More changes have been added to the University of Alabama’s parking regulations. The 2011-2012 school year ushers in alterations that have left some students perturbed.
“The University should assign students’ parking permits based on their schedules,” said Dallas Manning, a UA senior. “As a student majoring in anthropology, I needed a West Commuter parking space. I was not able to purchase this space because of a prior commitment.”
Among other changes, the Ferguson Center parking lot has now been converted into a faculty and staff only lot. Visitors are still allowed to park in the North Ferguson lot, however.
“At about the same time, Science and Engineering Phases III and IV ramped up, closing the faculty and the staff parking areas behind H.M. Comer and McMillian,” said Chris D’Esposito, UA’s assistant director of Transportation Services. “As a result, those faculty and staff spaces were shifted to the North Ferguson Surface lot. It should be noted that the Time Limit parking was not impacted in the North Ferguson Surface lot.”
Kayla Moreland, a sophomore majoring in accounting, said she transferred from Auburn University to UA this semester. Moreland said she purchased a perimeter permit and plans to ride the Retreat shuttle back and forth to class.
“Parking in perimeter has both advantages and disadvantages,” Moreland said. “I can skip the mainstream traffic and I always know I have a spot. However, I have to get to school early in order to walk to a bus stop to get to my classes.”
D’Esposito said instead of different zones for each dormitory, the resident parking has been simplified. Now, the parking lots around the numerous residence halls on campus can accommodate all on-campus students, he added.
Freddie Custodio, a sophomore majoring in engineering, said he opted to live on campus for his second year at UA due to all of the various expenses, including parking.
“I think an idea to discuss or acknowledge would be for parking and other certain fees to be included in tuition,” Custodio said. “Tuition is already expensive, especially for out-of-state students.”
Manning said he remembered when controversy arose in the 2010-2011 school year regarding an overflow of students needing a space in the West Commuter lot. This year, on the date many students were assigned to request their permits, he said a server glitch kept the students from choosing the West Commuter lot.
Despite the glitch, Manning said he felt the University handled the situation well when they placed students on a waiting list and consequently allowed students to return and switch out parking permits for the zone they needed.
One solution, noted early last week in the Crimson White, is the new transit system UA is introducing. A Crimson Ride bus is available to transport students from free parking in downtown Tuscaloosa to campus and back.
As the student body grows, so does the need for parking.
“Currently there are no parking decks in the programming stage of development, however all future parking decks and surface lots will be constructed in keeping with the campus master plan,” D’Esposito said.
For more information on parking zones, rules and regulations, visit bamaparking.ua.edu.
