Parking on Campus

With all the complaints directed at the lack of parking at UB, one might think there would have been mobs of students eager to voice their opinions last Thursday at the forums discussing the parking situation. However, only two students attended the meetings held on North Campus and South Campus - one of whom was a reporter for The Spectrum.

This pitiful turnout - especially when the administration is obviously interested in addressing student concern about the situation - speaks volumes about the real parking problem, and it's not a lack of spots. It's laziness among the student body.

In October of 2001, the administration hired Chance Management Advisors Inc. to investigate the current parking situation and suggest the best methods for improvements. Barbara J. Chance, a representative of Chance Management, reported at the Feb. 12 Faculty Senate Executive Committee meeting that UB actually has enough parking spaces, but they simply aren't in the most convenient locations. The problem, she said, is that most students try to find parking at the location closest to their destination.

Of course, parking as close as possible to campus would be ideal, but most students know that finding a good parking spot during the mid-morning class rush is a near-impossible feat. Even those students who arrive at campus an hour before class to search for spots shouldn't need to, because a simple solution would be for them to simply park farther away and make their way to class via the many halls that comprise the Spine.

There are a plethora of lots scattered around the campus, many of which students choose not to use. While it is convenient to park at Furnas or the Commons since they are the closet lots to the Student Union, congestion is a factor for students to take into consideration before heading off to class.

Since these lots are the most used, students should opt to head to the far reaches of the campus where the parking is plentiful. Although it may appear far, a stroll from the Cooke Lot to the Academic Spine is actually shorter than the walk from the back of the Jarvis Lots. Students may complain if they have to walk from the Natural Sciences Complex to Clemens, but the total time saved by not searching for parking is more than worth the exercise.

As for students on campus, the problem is even easier to solve. North Campus residents - with the campus a stone's throw away - could easily take the shuttle to and from class, or (for those daring enough) walk. If students have night classes and insist on driving, they can use a break between classes to go back to Ellicott and pick up their car and find that spot in Furnas at 6:30 p.m., when the majority of students are finished with class.

For South Campus or University Heights commuters, a solution could be to park in the Bailey Lot on South Campus and take the shuttle to North Campus. It may be longer, but they won't have to worry about parking or the fortune spent on gas.

Parking is always going to be a problem, even if UB decides to build a few new lots or a garage. Students and faculty will still crowd to the prime spots in these new facilities, and those not lucky enough to find a nearby spot will complain. Until students realize that there are less-crowded lots and other methods to get to campus, parking will continue to torment drivers. It is unfortunate that the university had to spend money on a consulting firm to tell us just how lazy we are.