By Daniel Ucko
PRO
The September and November completion dates are but a distant
memory, and $90 a quarter still gets me a parking spot in the
middle of nowhere about as far away from my destination as
possible.
Despite the extensive delay and $37.6 million price tag, a
completed parking structure will mean a lot of good things for Cal
Poly students.
First of all, the 2,438 additional spaces will clear up spots in
all the other parking lots. It will reduce congestion on Red Gum
Lane between lots C, D and F, and it will make the ride up South
Campus Drive to Parking Lot J a little bit faster.
More importantly, it will be easier to find a spot and save me
at least 10 to 15 minutes of frustrated circling and student
stalking, all in the desperation that my parking patience will hold
a shorter walk to class.
These precious saved minutes will pay off for those of us who
still can’t seem to make it out of the house early, no matter how
hard we try to press the snooze button only once.
When students are not racing to find parking when late for class
and are not tailing anyone in the vicinity of a car, this should
also result in fewer accidents and a safer environment.
After experiencing firsthand the parking headache that comes
with living off campus for just a little more than a quarter, I
have accrued more than my fair share of parking tickets.
Whether it was parking in a Rideshare space for just 20 minutes
or staying in a 30 minute parking zone too long, Parking Services
somehow always manages to find me. I am hoping that I will not need
to park illegally when the extra spaces are available, as it will
not be such a daunting task to find a spot within a relative
distance from my destination.
I plan on parking in the structure when it first opens, but only
if there is nowhere closer available when I pull into the F
lots.
Whether or not students plan on utilizing the structure is a
non-issue: they will park as close as they can to their class or
residence, albeit it is in the structure or in a spot that would
not have been available without the creation of the new
structure.
Besides clearing the roads, opening spaces all around campus,
and helping time-challenged individuals such as myself make it to
class faster, the installation of security cameras and emergency
phones in the structure should enhance student safety in the F lots
at night.
Once the structure opens, students will not be the only ones who
will benefit.
When the day comes that parking at Cal Poly is an ease and not a
nightmare, the school will likely see a rise in parking permit
sales as students will not be so discouraged from driving to
school. This also means that Rideshares will become less common
when close parking spots are not such a coveted commodity.
This decrease in carpooling may not be good for global warming,
but it is likely to help Cal Poly continue to make up the costs of
the structure and possibly even reduce the price of parking permits
in the distant future.
Although we must face the temporary delays, I don’t think I am
alone in believing that the parking structure was a good idea to
support the growth and development of our school.
Daniel Ucko can be reached by phone at (909) 869-3531 or by
e-mail at opinions@thepolypost.com.
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