Charging for Parking at Regionals.

[sanddrag]

Do they charge for parking at your regional event(s)? If so, how much. At SoCal, it was $8 to park for each day.

If you ask me, charging for parking at a FIRST regional event is just plain wrong. Nobody has money and everybody needs money. First of all, the thing is free to get into. Second, why should a parent have to pay to come see their student competing? That arena is full of people who will one day make the world a better place. The arena is also full of spectators who hope these people will one day make the world a better place. Why must we pay to park to make the world a better place?

[Arefin Bari]

I was very upset about the fact that the teams were told that one person from the team could park in the loading area each day and I was suppose to park the truck there everyday and I wasn't able to, on top of that I had to pay 10 dollars for parking.

[Zoheb N]

i totally agree why should people that want to come and see us compete have to pay to park. It stops the spread of FIRST because some people don't want to have to pay parking at a free event. I think something needs to be done

[s_forbes]

You would think that parking would be covered by the $5,000 entry fee to get your robot in...

[Nuttyman54]

Parking at SJSU (for the Silicon Valley Regional) was $7 or $8 a day. One person on each team got a parking pass when they arrived on thursday, but everyone else had to pay. I think paying is reasonable, but possibly at a reduced price. You have to realize that, with the number of people attending (not just the spectators) we basically fill up the parking garage. Since SJSU relies on that for some of their income, not getting that is a hard loss, especially for 3 days. I think they should reduce the price, but paying for it is just part of the deal I think. Most of these venues probably don't make very much from hosting the competition.

[Jaine Perotti]

Let me ask one question...

Who exactly is it that is charging for parking?

Is it the venue, or are parking profits going directly to FIRST?

If the profits in fact go to the venue... well, this is going to sound harsh, but tough luck. Why should a venue choose not to make us pay for parking, but still make everyone else pay? Having to pay for parking is just a fact of life. I am not saying that it is right, but venues exist to make a profit, and parking space is a commodity needed enough that people are willing to pay for it. That is just how capitalism works.

On the other hand, if FIRST profits from parking, I don't believe this is fair. If they claim to have free admission, charging for parking is going against their word.

-- Jaine

[George A.]

I know in NJ parking is free...in order to make that happen, the NJ planning committe, paid the venue in order to make the parking free...so there are a lot of hands in the pot when it comes to parking...some venues say that people have to pay no matter what, some others might be a little more leanient towards the topic...its all about different places policies I guess.

[TimCraig]

As to the first part of your question, at Silicon Valley the closest parking was in San Jose State's parking garage and the fee was $7 the first two days. However, on Saturday the "special event" signs came out and it jumped to $10.

By your reasoning on the second part, a FIRST entry should be free but it costs $6k. Your college should be free but I suspect it isn't and even if it is that just means someone else is paying for you. I'm obviously smart and good looking too, so I should be rich.

[sciguy125]

I'm pretty sure that parking is charged by the venue. At Silicon Valley, Thursday and Friday were normal rates. On Saturday, however, they kicked it up to the $10 special event rate (SJSU does this for all special events). At Davis, parking was $6 on Friday and free on Saturday.

[eugenebrooks]

Originally Posted by sanddrag

Do they charge for parking at your regional event(s)? If so, how much. At SoCal, it was $8 to park for each day.

If you ask me, charging for parking at a FIRST regional event is just plain wrong. Nobody has money and everybody needs money. First of all, the thing is free to get into. Second, why should a parent have to pay to come see their student competing? That arena is full of people who will one day make the world a better place. The arena is also full of spectators who hope these people will one day make the world a better place. Why must we pay to park to make the world a better place?

Sanddrag,
Students pay to park their cars at San Jose state, why should we
be any different. FIRST does not charge for tickets at the venue:
the Teams entrance fees, and lots of donations to first, pay for that.
Use of the venue means use of the parking and use of the food services
at the venue. It is not like you are forced to pay the venue food prices
for food if you don't want to. You can always take public transportation
to the venue if you don't want to park a car. You can have water in
bottles and that is all you need to drink. You can have food in your
car outside of the venue and you can scurry there to eat. Try canned
tuna and sardines, its a survivalists mainstay.

They let us eat our food at the table near the entrance door in the
SanJose regional and we were in hog heaven. We did not have to
stand out in the rain to eat. What more could a crazy robotics mentor
want?

[Ricky Q.]

FIRST does not make ANY money off parking or anything at the venue. Just to make that clear right off the bat.

Parking is something that is negotiated between the venue and FIRST's contract representative. Sometimes it can happen, sometimes it doesn't.

At Wisconsin, our venue wanted something more than we were willing to pay for their parking. Which is why we were unable to give teams and visitors free parking, it is an issue that we know we need to work on for the coming years.

[Elgin Clock]

Originally Posted by s_forbes

You would think that parking would be covered by the $5,000 entry fee to get your robot in...

Yep... Just another thing to add to the list for the team forum at the end of the year.

10 bucks for parking each day for Boston, NJ was free, Hartford was 10 bucks too (reduced from a god awful $16 original price apparently), Annapolis you had to had a waiver, and even though it was a free event, it wasn't necessarily open to the public cause it was on the Naval base.. kind of going against making it more public accessible, but the location was great so you have to take that into account.

Originally Posted by Ricky Q.

FIRST does not make ANY money off parking or anything at the venue. Just to make that clear right off the bat.

I think thats the point. If I knew my money was going to FIRST, I don't think I, or other people, would complain as much.

Originally Posted by BurningQuestion

Let me ask one question...

Who exactly is it that is charging for parking?

On the other hand, if FIRST profits from parking, I don't believe this is fair. If they claim to have free admission, charging for parking is going against their word.

And continuing with my last thought, I guess apparently I'm totally going to have to disagree with Janie on that one. I do see your point, and in a perfect world there would be no charge at all since the paperwork says free event, but if anyone is getting teh money, I think it should be the event and not the venue. Isn't a 5 dollar burger worth $2.00 at my local burger joint making up for that lack of my parking money? It did in NJ where that held true.

I say next year, everyone take a bus in to their events they are going to, or walk in from the street. It'll be our silent boycott against the parking fees!!!

I remember BeanTown Blitz 2004 when we had to pay for parking. I had a big issue paying for parking at an off season event especially when it wasn't going to the event (BTB), but the site (NU). And that was just a mini-comp.

[chaoticprout]

yo sanddrag, the 3 days we drove in, we just said we were competing and we got in for free. o.O

[Cory]

Originally Posted by Nuttyman54

Parking at SJSU (for the Silicon Valley Regional) was $7 or $8 a day.

It was $8.

I don't mind paying to park. I realize it isn't FIRST trying to gouge us.

It's just that I remember when it was something like $2 to park at SJSU

[Ricky Q.]

Originally Posted by Elgin Clock

I think thats the point. If I knew my money was going to FIRST, I don't think I, or other people, would complain as much.

Yea, but that won't happen. The venues run the parking lots, not FIRST. To get free parking at events, regional planning committees need to get enough money to cover the cost of buying out the lots from the venues for that weekend.