UEA staff car park charges are unfair and need to be reviewed

I would like to just state that as a member of staff on a 10-6 contract the closing of Blackdale this week has caused me extreme stress with regards to coming to work. When Blackdale was open I was able to arrive at 9:45 and walk to my office, I never once had a problem with the conditions of the grassed area of Blackdale, other than being a tad muddy on a rainy day. However since Monday 11/11/2013 I have had to drive into work at 8:30 to try to get a parking space in either the main car park or the one across from Elizabeth Fry Building. Even this has been a battle and on some occasions only disabled spaces or car share spaces have been available; I have had to wait around hoping someone would leave before I had to start work. I have then had a 1hr30mins wait until I begin work. I am unable to do any of my personal errands that I would have had time for before as I have to keep my car in the car park for fear of losing a space for the day. I have spent some mornings sat in the café, some just sat in my car, others turning up for work early and just starting to save being bored or cold or wasting more money in the café. I am not claiming back this time or even getting paid for it, as my contract states 10-6. There should be some concerted effort by the university to come up with a solution to this problem. Over 200 staff have been affected and I must say a poor effort so far to providing a solution; it shows a complete disregard for the effect on its staff. If we were to turn up late for work or not turn up at all based on this issue I am sure it would be more noticeable and probably dealt with quicker. I am not sure if this email will find its way to someone who is able to make a difference to the situation but I can only hope so as this is having a large impact on my daily commute to work and my home life.

Driving to work yesterday I was faced with a £7.00 parking charge - this was only at 2pm and I needed to return to work until 5pm. Because I live within a certain radius of UEA I have to pay this ludicrous rate. I only drive as I have a medical condition that can make walking difficult at times but UEA have ignored my request for a permit 4 times. Most companies offer free or heavily discounted parking to their staff members and nobody I know has to pay +£7 a day when they're required in to work early. UEA needs to re-evaluate their parking facilities or start providing discounted public transport as the cost of First in Norwich is outrageous and not sustainable on a daily basis for many of my colleagues. Build new buildings? BUILD A CAR PARK FOR THEM.

Whenever I say to friends and family that I have to pay to park at work it is always a shocked face. £300+ per year and nowhere to park, help!

For mothers who have to drop their children off at school on route to work there is no hope of parking at all. I'm late everyday because I've spent up to 1/2 hour trying to park I then am late to pick my children up (incurring more childcare fees) as I have to work late to make up the time that I was trying to park. So not only are you taking more money from me for parking spaces that don't exist! I'm now paying more in childminding fees!

I don't even use the car park but as a bus user the ridiculous queues to get in to the car park every morning means staff using public transport are also penalised as the buses can't get in to UEA making many more workers late.

I'd like to quote another petitioner 'All around us money is being invested in buildings, yet not on UEA staff who are the REAL bricks & mortar.' DITTO! Just look at the latest addition, the Julian Study Centre, does it need to be all fancy to help students study? I think not!

Wage rises mirror the parking charge we there for have had no wage rise in 3 years. It sickens me that the £300.00 a year plus i have to pay to attend work goes straight back to the UEA a Tax on coming to work. This pushes me and my family into more finacial contraints than is needed. The car share used to be fareit is now not worth the paper it is written on. I still car share for my own benifit but have retired from the UEA scheme. I am Very Discruntled.

the car parking charges are getting outrageous. At one time we did not have to pay at all.

Constant lack of parking. Parking price increase was more than my pay rise. I live 6 miles away with a poor bus route. Now I park 30 minutes away from UEA rather than mess around wasting time looking for a space. Also so I don’t have to pay £400 a year to park. I've worked at UEA now for 9 years and even then parking was at a premium in the morning. Currently most of the staff parking has been built on with the erection of the Thomas Paine building, School of Medicine, INTO and then the generator with no real replacement for parking.

I have no issue with paying for parking, it is the lack of parking spaces that is the problem. Unfortunately making it difficult for people to park will not reduce the amount of cars brought onto campus as some staff have no option other than to drive.

It is the lack of spaces and subsequent inflexibility that bothers me more than the cost.

The shortage of parking spaces is the most significant problem - it creates a DAILY problem and increases stress levels, as well as impacting on the working day. Some of us really have no choice other than to drive and no freedom to change our arrival time (due to the school run etc.)

Not enough spaces esp Aut term. Charging structure penalises p/t workers.

too much money, too many increases, need park and ride at the Airport

We need to look at spending revenues raised by car use on a solution to parking issues. Simply making it more difficult and expensive to park is not what I would describe as 'A green transport policy'.

we never use to pay for parking years ago so why pay now the carpark doesn,t look any different and where does the money go

UEA is no longer willing to help it's staff - with no pay increases and the constent price increases with parking charges and these are set to go up year on year and the price of just grabing a sandwich and coffee goes up year on year. I'm very upset that UEA has become like this.

Lower paid member of staff/part time worker, when I leave the car park around 11:30 it then leaves the space free for another, whom is also charged. Also when I stay an extra hour at work to help out, I am then charged a full day, so feel I ought to leave the car where it is instead of again leaving a free space just after 12:30...

I beleive in defence there are 'benefit in kind' implications. .....however, do school teachers & support staff and other local district council workers (who are not required to use their car for business purposes) pay for their parking spaces or is it free! Is the income rec'd from parking fees all used to maintain the car park - i,e staff costs, repairs and maintenance etc - (or is there a surplus and if so what is it used for) - What is the predicted annual income! Employees post code could be used to help identify necessity of parking i.e public transport less of an option and living further away more running costs.

Shortage of spaces is a problem for people who starts after 9am.