Parking officials answer tough questions

Rachele Kloppe, Corner Post Staff

Photo by Rachele Kloppe  This MU student went through a bumpy ride to park over this  triangle of parking blocks.

Sept. 22, 2002 - Most students at MU would agree parking is an issue on campus at one time or another during their college careers. It seems that at least once, all students have a problem with it. This year's parking problems, however, have students asking: What has happened to parking at MU?

Changes

"The most noticeable things that happened this past year, from last fall to this fall, [are we've] closed down 1,500 student parking spaces," Jim Joy, MU Director of Parking and Transportation Services, said. "All the parking south of Hearnes is gone and a big residence hall parking lot near Gillett is closed for new housing."

"One thousand spaces were lost due to basketball arena construction at Hearnes, so there's no overnight parking there anymore and all the overnight parking was moved to Trowbridge," Linda Turner, MU Parking and Transportation Services office manager, said.

Joy also said that the Virginia Avenue Garage has opened, along with an additional 200 spaces in AV-14 (Trowbridge) and 300 spaces in SG-7 (near the Hearnes Center).

Even with these additions, several students each day search for parking spaces. So what has Parking and Transportation Services done to help solve these problems?

"We're dealing with [parking] over the next couple of weeks and trying to re-shift people," Joy said. "We've started going out between 10 in the morning and one in the afternoon … and counting empty spaces."

Parking officials count the number of empty spaces in the lots so they have an idea as to how they will shift the students' parking.

"We're still moving [people]," Turner said.

Joy said that parking situations will gradually change.

"Every single day we're adding, taking away, something's under construction," Joy said. He sees this as a hopeful sign.

Is there truth to rumors about a new garage being constructed?

"There will be plans for a garage being built," Turner said. "It's just in the near future."

She said that no decision has been made about the location of the new parking garage.

The Low Down

Contrary to popular thought, parking is not funded by Mizzou students or state funding.

"We get no student fees, we get no tax dollars … your parents are not paying anything for this operation," Joy said. "Everything I do here, whether it's build a garage or plow the snow … it's all money that we generate ourselves."

So how does Parking and Transportation Services pay for everything it does?

Apart from a portion of money collected from parking tickets, meter parking in garages and lots also helps generate money.

"[The] streets are not us," Joy said. "Anything (meter) that's out there on the street is City of Columbia."

What Should You Do?

Get to campus a few minutes early and catch the shuttle.

Campus shuttle day services run from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. on days classes are in session. There is also an evening shuttle service, which runs from 7 p.m. to 1:30 a.m. on days the residence halls are open.

Joy said not to blame transit for time problems but instead to prepare and plan for problems and delays to occur.

"Now, the evening shuttle has like a 20-30 minute route, but it's an extended route, so it makes a lot more stops than the day shuttle does," Turner said.

As for the rumor that the day shuttle will be moving to a 20-minute schedule instead of a 10-minute schedule, Turner said she had not been notified of any change in the near future.

"Most of our students' experiences with mass transit [are] yellow school buses that were on such a schedule of stopping in their driveways that if they were ten minutes off schedule, their mother might call the school board and complain," Joy said. "That's not what this is all about."

"Convenient? Absolutely not," Joy said. "But it's a safe way to transport kids."

And if your problem is finding a spot in your designated area, Turner said you should be able to find one.

"If they've got a permit, yes, they should be able to find a spot," Turner said. "If their preference is to park closer to campus, then the metered parking is certainly open to use."

Joy said to thoroughly read through the packet you received when your parking pass was assigned to find out which lots your permit is valid for.

"If the students have a parking question, they ought to contact the parking office," Joy said.

Game Day Parking

Game day parking is an issue students are now facing. There have been some notable changes this year.

The commuter parking lot (located east of Hearnes) and SG-4 are closed on Fridays preceding home football games. Students who park in these lots are required to move their vehicles to AV-14 (Trowbridge) or Turner, Conley, Hitt or University garages.

Parking in these lots on game days will not result in ticketing, according to Joy.

However, if any students park in lots that are to be cleared for game day parking, their vehicles will be ticketed and towed at 8 a.m. the day of the game.

"The Athletic Department sells a donor package that allows game attendees to park on the south side of Stadium Boulevard," Maj. Jack Watring of the MU Police Department said.

According to Watring, if you wish to appeal a ticket you received, you must contact Parking Operations or visit the Web site: http://web.missouri.edu/~mubs/parking/parking.html1#online.

Photo by Rachele Kloppe  Parking along the edge of the lot is prohibited, but when spots are not to be    found, students park where they can fit.

Story originally posted 9/25/02

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