Students have declared that the parking change in Cardiff will make things “impossible” for them. This is because students could be stopped from applying for parking permits due to Cardiff Council’s proposal to overhaul parking to reduce the number of cars in the city centre. This proposal is likely to have a huge impact on Cardiff’s large student population, commuters, visitors, and residents.
Multiple students have expressed that their cars are “crucial” for their studies, especially for placements that are required on their courses. Student-only properties are also not eligible for parking permits under the proposals. Cardiff University, along with Cardiff Students’ Union, stand together to express the serious concerns of excluding students from applying for parking permits over Cardiff Council’s proposal.
Both institutions conveyed that they support the idea to take environmental action, but that this proposal is not an effective solution.
This proposal risks damaging Cardiff’s reputation as a student-friendly city. It can further risk Wales’ ability to train and retain healthcare professionals.
A group of students that are quite worried about the proposal are medical and healthcare students because their courses often require them to go out for placement.
A fourth-year medical student in Cardiff University stated that “I’m fortunate to be able to have my car here and I take three or four other students to placement every day. Without my car, we wouldn’t be able to get to our placements. There are no other arrangements—the medical school expect us to be able to get there ourselves. It would literally be impossible to do my degree without a car.” She is quite worried about this proposal, as the changes will be made in Cardiff in autumn 2026.
A year on, after the initial risk to parking, the worry is still lingering.
The question remains: “Is parking for students at risk?”