Commuter parking at LSC can be a sensitive subject, to say the least.
“It is freaking terrible,” said Lindsey Fitch, a junior at LSC.
“I feel like I have to get to school by 8 a.m. to get a spot,” said Sarah Saggerson, another LSC junior.
“People are driving around like crazy,” Fitch said. “I’ve almost gotten into three accidents because people are driving around trying to find a spot.”
The public safety department has a vastly different perception of the parking situation on campus. They claim the parking situation at LSC this year is much better than it was last year.
“It’s not as crazy on Tuesday and Thursday,” said George Hacking, the director of public safety. “Lower Vail hasn’t ever been full this year, and there’s always been room in Stonehenge.”
For many commuters, the Stonehenge lot—with its narrow lanes and questionable pavement—may be part of the problem.
“It’s inconvenient,” said Rebecca Allen, a senior at LSC. “It’s really far away.”
Hacking argues that not every parking spot is created equal.
“Everyone wants front row parking,” Hacking said. “In that sense, there’ll never be enough parking, because there’ll never be enough front-row parking.”
The rush to claim front-row parking is one of the biggest issues for commuters.
“I dread the parking race every day on my ride to school,” Saggerson said. “It sucks.”
Compounding the problem is the fact that many commuters have neglected to pick up parking decals for their vehicles. Technically, without these decals, commuters don’t have permission to park on campus and are susceptible to a $50 fine, although that isn’t the only thing commuters can be fined for.
“One time I couldn’t find parking and I was running late to class,” Allen said, “so I parked on the grass like a hundred other people were and I got a $50 fine for it.”
“I got a $50 ticket for parking on visitor parking,” Fitch said. “How do they know I’m not a visitor?”
Refusing to pay the fine won’t get you off the hook, either.
“I told them I wasn’t going to pay it,” Allen said. “They just put it on my student account.”
Occasionally, fines aren’t enough to keep a student from parking illegally.
“Rarely do we tow a vehicle,” Hacking said. “Maybe one or two per year, only when someone’s received several tickets and doesn’t take the hint.”
Of course, fines can be avoided simply by parking in designated areas and picking up a commuter decal, which is currently free. Many other colleges charge for parking decals, an idea that Hacking has considered.
But, Hacking said, “I wouldn’t want the decal money used for anything besides parking.”
In the current system, fine money goes directly to the college, meaning that public safety essentially polices the parking lot for free. By charging for decals, the department would be able to spend money on improving the parking situation.
“I wouldn’t mind doing that,” Hacking said, “and rolling the money into signage, putting a person in the lot to help students find parking, put up signs when the lots are full, fix potholes. That could be a job for a student.”
It’s probably impossible to create a parking situation that pleases all commuter students. Still, it’s hard to deny that the current parking situation leaves many commuters with a sour taste in their mouth. A little TLC—and a little extra income—could go a long way.