With the beginning of the new semester, returning students are once again confronted with one of the most frustrating things about attending school at the University of Montana: the complete and total disaster that is attempting to park on campus. Whether you live on campus or commute, anyone who has to park on campus will be consumed by untold rage because it is so difficult to find parking.
Why, you may wonder if you are not acquainted with the University of Montana’s parking policies, is it such an issue to find parking on campus. At the basest level, the University oversells permits. Too many permit holders, not enough parking spots. This becomes even more of an issue in the winter when the lots aren’t properly plowed, thus limiting already limited parking spots. To add to this, there are parking spots where you’re simply not allowed to park. There is an outlandish number of “reserved” parking spots and an unnecessary amount of Quick-Stops (parking spots where you can only park for 15 minutes or less).
While I could complain about the parking situation on campus ad nauseum, and also the inability of some people to park correctly (which is a story in and of itself), I would like to present a list of solutions that I believe could solve the heartache of parking on campus.
1. Permits should not be sold to people who live unreasonably far away if they live on campus.
For example, I have seen vehicles with California, Texas, Georgia, Florida, and even Massachusetts and Maine plates. I can guarantee that these people do not drive their vehicles home over breaks because I have seen these vehicles sitting in the parking lots buried under three feet of snow. These vehicles are not being driven home over break, which therefore makes it impossible for the parking lots to be plowed properly, which in turn creates even greater issues (more limited parking, icy and unsafe lots) when students start to return to campus. And you can’t tell me that if you live on campus you’re driving your vehicle that much to begin with. It’s unnecessary and taking up precious parking space.
2. Create a Compact Car Only lot.
I drive a Chevy Silverado. My best friend drives a Toyota Yaris. In the space that I park my pickup, we could fit two of her cars. In a compact car only lot, the space could be used more efficiently to fit more small cars, which would maximize parking efficiency across campus. I suggest that we turn Lot G from a reserve lot to a compact car lot.
3. Turn Quick Stops and Reserve spots into regular parking spots.
There is an unnecessary number of Quick Stops across campus. Realistically, each lot that currently has Quick Stops needs exactly two Quick Stop spots at most. The only time every Quick Stop is full is during move in time, during which campus parking police don’t ticket anyways, and on football game days, which is again another argument.
There is also an unnecessary number of reserved parking spots. Reserve permits cost $600 a pop, which is highway robbery in and of itself, but they also take away spots from people who can barely afford the regularly priced permits. One Reserve lot would be reasonable. The 8 or so we currently have are not.
4. Stop overselling permits.
The most simple solution. Permits should be sold on a first come first serve basis. If we didn’t sell three times as many permits as there were places to park, we wouldn’t be having any of these issues in the first place.
