Parking Woes

Blurb: Students are finding that finding a parking space has gotten very difficult this year.

Section: Campus News
9/12/08
By Abbey Heimlich
Critic Staff

Commuter students, faculty and staff may have noticed a decrease in available parking spaces in the Vail parking lot recently due to construction.
“Give it an extra 10 to 15 minutes,” George Hacking, director of public safety said. “Driving from one lot to another takes time.”
“If you give yourself time you will find a space,” Hacking said. Residential students are reminded to park only where their sticker designates, and not to park on the lawn or in visitors’ spaces.
“It can be very difficult to find a spot to park depending on what time you show up,” Joseph Pasquence, a sophomore Computer Science major said.
In total, the main Vail lot and the lower Vail lot have 214 parking spaces. Thirty-five of these spaces are currently blocked off by construction in Vail, and a construction trailer in the lower Vail lot also blocks off spaces. There are four admissions parking spaces, and seven handicap spaces. The Stonehenge parking lot is also a commuter overflow lot.
So far Hacking says that 480 commuter stickers have been passed out this semester. An estimated 200 faculty and staff also use the commuter parking lots. He has no concern about having enough room.
“The first day was the worst, everyone was here, but we still had room,” Hacking said.
Some commuters may not agree.
“I feel like there want enough parking last semester and this semester is worse. I think they need to expand the commuter parking lot, or make a whole commuter lot,” Gwen Goehring, a sophomore Business Administration major said,
Spaces were added in the main Vail lot this summer. Hacking said the lot was redone this summer “to correct deficiencies in the underground infrastructure,” such as pipes and wiring.
The lot was repaved and repainted. The repainting added parking spaces at the end closest to the soccer field.
Hacking said there is no concern for winter parking either. While the snow tends to shorten the lots, the maintenance crew is efficient with plowing, sanding and salting.
Hacking hopes that the new yellow lines in the lots will stand out more against the salt, making it easier to see what is and what is not a parking space.
Public Safety got tougher on parking violators in the spring and that seems to have sent the message not to park illegally. Hacking also notes that there has not been an increase in illegal parking.
“We will be tolerant,” Hacking said, “If for some reason we find no parking spaces available, we will understand why people will deviate.”
The Vail lot is expected to reopen in Fall 2009, after the construction is complete.