Parking scramble
By Lisa Scott
It’s going to be a race for the best space this summer as construction on campus intensifies limiting options for commuting students and staff members.
A customer alert was issued late last week by the OSU Department of Transportation and Parking stating that the loss of parking spaces and the occurrence of road closures due to construction projects on campus may impact parking availability and create a “ripple effect” into new areas.
According to the OSU’s Transportation website, approximately 12 construction projects will be taking place throughout the campus area this summer beginning as early as June 23 and continuing through the early days of September.
This has caused some apprehension among commuting students, some of whom feel that parking is already limited for them.
“During the school year, it’s already really hard to find good parking on campus,” said Latashia Love, a senior in Biology. “The best spots that are close are reserved for the staff. And the C-Pass parking areas fill up so quickly and are inconvenient because they’re so far away.”
She said one option that many of her friends is to park on off-campus sidestreets, particularly around 8th Avenue.
Director of Transportation and Parking, Sarah Blouche said students and staff should not be overly concerned with the projects severely impacting their experiences, stating that only 2 percent of the available parking will be lost at any given time. She said the main issue people might encounter is on maneuvering to the campus locations.
“There isn’t as high a demand for parking in the Summer, that’s why we do most of the construction at this time,” she said. “Yes, we’re going to be losing a few hundred spaces here and there, but the main concern is that the road you take to a certain building might be closed and you have to find a new way.”
Therefore students and staff have been encouraged to arrive on campus early to accomodate for any unexpected closures and space reservations.
“I can’t imagine anyone saying they can’t get to where they need to be, they just have to factor in extra time.”
However, with the added construction going on already and more on the way, Some students believe the will prove to be more complicated than officials have anticipated.
Love said she would rather not deal with the confusion and believes commuting to campus using public transportation such as COTA would prove to be a better option.
“With all the construction, eventually, I think it is going to be chaos…so I’d rather not even bring my car to campus” she said.
In response to questions on student views on minimal parking options available them, Blouche said she doesn’t agree and believes the University is doing an adequate job of providing sufficient parking for staff and students.
“It’s really a perception issue,” she said. “There are plenty of parking places available on campus… a lot of people might not feel it’s where they want it to be, but it is there.”
Originally Published: Issue 657 - July 2, 2008
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