Policy Protested: New Limits on Student Parking

Under a new University policy that will take effect next fall, undergraduate students will not be permitted to have vehicles on campus during the academic year unless they demonstrate a “compelling need” for an exemption, which could include a medical need or a job-related requirement. 

Currently, no exemption is needed for Princeton juniors or seniors to park on campus — upperclassmen are required to pay a fee and to register their vehicles with the University. Freshmen and sophomores must request an exemption from the policy to park on campus. This year, 310 undergraduate students registered to park on campus.

A May 3 Daily Princetonian article reporting planned changes to the parking policy sparked an outcry from students. An online student petition urging the administration to reconsider the proposed changes gathered more than 1,250 names in a week.

The changes to the parking policy are part of an initiative to reduce the number of single-occupancy vehicles on campus and “to put more of a priority on getting here in more sensible ways,” including public transportation, bicycling, and walking, said assistant vice president for communications Dan Day. 

The University said a student advisory committee on parking and transportation issues will be created in the fall.