The University of California, Santa Barbara has a student population of over 26,000 students. A majority of these students live in campus housing or Isla Vista and bring their car or commute to school from nearby areas. Many students struggle with finding parking that isn’t expensive or far from where they live. Most of the houses and apartments near campus in Isla Vista often accommodate even up to 10 people or more but with only a few or no parking spaces. Isla Vista also has many other residents such as families from the area or people from other schools so parking is very competitive and limited. 

Many UCSB students rely on their cars for getting to the school if they commute, getting to work and other essential outings and it is an inconvenience that parking is so limited in the UCSB/Isla Vista area. This year especially, there are many students living in their cars as a result of the housing crisis so looking for parking in order to survive may be a major issue for some. As a college student myself I can agree that students have many costs regarding school and simply surviving, so paying a lot for parking is not always the best option.

UCSB should be able to provide their students with accessible and affordable parking. To make this happen, I propose that UCSB significantly lower the price of their long term parking passes for students but also, build and provide more parking structures on campus and one closer to Isla Vista for those students who reside there. More parking structures could ensure students to have a secure and reliable place to park. More accessible and affordable parking for UCSB students will not only benefit students but also the community as a parking structure in or close to Isla Vista could help alleviate some of the parking density there is in the area. Myself and many people I know struggle with finding parking in the area at any time of day, so making parking more accessible and affordable would help alleviate this issue for many of us.