Juli Bongiorno | Executive Editor
My drive past zone 1 parking goes like this most days: as I pass my residence, Cashman, then Pontigny Hall, I hold my breath hoping that there is a close spot in zone 3. In the end, I have passed several open spots in the zone I’m not assigned to, and I end up parked in the first row of the lot next to Canterbury.
The new policy for zone A parking, which came into effect at the start of the second semester at the rquest of the Student Association, is such that you are assigned to one of three smaller zones. The idea was that people would no longer have to walk as far from their cars to their dorms. Yet there were not enough spots for everyone to be placed in the zone closest to his or her dorm. I didn’t get my preferred zone, now I have to walk further. But many aren’t complaining about having spots too far away, they are complaining about the difficulty of finding a spot at all.
One student couldn’t find any parking in her zone, but she could find plenty in others. So faced with a $10 ticket or finding a spot by the gym, she chose the latter. Then she trekked back from Ross, alone, late in the night.
Now we have a safety issue: a young female walking alone at night. Could she call for an escort? Of course. But at the rate I’ve been hearing this same situation, if all of those people call; security will turn into the SMC chauffeurs.
Even so, security will give a ride only if it is a safety concern for the student, according to the security office. Thus, they are providing an escort not a shuttling service. So if a student has to park at Ross midday and it’s just an issue of rushing to class, they may not be able to get a ride. That student has to walk a lot further than they would have before the new policy was created.
Another new problem is parking by the 200s. You could always find a spot there. Now, because that’s split into zones, there isn’t a spot to be had in the evening hours. Too many people are rivaling for the same spots. Ironically, their rivals are people like me, who live all the way at the other end of the street.
There are two themes when people complain about the new policy. The first issue is students who were put into a different zone than their residence is located. They never get the chance to park near their dorms, which was the entire point of this new policy. Instead of walking a distance sometimes, they are walking a distance all the time. This problem affects mostly the 100s and Cashman, because there isn’t enough parking for the amount of people living in that one area.
A second issue is that at night the zones are completely full, forcing students to park outside the gym. Security is not supposed to give out more passes than spots, which I’m not accusing them of. It’s pretty clear that while the division of zones is being enforced; I see tickets every morning, and security officer RJ Vallie says they have handed out a significant amount. So what we’re still facing is the issues with students who park without a pass. That enforcement isn’t working.
If students thought it a burden to walk far in October, they are going to feel it even more now. It seems to me that the policy which was created to alleviate parking problems is causing more.
It's four weeks into the semester and it’s about the usual time for gossip about new policies we don’t like. Yet I was hearing parking complaints my first day on campus. Why is it that I have not heard one positive response, and nothing has changed?
Though I’ve complained, it was not to anyone that matters. Partially it’s because I didn’t know who to complain to, and partially it’s because I didn’t know if it would change anything. Either way, it’s my fault.
At the Student Association meeting last Tuesday, Vice President Mallory Wood called for more feedback on the parking situation. It seems that my fellow students have been just as complacent, they only complain to each other.
So now there is a body to complain to: the SA. They have e-mail, they have phones, and there are a ton of members who will listen to your complaints. So speak up! Oh, you need motivation you say?
This policy can be changed with a phone call, Wood says, because the new policy is just an experiment. Instead of fiddling with whatever hangs off your mirror to make it hide the number three sticker, take a few minutes and contact the SA. They can do something about it. As soon as they get a sense of what the affected student body wants, then they can try to figure out a new solution.
I have one. Go back to the old way and leave it alone. What caused problems before was people who park without a pass. So the solution should be better enforcement of them, not shuffling all of us rule abiders around. Maybe security should consider towing on the first offense. The current policy is a result of a request by your student representatives. Make your new requests heard- Change is possible, and with your action, it can be probable.
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