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Tuesday,
February 17, 2004 |
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Parking
problems require resolutions
Brian
Chatman is a sophomore news-editorial journalism major
from Fort Worth.
I
am sitting in my car after my first class ends. I have
more than two hours until my next class begins, but if
I go anywhere I may not get a place when I come back.
It is cold and raining, so what better time than now for
some investigating.
The question: What is the source of TCU’s parking
problem? Armed with the parking regulations I found in
the campus map, I get out to count how many people are
illegally parked.
After walking up and down the rows of cars in the east
campus commuter lots, and annoying many of the circling,
vulture-like commuters hunting for a spot, the final count
is as follows: 23 vehicles with no permit at all, seven
people with main campus permits and three with Worth Hills
permits — and not a one of them with parking citations.
Most of these cars were gone within an hour and a half,
but in that time at least 20 commuters came through looking
for a parking spot. I don’t have an exact count of
how many came through because I was avoiding eye contact
with them. Most of them were quite mad after following
me up and down the rows thinking I was going to my car.
Seeing the number of illegally parked vehicles in commuter
lots and trying to remember how many I have seen on other
days, I must conclude this is not the source of TCU’s
parking problem. It does, however, serve to compound the
issue.
On the steps of the Student Center, as I stare maliciously
at the cars with main campus permits on the opposite side
of the reserved faculty lot, I ask myself, “Why are
residents in these places?”
The money earmarked for parking in our tuition increase
should go toward a parking garage and all on-campus residents
should park there. That would free up all the main campus
spots for commuters and faculty.
Residents have this nice campus circulator bus to cart
them around, so they don’t need to be parked anywhere
on campus. Their cars would be much safer in a centralized,
secure location.
More commuter spaces would ensure that the incensed man
in the Suburban that just parked on the median would be
happier. It means I would be able to make more use of
the time between classes, and still be able to find a
parking place when I came back.
Whether or not this is the plan the administration has,
I don’t know. All I know is that a promise for parking
improvements is meaningless until I see some heavy equipment
arriving on campus. |
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