As my first post about an actual Lehigh problem, I want to focus on something that has recently become an even bigger burden for Lehigh students - parking. As of post-winter break, Bethlehem decided to DOUBLE their meter parking prices. Lehigh students arrived back at school on Monday morning expecting to get the usual 30 minutes for their quarter, but were instead surprised to find if they strategically planned how many quarters to bring that they were short half of the money needed. You now only get 15 minutes per quarter, which is a big hit for Lehigh students whose 1 hour 15 minute class is now going to cost them $1.50 to park every time.
Now, to be fair, Bethlehem raising the parking prices is technically not Lehigh's fault. However, due to the lack of parking availability on campus, it forces students who want to drive to class to have no other choice but to park at meter spots off campus. And even for the lucky students who find convenient parking on campus, a quarter will only allow you 20 minutes of parking. This small pocket change really begins to add up after a while.
The worst part about the parking at Lehigh is the fact that on top of paying (approximately) $54,020 for tuition, there is an extra $200 charge in order to obtain a parking permit. And this parking permit virtually gets you no where. After paying $6220 to live in on-campus housing, you are required to pay an additional $200 in order to park outside your residence hall. And on top of that, you have to pay every single day to park on the lower part of campus. My next post will have a follow up of both student perspectives and reasons to justify the crazy parking prices and lack of availability of parking on Lehigh's campus.
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