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March 21, 2024

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Spring Housing Guide

A look at the numbers

According to facts from the Parking and Traffic Division on campus, the University issued 13,386 permits this year for 10,822 available parking spaces — a ratio of 1.24 permits sold per space. On an annual basis there are about 45,000 parking tickets issued. Annual parking passes cost $40. Semester passes range from $10 for evening passes, to $25 for regular passes.

Around campus, students are upset about the high demand for parking and the rules for certain lots.

“You can’t park in the lot by the sorority houses during the day anymore,” sophomore Terri Mazzola said. “Up to 15 minutes it’s free, but then it increases every 15 minutes. We pay to go [to school here] and there’s nowhere for us to park.”

Lara Mann, junior, said parking outside Founders Hall has caused her to get parking tickets in the past.

“I used to forget to move my car at night, and I would get tickets,” Mann said. “I wouldn’t say parking is an issue on all campuses, but definitely on ours.”

However, according to Stacie Enriquez, administrative officer of Parking and Traffic here on campus, the University has an adequate number of parking spaces.

“A daily fact exists –there are empty parking spaces available,” Enriquez said. “The later in the day a person arrives to campus, the further out from the center of campus the person will have to park. In my opinion, the real complaint is about convenient parking and how this can be provided in a pedestrian-oriented campus setting.”

According to Jim McArthur, director of Design and Construction and University architect, the University is developing a “master plan” which would improve the parking problems on campus in future years.

“We know certain parking lots are going to be problematic in the center of campus. Over time as we develop some of the master plan, we’re going to have to remove some parking lots in the center of campus in order to build a pedestrian oriented campus, including the pedestrian mall route that ties and unifies the west part of campus to the east part of campus,” McArthur said. “Also we want to preserve natural green spaces within the center of campus, basically to sustain our green campus environment, and also building new facilities that are center to the core of campus. While removing parking lots in the center of campus, the plan is to add additional parking in other locations, McArthur said.

The University will be sensitive in taking time to develop the master plan, McArthur said.

“This Master Plan is to be developed over 20-30 years. We’re not just going to take parking away over night. There’s sort of a ripening to these changes that will occur over time. Each move and change will be well thought out in advance,” McArthur said. “We’re going to try to use good consideration in making choices for parking as we develop our goals for the master plan.”

The University is not alone when it comes to parking issues.

According to Dontae Jones, lead customer Service Representative of Transportation and Parking at Ohio State University, has recently made changes to its parking system to accommodate students.

“In the past few years we’ve built one parking garage,” Jones said. “We actually right now are building two more parking garages.”

The minimum ticket issued at OSU is $3, and is given for not displaying the permit. Anyone parking in a disability space will receive the maximum $150 ticket.

According to Jones, one thing that adds to parking congestion on OSU’s campus is construction projects.

“The more we build parking garages and spaces the university off-sets it with construction, and spaces on the ground are lost,” he said.

According to facts from the Parking Enforcement Division at University of Toledo, there are approximately 9,000 parking spaces on the main campus, and 1,500 spots at Scott Park. About 12,500 parking permits have been sold.

The University of Toledo requires freshmen to park at Scott Park for a price of $67. Regular students pay $87.75, part time students pay $44, and graduate assistants and professional staff pay $73.

All student permits are valid for one year.

University of Toledo students can pay anywhere from $35-$200 for a parking violation.

According to facts from the Parking Services Division at Kent State University, there are 11,900 spaces for 23,900 students and 3,390 faculty. Student permits range from $20 a year for a stadium pass to $99 a year for on campus passes. Faculty and staff pay $132 a year, while visitors passes are $2.

Approximately 78,000 tickets are issued per year at Kent State University in comparison to our 45,000. According to Larry Emling, assistant manager for Parking Services, approximately 5 percent of the tickets issued get appealed.

According to Vanessa Cummings, assistant director of Parking and Transportation Services at Miami University, 7,200 parking spaces are available on the campus.

“This year we have sold about 7,900 parking passes but that’s including summer passes, so it overlaps,” Cummings said.

Annual student parking permits at Miami range from $10-$75. Semester parking permits range from $20-$45, and summer permits range from $10-$20.

Unregistered students receive a $75 fine, with an additional $50 fine for parking illegally. Registered students who park illegally are fined $50, while metered tickets are $10.

Miami students and staff can also get fined $25 for parking in a yellow zone, and $10 for forgetting to display their permit.

According to Cummings, a total of 11 percent of the tickets issued this year have been appealed. Cummings said there are a variety of reasons why people ask for an appeal.

Among schools throughout the nation, Auburn University in Alabama has 10,300 spaces for 18,000 permits. Dave George, director of Transit and Parking at Auburn.

Auburn has made changes to its transit system this year to ease the parking congestion. According to George, they have added buses, and shortened routes. Auburn also came out with a new transit guide for students.

“We’re carrying double the students we did last year on our buses. We’re taking a survey and right now we’re about a third of the way done with it. We haven’t finished, but the far majority are in support of the changes so far.”< P> Back here at Bowling Green, the University’s Master Plan intends to better the overall flow of parking and traffic on campus in the near future.

“We would expect to provide better pathways for pedestrians to move from the outside of campus to the inside of campus,” McArthur said.

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