COLLEGE STATION, Texas (KRHD) — College Station City Council is exploring overnight parking restrictions in the Eastgate and Southside neighborhoods near Texas A&M University, citing congestion and safety concerns as contributing factors for the proposed changes.
Watch the full story here:
The potential restrictions have sparked opposition from students who say there simply isn't enough parking available in the area.
"Many 4-bedroom homes only have three places in their driveway, forcing students to park in the street," Ainsley Broadwell with the Student Government Association said.
Clay Williams with Student Senate expressed concerns about the financial impact on students.
"Is it infracting on our rights a little bit? You know, kids are, uh, struggling to pay rent, they're on scholarships, their parents are helping them out, and now they have to worry about not having a place to park," Williams said.
However, some residents support the restrictions, arguing that the current parking situation disrupts the residential character of their neighborhoods.
"When you've got 8 students living in the house next door to you and you've got 8 cars and there's 3 parking spaces. Uh, does that now start to look and feel like a residential neighborhood?" Mark Stein, a Southside resident, said.
Currently, certain streets are already designated as no parking, while others allow parking on one side of the street.
Some students believe the issue is being overblown.
"I just think it's just a way for the government to get more money for no reason," student Michael Pratt said. "There's just so many college kids just here who want to have a fun time and hang out, and sometimes it is late at night and like it's, we should have the right to park here. I mean, it is, it's just a neighborhood."
Last week's council meeting only included discussion about overnight parking on the agenda. The topic will be brought back at a future meeting.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.