Thoughts on Parking
Hey all, happy fall! I hope everyone is getting back into the routine of school and getting adjusted well. With a new year comes a return to the challenge of trying to get where you want to go and get there on time.
I definitely miss being able to wake up half an hour before class and still get to class on time, because when I was living on campus, everything was 10 mins walking distance max. I’m living off campus this year, so I’ve been introduced to the pleasantries of trying to find somewhere to park that’s relatively close to where my classes are, then get to class in a reasonable amount of time. I’ve figured out what days I’m more likely to get a decent parking spot and what times are more trafficky than others. Most days I don’t mind walking if I have to park far away, but I’ll probably start complaining more come cold weather. I know a few people who come to campus hours before their first class just to get a good parking space, but I’ll walk rather than get up 3 hours before is actually necessary to be on time for class.
While circling the parking lots attempting to find a space one day last week, I saw what appeared to be a possible solution to parking woes. I saw what looked like someone offer someone a ride to their car in exchange for their parking spot. I was intrigued, if this was indeed what was happening. It seems like a cool idea, but somewhat risky, as you have to trust that the person offering you a ride or that you are giving a ride to is really there for the parking and not ill-intentioned. I feel like this parking exchange is safer in a campus parking lot than say the mall at Christmas. I’ll have to try it one of these days, if I’m ever desperate for a parking spot.
One thing is curious to me. Why do faculty get reserved parking, and why is it always the closer/better lots? Why are they entitled to a parking space? Shouldn’t they have to fight for a space just like students? Do they have similar issues with trying to find space in the faculty lots or are there enough spots for them with some left over? There is the possibility that reserved lots for faculty is so the professors can maximize their time and get to class or their office, but students can end up being late for class due to lack of parking, even if they left at a decent time. I have a friend who arrived an hour and a half before her first class one day last week and was still late for trying to find parking. It seems unfair to me that professors and faculty should have the best parking spots and reserved spots instead of fighting for a spot like the students. That being said, faculty priveleges aside, I’m willing to listen and possibly be convinced of the need for reserved faculty parking if someone can give a good reason or two.
What are everyone else’s experienes with parking? Does it suck? Is it generally not too bad? Tips and tricks for getting a parking space?
My experience (as an on-campus resident) is that parking still sucks. It’s bearable, and there are bigger problems in the world, but it still sucks. Tips and tricks? I try to wait to park on campus about 20 minutes after the last class lets out. This way you can generally find someone who’s leaving.
Re: teachers getting better spots. I’m sure professors love it…and students don’t, but I understand it. They’re older, respected, yada yada…and if they were to battle us for spots, they likely wouldn’t get to class on time. I’m sure some would say–well they should just get their earlier. But let’s be real…we’re students, they’re professors. Just by virtue of them being the means by which we learn so much in this institution, they deserve a certain level of respect. Beyond that, I’d imagine the university’s guaranteed teacher parking is a nice hiring incentive.
I have both a staff (My wife works for the school) and a student pass. First, staff have to pay more for their permits, so yes they probably should get the better space. Also, there are two tiers of staff parking, gated and ungated. There is a waiting list for gated spaces and since my wife does not have one I don’t know what the space for that one are. As for the other staff, there have been days when not a single space for staff was available. I was left to stalking people on the lot by the circle(Wilkens Ave.) With the student parking there at least is a few spaces by the big lot in front of the parking services. So with staff, as far as ungated spaces go, its a bigger pain than a student space. BTW, a staff pass is not allowed to park in student only spaces, so if you see a staff pass you could get THEM ticketed.
I’m not certain this article is about UMBC.
In any case, parking on campus was terrible for the first week or two of class, but things seem to be leveling out, perhaps because of declining class attendance as semesters progress. I arrive on campus in the middle of the day, when parking is usually the worst, but I’ve been able to consistently find spots towards the front of Lot 22. Lot 9 is a lost cause during the day, but 22 isn’t much farther away. I generally tack on 5-10 minutes to my estimated trip time to campus to account for finding a parking space and walking down to the academic area. The parking situation still isn’t ideal, though, and I think UMBC has a general problem lately of wanting to increase enrollment every year, but not wanting to pay for the additional infrastructure that requires (parking, housing, etc.)
My only concern regarding faculty parking is that we might have too much of it. I regularly see faculty-only lots half-full, and wonder if we should slim them down somewhat. The metered parking on top of Walker Garage is also questionable.
@arrakisman
isn’t the lot across from parking services (like the furthest possible lot from anythinggggg) for any kind of pass?
Faculty pays a fair bit for their parking passes — there is no such thing as a free parking pass on this campus, as there is on other ones (such as CCBC-Catonsville). There’s a wait-list several years long to get into a gated lot (which costs even more money.) Also, NO faculty have the option of living on campus, though students do.
@minteh
Thanks…I had to look at the map to find that parking lot (18).
@arrakisman
yeah it sucks because it’s so far away but it’s less than a 15 minute walk from class and is consistently empty.
I’ve never commuted, but honestly, the lots near parking services are never close to full. I can understand why people wouldn’t want to park there, if they prefer to show up right before class, but that’s no real reason to cause a fuss. Learning to show up 30 minutes early for class will not only alleviate the problems of hunting for a spot, but you’ll be nurturing a valuable life skill.
It seems like parking is doomed to be a hot topic at UMBC, but it would make me a bit sad to see a campus already so dominated by parking lots further developed for spots.
I park my joint near Parking Services building. There’s always a space there!
I mean, they say we ain’t supposed to park there for more than 20 minutes, but I just leave my care there all day, nobody checks that sh*t, they probably think it’s somebody who works there or something.
I just use the big lots by Parking Services. Sure it takes a few extra minutes to get to class, but at least I know I can get a spot there.
What I find interesting though is the change to the road that runs past the physics/public policy building to a one-way road with extra parking. Considering that parallel parking was common on both sides anyway I wonder if this really makes a difference?
We have it better than a lot of schools! At the university I went to in Oregon, parking was like… $900 a year. We (students) here get by with just a little parking fee added to our tuition, and we occasionally have to walk a little to class. The exercise is probably good for us.
I think the argument about reserved staff parking is weak. This is their job. They are here for the students. They are here for all of us. They need time to set up their materials for lectures and labs. Students have plenty of amazing parking spaces. Some good places include ALL around the circle lot 9, and the garage. That’s just to name a few. But since the campus is soooo small. It doesn’t matter where you park because you will get to the main buildings in 10 minuets or less.
The real argument is attendance policies affecting grades. Some professors have them. It shouldn’t matter if students come in late to class. We are paying for our classes and if we choose not to go or happen to be late, we should not be penalized for it. With that in mind, it completely evaporates the point made about parking causing students to be late.
In terms of getting a space, get here earlier, plan your next schedule around the most conjested times, or just give up trying to find a space as close as you can and just park in the overflow lots. It’s faster than looking around for 30 minuets.
But hey, everyone is entitled to their own opinion. What MC does is they have a farther away lot sort of off campus and then she have a shuttle that runs between the overflow lot and the campus.
Anyone who complains about parking at UMBC is lazy! The school is only so big and if you can’t handle a 10-15 minute walk up or down a hill then maybe your should consider going to the gym. I do think the metered lot above the walker ave garage is completely pointless but it could be worse. We could have to park in some lot that is far enough to be considered off campus no where near any class you have and spend 30 minutes trying to get to class after you’ve spent 5-10 minutes on a shuttle bus. Stop rolling out of bed and running to class 20 minutes before expecting to get a decent spot when you don’t live on campus…that’s just dumb
I don’t get how people can spend 90 minutes or more “looking for parking.” These are the people who go to the closest lot and keep circling around hoping somebody is going to leave. That’s inefficient and a waste of time, because the time it takes to find that spot is more than walking to class and back to your car.
I commuted all last year and I rarely had a problem with parking, because unless I was especially early I went straight for the Hilltop lot (the one up by Walker Field). There is nearly always space there, and you can get a nice front space in that lot even when the ones lower down by the police station are full.
It’d be nice to see some parking changes, but seriously people - bundle up and walk. Allow yourself about ten minutes to walk from Hilltop to your class and you will be able to park immediately and arrive early every time.
Excuse my frankness but, have you lost your mind? Of course professors and staff deserve their parking places. To remind you, all professors were at some point students themselves and probably dealt with similar issues. I also had no idea that some PAY for their parking while students are completely free. Many campuses charge hundreds of dollars a year for parking. Not only that, but you think that faculty and staff spaces are all open all the time? Just because someone has a special permit doesn’t mean there are anymore open spaces than the ones students use (though it may be more likely). I do think it is also important to notice that the time professors have is at a premium. Especially at universities where they are expected to perform research or significant work in their field while simultaneously preparing for classes and teaching hundreds of students a year. So professors have my utmost respect. And deserve all the parking spaces they need.
You must be doing pretty well in your classes if you have time to worry about things like this. If your friend couldn’t find a parking spot in an hour and a half, then there’s something wrong with her.
Parking isn’t a big deal. If you can’t find a decent spot, take what you can get and l2walk.
Umm I live on campus and it takes exactly ten minutes to walk to academic row from my apartment. Sorry but I dont feel bad for anyone complaining about having to park by parking services because guess what? It takes 10 minutes to walk from parking services to academic row as well! I agree, it sucks that there are never ever parking spots where you need them but its not valid to say there is NO parking. I walk ten minutes to class every day and its not bad at all. Im glad the faculty has their own spots, how annoying would it be if your professors were late every week because they couldnt find a spot?
I don’t give a damn, so I just park my car on that huge grassy field between the Library, the Commons, the Public Policy Building and the dorms!!! That’s right, u heard me!
I think that the Satellite parking is unecessary and freshman should not have to go there. It is a an inconvenience and unsafe if someone tries to walk the distance. I personally use my vehicle many times throughout the week and most times i have to park on campus on the evening and move the car early morning. It takes away my time to sleep which is crucial for me to remember what i study. Why should the upperclassmen be privilaged to park here on campus? We freshman pay the same tuition so all the restrictions should be taken away.
I have no problem finding a decent place to park in the morning at about 8:30. I drive an hour to get here, and I make sure to leave a little early just in case… I know that parking near the Engineering/FA/IT buildings in the middle of the day are a pain in the @$$ though, I’ve tried that one. I have to circle quite a bit, but I haven’t yet missed a class for lack of parking. There is at least one parking space open SOMEWHERE on campus, and for most of us, walking is an option.
THAT said, I had about 11 people ask me if I was leaving when all I was doing was walking to my car to switch out my books. Dude, if I were leaving, I’d be sitting in my car and you’d see my reverse lights on. (It wouldn’t have bothered me that much except that some people were quite rude about it, one guy even honked his horn really loudly to get another person to look up so he could ask if she was going, which she wasn’t, and in the garage it was loud enough to make me nearly crap myself.)
But seriously, instead of pestering the hell out of every single person you drive past, just keep looking. Figure out for yourself which places are hopeless at your usual time and find somewhere else.
infxous:
Actually, permit fees are factored into your tuition. It’s not free.
Just saying
they need to build more 10 story parking lots, problem solved!!!
i meant garages, not lots, my bad. but u still get the gist right?
I know u UMBC students have it pretty tough with your parking spaces and stuff, and lemme let u finish your discussion here in a minute, but all I wanna say is that College Park has one of the WORST parking situations of all time… just sayin’… the WORST PARKING PROBLEM OF ALL TIME!..
PARKING IS AN ISSUE. I circle for at least 15 per day looking for a space. I come in from 166 and usually end up parking on the street (which is fine when there is a space). The commons lot is always full, the circle is always full. The lots at the top of the hill are always full. I don’t mind the walk. I mind being late for class because I can’t find a space to walk from.
You guys have obviously not parked at college park, where it normal to walk 30-45 minutes to class.
There is always 100% guaranteed parking available by the transportation building. With just a 10-15 minute walk max to other side of campus.
I understand what ya’ll are saying, but as a commuter you have to realize that you can COMPLAIN about parking all you want, but that’s not going to make parking spaces suddenly appear. Yes, I am a commuter and I know it’s super annoying to know that if I have a 10 o’clock class and arrive there 10 minutes before, there’s 99% chance that I’ll only find parking in the lots near parking services and poplar ave (this is what usually happens at least).
But I’ve stopped complaining because I go to a school with over 12,000 people and yes, it’s sucks if you’re running late, but honestly, that is no one’s fault but our own. So what, we have to walk 10-15 minutes or so to our class. We’re not gonna die from it people! (And if you could die from it, please forgive my ignorance).
Hm, such an interesting topic…
Of course faculty and staff are going to get the better parking spots; they’re the respected elders in the college hierarchy and they deserve some compensation. And please don’t think they have it so much easier than we students do; one of my professors often winds up meter-parking her car in order to make it to our class on time because she can’t always find a spot in a faculty lot.
As for the students who waste their time searching for that “perfect spot,” give up the dream and move on. Walking is good for your health anyway, and you’ll save much more time if you park in a lot you know will always have good parking. Trust me, UMBC’s parking is much more accommodating than a lot of school’s out there. A 10-15 minute walk from any point on campus is amazing. When you’ve had to park at a satellite lot off-campus, taken a 15 minute shuttle bus on-to campus and then walked 10 minutes to class, then you may complain.
@Paul
Most colleges don’t even let freshmen park on campus at all. You’re lucky there is a even a satellite lot available. There are already enough issues with the lack of parking without adding even more people into the mix. You can deal with a year, and besides parking services allows exceptions if you need to leave campus a lot during the week. Maybe you should look into that, or just stay on campus instead…
I think it’s somewhat ridiculous on your friends part to arrive an hour and a half early and never going to overflow parking before becoming late for her class.
I’ll try to get good parking for the first 2 weeks of class to get a feel for the situation based on the time I arrive on campus. If I don’t get good parking about half of the attempts then I just start out by parking in overflow and walking for the rest of the semester. I find I’m on time more often if I just head somewhere I know there’s going to be a parking spot and walking the extra 2 minutes. This strategy changed my 30-35 minute commute of my first 2 semesters at umbc to a 20-25 minute commute.
Picky Parking is just a serious waste of time.
I think the parking spot “exchange” for a ride is more risky than what it’s worth, besides, it’s kindof creepy, as it takes stalking to the next level. I, also refuse to get here two hours before class to get parking. But, I’m sick of people complaining that it’s soooo hard to find a spot. There’s ALWAYS a spot, it’s just far away (behind walker etc.) So suck it up, wear some gloves and a scarf, and burn a few extra calories walking to class.
People who circle lots asking pedestrians if they’re leaving piss me the fuck off. One night, when I lived on campus, I walked out to my car to get something out of it, and some car stopped when the driver saw my interior lights on and started honking his horn in an attempt to get my attention. The best thing to do when confronted with those people is to ignore them. Figure it out for your damn self.
I don’t know how many times I’m going to read about parking before I just give up on the stupidity. Seriously people stop being lazy. There are ALWAYS open spots near parking services. Stop being lazy, show up early (good skill to have), park in 30 seconds, and walk to your class. Walking sucks but in the time it takes you to drive around in circles you could be already sitting down in class.
@Lori
I hear you. The parking spot exchange scheme is a little creepy. I mean, I can definitely see why this wouldn’t be the best idea for students to engage in, especially when it is just a matter of walking (and let’s be honest, UMBC’s campus really isn’t that large - look at CP if you wanna talk long, pain in the ass walks to class). But, I don’t know. I kinda liked it. Maybe it doesn’t work quite right in this situation, but I do like the fact that it’s students acknowledging a problem and working together to find some kind of solution. Maybe this model can be shifted to other situations, too.
One of the writers at TRW also tackled this prickly issue, perhaps inspired by some of the responses seen here.
I think it’s a little narcissistic to suggest that professors should be subject to the same parking situation as students. Sure, it sounds nice that we’re all equals and the parking should be egalitarian, but we really are not equals with our professors by any academic measure, so we’re just lower on the food chain. If everything should be equal, then perhaps professors should also have their class budgets restricted (you don’t think those 300 handouts come cheap, do you?). It’s not necessary to do their job, but it’s also a common courtesy to defer to seniority as a sign of respect.
If you’re complaining about the walk from where you are forced to park, you have 2 problems.
A: You’re inability to walk erect for 10 minutes. Maybe you should consider joining the biggest loser?
B: You’re stupid enough to be complaining about the walk when you drive around for 10-20 minutes pissing gas away like its cheap enough to do so.
Thank god you’re getting an education because you’re too stupid to realize you are being forced to get some minute ounce of exercise you desperately need.
Have a nice day!
BTW, I’d pay more to have a buffer zone in between my car and others it’s like going to school in china here, the odds of someone hitting your car in a umbc parking lot is a 1 in 1 chance.
It seems like I see a number of cars with side dents around UMBC. I wonder if they are caused by people driving on campus. Are there any statistics on record?
It seems the people that are critical of the situation at UMBC are the ones who want to say it’s worse elsewhere. Honestly, while visiting my gf during the day at UMBC, I can say that the parking is intolerable. No space to be had any where convenient.
Instead of saying it’s worse on the other side of the fence, have enough sand to say it’s bad all over. Frankly, I got tired of being charged $125 for a transportation fee, when I couldn’t get a good spot. Sure, spots could be had, but I didn’t want some idiot, who’s late to class, banging the crap out of the side of my car. My solution was to park furthest away than anyone else and just walk. It sucked and I can honestly say it never helped me one way or the other. I’m not a good person because I walked, but at the very least, my car has fewer dents.
There’s nothing to complain about with a campus our size. If you really want a spot that badly, get over it and get there around 9:00 like I do everyday. There are ALWAYS spots in the Commons garage before 9:30 (except sometimes on Wednesdays). If you don’t have classes early, be prepared to walk, it’s good for you!
I avoid parking anywhere near the Fine Arts/ITE/Engineering buildings because it’s just sharks circling all the time. I’m tired of walking to my car in the garage and people shouting at me from their windows, “ARE YOU LEAVING?!” It’s rude, go find a spot yourself and stop scaring/annoying people walking to their cars.
That said, I can understand wanting to get a space close sometimes…on the day I carry the most stuff to class, I’ll be wanting a close space, but no matter where you park, be thankful UMBC is a small campus!
I hate the assholes who look down on people who want close spots just as much as the assholes who are driving around in circles looking for close spots.
Yuck Fou says “don’t be a hater and walk to class. or you can be a hater and suck my dick. its your call chief”
I agree with A. Noid. I’d pay big bucks to make the spots larger. I brought my car here a year ago with NO dents, scratches or marks on it. Within the FIRST month of living on campus, my back bumper has 2 huge scrape marks on it, my drivers side door has a dent that fits perfectly with another door hitting it, and I even caught some asshole banging his passenger door into the side of my car one day. I drive a small car to boot! I can open both my doors and be a safe distance from any car on either side of mine. PEOPLE: If you CANNOT drive a large vehicle, then GET OFF THE ROAD. On top of that, if you CANNOT drive AT ALL, don’t even bother driving to school. Have mommy and daddy pay for a place, ride the bus or carpool. People at this school hate the parking, but its even worse when half the people can’t drive their cars to begin with! I’ve almost been hit trying to cross at the crosswalk multiple times because idiots are talking on their cell phone, not looking, or just too much in a hurry to wait 3 more seconds for people to clear the road. REALLY? We’re an honors university. You’d THINK the students here would have the brains to operate a motor vehicle properly.
Facutly and Staff deserve closer spots than students. If a student drags his/her ass to campus after stopping at Dunkin’s and can’t find a spot and ends up walking into class 20 minutes late, there’s not an entire classroom full of people waiting for him/her. That student misses out on 20 minutes of a lecture, but it’s their fault.
If a faculty member is late because he or she has to trek it all the way from the Parking Services building, the whole class is gonna be sitting there waiting twiddling their thumbs or texting their bffs and, in the meantime, lose out on the knowlege they are paying for.
Oh, and life isn’t a picnic once you’ve paid your $260 for a faculty/staff spot either. Facutly and Staff DO still have to hunt for spots - and often because students disregard the signs and park in their spots anyways.