On-campus parking continues to be an issue

By: Alex Altman

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. (UATV) – Parking at the University of Arkansas continues to be an issue for students and teachers who commute to campus for classes. The University offers students and faculty four different parking garages across campus to choose from. But even with thousands of spots for the taking, students still can’t seem to find a parking spot.

“I try to park in Harmon because that is the closest parking garage to my classes, but I have been late to class almost every day because it is impossible to find a spot. There is a long line outside of Harmon all day with cars trying to get in and out,” senior Jordan Rozenblum said.

Harmon Parking Garage is one of the campus’ four parking garages and is located on the southeast corner of campus. The garage contains 1,500 parking spots, with approximately 1,000 of those spots saved for those who paid for a parking pass. This leaves just 500 spots for students and faculty to park who don’t have a pass.

However, a University of Arkansas Parking Staff member who wished to remain anonymous says the actual number is less than that.

“We have had a ton of applicants for this semester in particular to receive a parking spot in each of the four different parking garages on campus. We try to stay as close to the number as possible, but sometimes we allow a few more people in.”

This could explain why many students are struggling to make it to class on time with the increased amount of parking passes being sold. Another student said he tried to purchase a spot in Harmon and is still on the wait list a year later.

“A year ago I signed up for a parking pass in the Harmon parking garage – February of last year. I was going into my senior year so I thought that I would get seniority but I got put on the wait list and I’m still on the waitlist so I had to get a parking spot at green lot instead,” senior John Maurras said.

Even those who spent over $800 to have a parking spot in one of the four parking garages are having issues.

“The Harmon parking garage is a terrible place to turn in and out of. You have people flying by going probably 30 miles per hour. I feel like it’s an unsafe place to be,” senior Dryden Bartels said.

With students, faculty, and staff all fighting over parking spots, many have asked why there are not more parking garages on campus. According to the campus Transit and Parking website, it costs the University of Arkansas over $6,000 per space to build. In order to build a new parking garage, it would cost more than $23,500 per parking space. This would mean that a 2,000-space parking garage would cost the University $47 million.

Currently, there are a combined 4,451 parking spots throughout the four parking garages on campus. With nearly 31,000 students attending the U of A, this leaves thousands with no place to park at all unless they are willing to pay for a parking pass in one of the dozens of green lot parking areas on campus. Junior Abby Malone does just that.

“I have been purchasing a green lot pass for the past few years and I hadn’t really had any complaints other than the fact that it is a long walk to class. However, this year, many students have decided to do the same thing, so I have had some trouble finding a spot in a few different green lots,” junior Abby Malone said.

With student enrollment numbers continuing to skyrocket as each semester goes by, the University might be forced to look into adding additional parking options on campus to deal with the influx of students.