Sept. 1, 2014
Audrey Jensen
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Colors and shapes just aren’t going to solve the age old problem: we need more parking for commuters.
The university has finished building and re-renovating everything on campus and changes are beginning to be seen. Unfortunately for students, replacing original parking lot numbers with a symbol and a new three digit number doesn’t make parking at UCCS any easier.
Like me, there are those who are unable to afford the increased parking permit costs. As such, I will have to continue to deal with the minimal amount of parking spaces at the Four Diamonds parking lot. I will fight with the other students that aggressively compete for spaces throughout the day.
“You can park in the next parking lot down,” said one student employee monitoring the already crowded lot last year.
Halfway through the fall 2013 semester I realized that it would be a rare chance to get to park near the shuttle bus.
Junior nursing major Sara Barber was confused upon receiving her parking pass to find shapes on the salmon colored background pass.
“I just remember opening it and being very confused and saying, I’m not even going to try,” Barber said. “To be honest I find the new system a little more confusing. I don’t understand how it’s going to solve the issue of not enough parking spots.”
In a UCCS Communique article, Executive Director of Parking & Transportation Jim Spice said placing shapes and a three digit number on the parking permits and lot signs will help students to quickly locate what lots they’re allowed to park in and will create about 700 more available spots for commuting students.
With another record-setting enrollment year, I’m not sure how well that is going to work out. As it is, the Alpine parking garage is primarily for visitors and on-campus housing students. Commuters now have access to the top level of the old garage, but it still doesn’t account for the space needed.
Several students have found a loop hole. They will park in the adjacent University Village Colorado shopping center, walk under the bridge and hop on the bus to their class.
Of course, once that loop hole was discovered, UCCS parking services was there to warn students that they will be towed if they are caught parking in the shopping center, which is clearly made for customers, not students. However, the threat of missing class often overrules these empty threats.
If UCCS or University Village Colorado doesn’t want students to park in spaces meant for Hacienda or Panera Bread, then a portion of the money going into new buildings and parking lots on campus should be considered for students who cannot obtain a parking permit.
With all of the space in between the Four Diamonds lot and the lot north of it, there should be some sort of project designed to fit at least one extra parking lot for students who cannot park on campus.