This year, Goffstown High’s parking passes were raised to $125 from $100 despite passes being $100 for the past ten years. Goffstown High has many underlying reasons for the price increase, as Francis Mcbride, Goffstown High School’s Principal, says “[operating] costs rise.” Despite this fact, some students are outraged. One Izzy Mcintyre, a senior at Goffstown High, even claimed “I think it’s absurd! I go to the school, why do I have to pay $125 to park at my school?”
Some students need to park at the school for reasons such as work, or picking up other family members. The need for parking, rather than the want for parking, would factor into how much a student is willing to pay for said parking. This is called the utility, or how useful a good or service is. A $25 dollar raise from the previous cost of $100 was not enough to alter demand, which is still very high, as all parking slots sold this year. If the 25$ cost was too high, there is always the possibility of taking the bus, carpooling or walking to school.
Because of the high demand and low supply for parking, Mcbride explained that the school sells parking passes like an airline, “We can build in absenteeism… instead of giving out 250 stickers, we might be able to give out 260, or 270.” Mcbride also illustrated how in most cities, including Manchester, Hampton, and Concord, you must pay hourly for parking. Concord, for example, charges $1 an hour. Goffstown charges less than a dollar a day.
An issue for Izzy Mcintyre, is that there are so few spaces in the student parking lot, claiming that she must get to the parking lot “20 minutes before the bell to get a decent spot.” This is obviously an issue and she said that she wishes there were more places for students to park. On the subject of building more parking spots, Mcbride claimed that there had been talks about that possibility, but as it is expensive to build a parking lot, it is not planned at this time. Izzy also mentioned that after school, there is bad traffic and that after ten minutes, when the buses arrive “[the students] have to wait until [the buses] are all gone” and Izzy explained that once she waited for 20 minutes.
The price of a Goffstown High parking pass is a controversial issue, and the decision if the cost of a parking pass is worth it, or if it is too expensive, is ultimately up to every individual. Izzy recalled how last winter, there were times the lines in the back lot couldn’t be seen. Despite this, some students still choose to park there as the opportunity to be able to leave on their terms, not the buses, outweighs the fee. Some students must be able to leave or arrive earlier or later than a bus can, and some of those students cannot afford the $125 fee, but on the other hand parking lot maintenance is not free and the money must come from somewhere, and must keep up with inflation.
