It doesn’t take a math major to understand that the estimated 18,000 students who will attend classes this fall won’t all fit in the 3,200 University parking spaces.
“Parking is difficult,” said Randall Stamm, University Parking and Transportation manager. “We have a population density here that would rival downtown Portland on a normal school day.”
On an average school day approximately 20,000- 24,000 people come to campus, leaving many circling lots trying to find a place to park.
“The emphasis for land use is on education and research,” Stamm said.
Students, faculty and staff are all able to buy parking permit stickers, which range anywhere from an $81 day pass to a $320 overnight pass good for all three terms.
Students living on campus who want to park overnight must go through University Housing and get approved before they can purchase their pass.
“This year there are about 1,200 students who are requesting approval for overnight parking on campus, and about 300 who are requesting parking at the University Inn,” Barbara Nunez from University Housing said. “Four hundred parking spaces will be approved for students on campus, and about 60 will be approved for the University Inn.”
The earlier students get in their applications and requests for overnight parking, the more likely they are to receive approval. Those who are not approved will be put on a waiting list.
Students who are approved are then able to purchase a parking permit good for day and night use.
With the purchase of a parking permit, students and staff are allowed to park in special designated areas.
“Whether a lot is restricted to faculty/staff, student or visitor is labeled at the front entrance to the lot,” Stamm said.
And, if you happen to be a student who parks in a faculty/staff lot, you may find a $20 ticket on your windshield.
Parking tickets are quite common on the University campus. According to Stamm, The Office of Public Safety gives out anywhere from 25,000- 40,000 parking tickets a year.
Citations run from $10 all the way up to $300 for parking in a disabled spot.
“All of the money goes back into public safety and enforcement,” Stamm said. “So if you don’t buy a permit and you get a ticket you are basically paying for the enforcement giving you the ticket.”
Commuters who choose not to pay the high prices for permits are encouraged to find alternative ways to get to campus.
“There are always alternatives to parking on campus,” Stamm said. “We encourage people to carpool, bike or walk … we live in a tremendously alternative transportation-friendly city.”
One option students can take advantage of is the Lane Transit District bus system.
“Students pay $7 in their incidental fees which allows them to ride the bus free on days, nights and weekends when they show their student body card,” Stamm said.
Another possibility that will hopefully help students get to campus faster will be the new Bus Rapid transit System from LTD.
“It is like light rail without the rail,” Bus Rapid Transit Project Engineer Graham Carey said. And at a fraction of the cost.
The project has been under research for five and a half years and if all goes well, will be up and running in 2002.
The more advanced bus system would employ a number of new features like signal light priority, and would also alleviate many traffic and parking dilemmas on campus.
“It will have exclusive lanes which will make it quicker and more convenient to get downtown and to the University area,” Carey said. “The pilot model will run from downtown Springfield to downtown Eugene past Franklin and 11th street.”
Fares for the new more direct system are predicted to remain the same as the current LTD prices.