A petition calling on Curtin University to overhaul its parking system seems set to fall on deaf ears, despite gaining over 5000 signatures.
Spearheaded by Curtin Student Guild, the petition asks the university to phase out the CellOPark app, reduce the costs of fines to $20 and introduce a mixed Pay As You Go/Permit system.
Guild president Dylan Botica said the parking system at Curtin, particularly the CellOParrk app, was fundamentally broken.
“We hear that the parking system doesn’t work for most students,” he said.
“The costs are prohibitive for the student population, particularly with cost-of-living crisis, and the fines, which are issued quite regularly because the CellOPark system glitches and fails constantly.
“Fines are $45 and that’s quite a bit for our members.
“Parking enforcement at Curtin is incredibly efficient and predatory, students are getting fined every day.”
He said the university response to the petition had been underwhelming.
“They basically said the cost-of-living crisis wasn’t their responsibility, and there was no emphasis on them to actually do anything about it.
“They seem to think the majority of people on campus are happy with the parking system and we’re representing a minority.
“I don’t think they can ignore 5000 signatures.”
There are 6027 bays in Curtin’s five parking zones, charged at between 84 cents and $3.60 per hour, topping out at between $4.20 – for green zone parking in “more remote locations” – to $6.80.
A monthly parking permit in the green zone costs students $92.40 per month and does not guarantee a parking space, while for staff, permits range from $146 per month to $3,039 per annum.
A Curtin University spokesperson said CellOPark had a proven track record of reliability since it was introduced in 2012.
“Curtin’s senior management has consulted extensively with the Guild regarding issues around parking and has made some changes as a result,” they said.
“However, Curtin is not considering making the suggested immense structural changes to its well-established system.
“The vast majority of infringements issued at Curtin are either warnings, waived or cancelled.
“Of those infringements that were appealed in Semester 1 of 2022, 93 per cent were waived or cancelled.”
For Mr Botica, his personal experience tells a different story.
“As a student I’ve been fined many, many times,” he said.
“If I input in the wrong zone, I pay for a full day of parking and still get the fine, there are days where the app just doesn’t work, there are other times where the app has glitched and charged me $56 for the whole day.
“I’m just one of the students that has experienced this and it needs to stop.”
The petition is located at https://www.megaphone.org.au/petitions/curtin-university-needs-to-fix-parking-now
