Student parking fees will start without guarantee of available spaces

Parking fees at Student Housing on the university campus will begin on 1 October, mbl.is reports. The first resident parking pass will cost 2,500 krónur a month, but it will not guarantee an available space.

The Student Association, known as FS, does not have precise figures showing whether the parking spaces are sufficient for residents’ cars.

Heiður Anna Helgadóttir, FS’s managing director, said she hoped the number of residents’ cars would not exceed the number of spaces.

“We do not have precise figures on that,” she told mbl.is. She expects registrations in the new system to provide a clearer picture of the situation.

Sunna Ingólfsdóttir, who lives on Eggertsgata, doubts the fees will solve the problem because the number of parking spaces will not increase. She said she had always managed to find a space near her building or on a nearby street, although parking could be more difficult late in the evening.

“It does not matter whether you pay or not. It will always be somewhat difficult to find a space in the evening,” she said.

Heiður Anna said complaints about a lack of parking had increased in the annual service surveys, although the problem could vary between buildings. When she began working for Student Housing in 2017, parking was not mentioned when residents were asked what they liked least about living there. By the end of the period, it was the issue most frequently mentioned.

FS has repeatedly received reports of people parking at the housing complex before going to work or exercising nearby. Heiður Anna attributed this to extensive development in the area in recent years, including at Gróska and Alvotech. The Student Housing spaces had become the only free parking spaces in the area, she said. The aim of the new system is to make the spaces more available to residents.

Guests at Student Housing can park free of charge at the University of Iceland after 5pm on weekdays and throughout weekends.

Resident says there was no consultation

Sunna also criticised the lack of resident involvement before the new system was approved. She said residents were notified of the changes in May but were not given an opportunity to influence how they would be implemented.

She subsequently sent FS detailed comments, including concerns about arrangements for guests, the 20-minute time limit and the 15,000-króna fee.

She also questioned how the system, which is a three-year pilot project, would be assessed and who would be responsible for the evaluation.

Heiður Anna said residents had been informed about the changes since 2024, when FS decided to introduce resident passes after the University of Iceland announced that it would charge for parking on its spaces. The introduction was delayed after the university postponed its own fees.

Guests allowed to stop for 20 minutes

Sunna’s main concern is access for guests. Under an FS announcement, unregistered cars may remain in the parking spaces for up to 20 minutes. After that, drivers may face a 15,000-króna fee for unauthorised parking, in addition to a ticket fee.

A resident can temporarily register a guest’s car under their pass.