Each school year, commuter students pay one hundred dollars for one big headache: on-campus parking.
There is honestly no easy solution to this problem. Building a parking garage is too expensive and building more lots would turn the campus into one big sheet of lined pavement. However, I believe a potential fix could be just walking to class, if you can, no matter what time of year it is.
Sure, everyone wants to park in the lot next to their building, as opposed to walking ten to fifteen minutes in the middle of winter. I admit that I used to have the same opinion. During my first semester, I bought a commuter permit for the whole year at a hefty price of a little less than one hundred dollars (this was one year ago). Living only twelve minutes away from campus, I soon found out that the time I had shaved off during my commute was spent searching for a spot. At times, I would circle around the lot for half an hour to find a spot that wasn’t even close to my class.
After half a semester, I decided to just walk. I understand that there are some commuter students that have no choice but to drive to class; perhaps if those who live close to campus walked to class, the true commuter students would have an easier time finding a spot.
Unfortunately, trouble finding a parking spot on campus may always be inevitable, much like death and taxes. Commuter students have grown very accustomed to shelling out the cash for the privilege to fight over a handful of commuter spots spread thinly around the campus. The best way to solve the parking problem, at least on a personal level, is to put on your walking shoes. You could buy a really nice pair with the money you save on the parking permit. n