A new school year’s beginning is a stressful time for many students campus-wide.
Whether it’s readjusting from a care-free summer or realizing you may have a more brutal semester than expected, the constant mental battle between stress and fun weighs on many.
Amidst the potential chaos, it’s nice to not have to worry about life’s more mundane aspects.
For example, if you need to drive to campus for class, you would expect to find a parking spot. It would also be reasonable to assume a university would plan ahead by having an appropriate amount of parking spaces available.
But welcome to the University of Idaho — where the unexpected should always be expected.
Once again, Parking and Transportation Services (PTS) has made the mundane task of parking your car into an elaborate, unwinnable game.
Over the summer, the university made an abundance of parking changes — most seemingly more band aids on the ever-growing parking dilemma.
Memories of finding free parking spots have continued to fade away as the university has now made most free parking spots either permitted or metered.
The free parking spots along Railroad Street and College Avenue now act as red-permitted parking to allow for “enhanced safety, maintenance, and aesthetic of the streets,” according to Idaho’s strategic parking plan for this year.
If street maintenance continues to progress at the same pace as on-campus construction, then expect the plan to come to fruition by the time you are graduated. Or maybe even later.
We will likely all be gone by the time PTS figures out a truly optimal solution — one that doesn’t leave students shaking their heads in confusion and being ticketed on the regular.
Year after year, parking lots will keep changing, different parking rules will be enforced and the frustration will continue to grow.
If the university stands behind its parking changes this year and makes no changes going forward, then at least students will have some sense of familiarity — even if the changes are terrible.
Last but not least, let’s not forget about the cheapest parking option now — purple economy parking.
Nothing kicks off a cold, fall morning quite like having to walk from the lost depths of the Kibbie Dome parking lot all the way back to civilization.
If students want change, persistence will be key. When PTS asks for feedback on parking plans, give them the harsh truth on how terrible their plans might be.
Despite these steps in the wrong direction, there’s still time to reverse course. PTS is ultimately trying to do what is best for students and the university, but it will take more than empty promises to get back on track.
It is time to speak up and defend our parking spots, because no one wants to be stuck in economy purgatory.
— Editorial Board