WTHR |IU cuts parking fees for "green" vehicles

IU cuts parking fees for "green" vehicles

Bloomington - Indiana University is cutting parking fees 20 percent for students and employees who drive fuel-efficient cars - a change some staff members feel is unfair to low-paid workers who can't afford such cars.

Hours after IU Parking Operations announced the "green" discount, the local union that represents IU support staff was flooded with mostly negative feedback from staff about the move.

Peter Kaczmarczyk, the president of the Communications Workers of America 4730, said many staff members he heard from consider the discount unfair.

He said some people are simply trying to keep their old cars running, and drive what they can afford. Plus, several employees live in the country and need four-wheel-drive vehicles.

"It's rewarding people who can afford a more fuel-efficient vehicle in the first place," Kaczmarczyk said, summarizing the comments he had heard.

The parking discount, the first of its kind at IU, applies to zero-emission vehicles, as determined by the California Air Resource Board. It also covers vehicles that meet criteria of the U.S. Green Building Council's LEED, or Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design.

IU parking manager Doug Porter said he expects that list of vehicles to only get longer as time goes on.

The 2009-10 parking permits go on sale next week. Porter said he isn't sure how many students and staff will be able to take advantage of the 20 percent parking fee discount, but he estimates that about 100 discounts will be applied to the 15,000 permits sold.

Porter said the idea for discounted parking came from university architects and engineers as a way to secure a U.S. Green Building Council credit.

The discount program gives IU a credit to use toward LEED certification on most building projects, said Charlie Matson, special projects engineer with IU engineering services.

"We see this as a valid step toward a more sustainable campus," he said of the discounts.

Kaczmarczyk acknowledged the discount isn't cheating anyone because parking permit costs are not going up this year. He said the union will support the stance taken by most of its members.

Kaczmarczyk said he's personally "passionate" about environmental issues and thinks that encouraging people to drive fuel-efficient vehicles was a step in the right direction.

"As an environmentalist, I'm pleased they're attempting to do something," he said.

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