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The parking situation on campus
Where to find a parking space when you are in a rush
Kevin Perez kperez.roundupnews@gmail.com
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One week into the end of the grace period for parking permits, students still raise concerns over parking at school.
A common complaint among students is how difficult it is to find parking on campus, with many spots being filled by the time they arrive.
For Anna Selverian, who just started her first year at Pierce, her first experience with parking was an unfavorable one.
“I really underestimated [parking] the first day,” Selverian said. “It was a nightmare.
Since then, she still feels like she hasn’t gotten used to the parking situation on campus, Selverian said.
“Sometimes it’s taken me 10 minutes to find a spot,” Selverian said.
An in-depth look at the numbers by the Roundup reveals that this might not the norm though.
On an average day, it takes four minutes, 21 seconds to find a spot in Parking Lot 1 and three minutes, eight seconds to find a spot in Lot 7.
Both are the most used parking lots on campus. The wait times for other parking lots are much lower.
Lot 5 near Shepard Stadium takes 40 seconds.
Lot 4 across the street takes 30 seconds.
Near the art hill, Lot 6 East takes 47 seconds and Lot 6 West takes 40 seconds.
Lot 8 behind Mason Avenue takes 39 seconds.
If you average it up, this means it should take a student one minute and 33 seconds to find parking. This does not mean the complaints about parking are unwarranted; that is a matter of debate.
Payal Sinha, majoring in biology and in her second year, thinks parking can become less of a hassle by simply arriving early.
Last year, she got used to anticipating class dismissals and departing cars, she said.
“Some people exaggerate,” Sinha said. “If you get there early you should be fine.”
On the other hand, second year kinesiology major
Daniel Molina believes students can reduce the stress of parking by avoiding Lot 1 and Lot 8.
Even though the other lots are not as close to his other classes, he’s fine with it.
“I don’t mind the walk,” Molina said. “I just don’t want to feel like I’m in a rush every morning.”
Some students think about ditching Pierce’s parking situation altogether.
Selverian is considering not buying another permit next semester and sticking to public transportation.
“The Orange Line isn’t too far away from my house,” she said. “It’s definitely feeling like the better option right now.”
Finding a parking spot is no easier now than it has been in semesters past, and students are discovering ways to avoid it altogether.
Approximate
