[ad_1]
The management of the University of Gothenburg made the decision in spring and, since June 1, the fees to stay in the university car parks have doubled.
Five to ten crowns per hour and 30 to 60 crowns per day.
Starting at the turn of the year, employees will also have to pay SEK 100 for a parking card, a fee that did not exist before.
– I am aware that there are workplaces in central Gothenburg that have significantly higher parking fees, but if it depends on the car, a duplication will be felt, says a GU employee who contacted GP.
“Sending wrong signals”
The person also thinks that it is strange that the double increase is coming now, amid the corona pandemic.
– From all possible directions, we are urged not to be overcrowded in buses and trams due to the risk of infection; at the same time, we punish employees who choose to take the car. I think it’s sending the wrong signals, thinking about it now seems like a bad time, says the employee.
READ MORE: Hospital staff get free parking
Fredrik Orwén is deputy director of the University’s Real Estate and Services Unit. He says that the moment is the one and it has nothing to do with the pandemic.
– This is part of a larger work that we have been doing for a long time and that deals with a new parking policy for universities, an approach that follows the development of the parking strategy in Gothenburg, says and continues:
– Parking fees at universities have not increased since 2014. The costs of using the spaces must correspond to the market price of equivalent parking spaces in the area so that the tax authorities do not classify them as a taxable profit, He says.
“Tends to be sensitive”
When asked if he understands that employees react to the double increase, Fredrik Orwén says:
– Parking spaces and parking fees tend to be sensitive, no matter what company or organization you are in. But I have not heard any reaction or opinion on the decision, he says and continues:
– It is not about the University of Gothenburg making a profit from the parking spaces that it otherwise rents. Ultimately, it is a zero-sum game that will cover the administrative costs of parking operations, says Fredrik Orwén.
Here, employees get free parking
Unlike the university, the Västra Götaland region recently decided to extend the decision on free parking for health personnel in hospitals in the region until the end of the year due to the pandemic.
– Universities have a different approach: during the pandemic, distance learning is applied and employees are encouraged to work from home as much as possible, says Fredrik Orwén.
READ MORE: Universities spring into action, but not all
The University of Gothenburg parking rules base also addresses the issue of bicycles. It is written: “The University of Gothenburg will work to ensure that there is bicycle parking with the possibility of locking the frame near the entrances in all buildings and areas of the university. Bicycle parking will be free. “
Do you want to know more about how GP works with quality journalism? Read our ethical rules here.
[ad_2]
