UNM student Seth Gilpin was fed up with trying to find and pay for parking on main campus, so he created freecollegeparking.com
As the name suggests, the site helps students find free parking spots in the UNM area.
“It would take me anywhere from 45 minutes to an hour to find parking before my classes started,” he said. “I just didn’t want to pay $300 or $400 a semester for parking because it’s ludicrous.”
Student Natalie Jaquez said she commutes to campus from Santa Fe daily, and has to leave two hours before her classes begin to allow herself time to look for parking. She said Gilpin’s website is a great idea.
“Parking digs deep into students’ pockets, and having the advantage to know where free parking is located would save me immensely on time in my commute,” she said. “If this website idea catches on, I think it would be great because students would add in their location ideas. It could become a very interactive idea.”
Parking across the street from campus at the Methodist Church on University Boulevard costs three dollars a day. Parking is $1.75 an hour on Yale Avenue and many other residential streets near campus.
Gilpin said parking in free areas near campus has many benefits.
“Parking two miles away from campus and getting a little exercise by walking, riding a bike, longboarding or skateboarding, and just saving money is essential for a student,” he said.
Gilpin said his long-term goal is to expand his website to reach other universities nationwide.
“I think this is absolutely helpful for students because I hear students complain about parking on a daily basis,” he said. “If students knew that there was an outlet like free parking websites out there I think it would be utilized.”
To see free parking, visit:
Freecollegeparking.com
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