certain poster who is clearly another fedora troll who enjoys derailing a conversation, so we can get back to why students as a demographic are being targeted, again.

Wonar, I jumped ship from this thread ages ago because of a poster annoying me. My choice and all that. But you can report your concerns if you think it's deliberate derailing.

DS had a car at end of studies. Parking was a nightmare. Students in the city share accommodation. The accommodation will have, say, one allotted space. The students have say 3 cars. How to solve that.

whatsthat

R.e. Cambridge not allowing students to have cars -- I'm pretty sure that only applies to if you're in college accommodation (which, to be fair, in Cambridge is a pretty high proportion of students).

Moniker

But doesn't exactly the same problem apply to family homes with both Mum, Dad, and older child having a car?

Students are not some lesser being. They have as much right to own a car as everyone else. If residential parking permits are to be given out on the basis of need everyone should be assessed in the same way. I'm sure that plenty of non students don't really need their car whereas some of the students probably do. Discriminating on the basis of occupation is outrageous.

As other people have commented, universities do not tell students they can't have a car. They only restrict parking on university land. The problem with parking around Bristol university existed in the early 90s when I worked there so it hasn't suddenly occurred because students nowadays have cars.

YADBU.

Cambridge did this, and it was very very frustrating.

Cambridge rule applies to wherever you are living in Cambridge. Plus, you are not allowed to live outside of Cambridge as an undergraduate student.

sun

How do they enforce that if you live out of college and are parking either outside your private residence or in town car parks? It isn't as if you can tell a student's car from an "ordinary" resident's car!

When I lived in university-owned accommodation in Cambridge I could have got a resident's permit to use the car park there, though in my case I just cycled and walked due to being v v poor at the time!

Though I stand corrected - just did some googling and the rule does exist, and it does apply to all students. That said, I'm not sure that Cambridge is an example that all universities should follow. It is an unusually congested city and unlike a lot of unis everything you could need is in walking distance unless you live miles out - which, as you say, Cambridge also has a rule about. I think with increasingly diverse student populations - mature students, students with children, students who can't afford to live in town, etc - it is much better for universities to be more flexible than both Ox and Cam usually are.

It doesn't say you can't own a car, just that you can't use one within ten miles of some point without permission .i am wondering whether, if a student took it to court whether is would stand up.

How can Cambridge prevent students from owning a car? They tell the students that the can't own one and suggest that they will fine them if they do but in reality they would never find out. It would be impossible to police.

It doesn't say you can't own a car, just that you can't use one within ten miles of some point without permission .i am wondering whether, if a student took it to court whether is would stand up.

I don't think it would. They get away with having such a "policy" because nobody wants to drive in Cambridge much anyway.

You have to live within a certain radius, and most college and college-owned housing is within that radius. They would be resident parking zones, for which you'd have to apply for a parking permit. The council knows which properties are college-owned, and wouldn't give a permit without the appropriate permission anyway - not all houses in the zones are eligible for permits. There aren't any car parks that would be suitable for long-term parking within the city centre. You could park it far out of the centre, in a non-controlled parking zone, but it would not be terribly helpful! Or needed. If you actually needed a car, you can apply for permission - I knew several people who had it granted, for various reasons, though they did have to find parking. (e.g., certain courses, people needing to do field work, disabilities, people with families, some postgraduates, etc). The further out of the centre the college is, the easier it is to find parking, and the more use a car might actually be.

Also just because the rule is hard to enforce, it doesn't mean it doesn't exist. I don't know what the penalty was if you were found to be breaking it. You sign a variety of things when you come up that include abiding by all sorts of rules and policies, so they probably do have some backing if you were reported to be breaking rules for some reason. (Chances are unlikely! I don't think the policy was that restrictive - everyone I knew who did apply for permission, because they had some particular reason for wanting a car - was given it, so I doubt there are many people trying to sneak cars in without permission).

(Not suggesting this has any bearing on whether students elsewhere should be allowed to own cars, though. Cambridge works differently for a lot of reasons)

Cambridge University regulation re parking taken from the Statutes of the University of Cambridge:
A member of the University in statu pupillari shall not keep, use, or cause to be kept for his or her use any motor vehicle other than a moped within ten miles of Great St Mary's Church while in residence in term or in the Long Vacation period of residence, unless he or she shall have obtained, on his or her Tutor's written recommendation, a licence for that vehicle signed by the Special Pro- Proctor for motor vehicles. The Special Pro-Proctor may issue such a licence to any member of the University in statu pupillari who is a graduate of a university, or who has the status of Bachelor of Arts, or who has kept (or been allowed) nine terms by residence, or to whom the Proctors decide that its issue is warranted by exceptional individual circumstances.

Anyone who had a car would find it pretty difficult to park anywhere near the centre of Cambridge unless they had a resident's permit. I suppose they could try to rent a driveway or garage somewhere if really desperate, but if found out, the Proctors would get them!

Cambridge can probably say what like regarding parking particularly as people don't need cars there anyway and they don't need to enforce the rules. I doubt that other universities would try to restrict students in such a way though as it is hardly a selling point if you want good students to go to the university and pay the fees.

I'm a student. I have a car. I'm also over 40. I think you're rather generalising.