Monday, September 28, 1998
Parking expansion unable to rectify shortage of spots
SPACES: Larger lots still fail
to reduce permit waitlist; bus pass proposal to be
considered
By Kathryn Combs
Daily Bruin Senior Staff
With close to 4,000 students wait-listed for on-campus parking,
and too few spaces to accommodate them, officials with the UCLA
Office of Parking and Commuter Services say that commuters –
especially students – may have to find another way to get to
UCLA.
"The reality is that right now we have a waiting list that is as
bad or worse than last year," said Mark Stocki, director of
transportation services at UCLA.
"Our parking system has over 21,000 parking spaces and yet there
continues to be a shortage," he added.
While phase one of the Lot 4 expansion is scheduled to be
completed with the start of the academic year, parking officials
claim this project will do little to relieve this year’s
shortage.
The Lot 4 expansion consists of two parts, according to campus
architect Charles Oakley. The first will be located below the
soccer field and will accommodate about 750 cars.
The second phase of this project, scheduled for completion
during winter quarter, will be located at the foot of Janss steps
between the Men’s Gym and the Dance Building. This will provide an
additional 550 spaces.
Stocki, however, argues that this will still not be enough to
accommodate even the existing parking demand.
"Even when we get the Janss parking, we are still going to have
a shortfall," Stocki said.
According to Renee Fortier, associate director of parking and
commuter services, this year’s shortage is partly due to an
unexpected increase in the number of employee commuters.
"(This year) we actually thought we would be much better off,"
Fortier said.
"However, the additional employees were a surprise,"she
added.
Somewhere between 1,000 and 1,500 more employees are in need of
parking this year.
Although Capital Programs is currently seeking out a location
for more parking structures, a site has not yet been
determined.
According to Fortier, however, only 25,000 parking spaces can be
built on this campus, and there are already approximately 21,000
spaces, not including the Lot 4 expansion.
Also, Lot 14, located just south of the University Police
station, is scheduled to be demolished in the fall of 1999 to make
space for the new hospital. So while UCLA will be gaining
approximately 1,300 parking spaces this fall, it will lose 1,450
next fall.
Yet, Fortier added that the Office of Parking and Commuter
Services sells 25 percent more parking permits than there are
physical spaces.
"It’s not one for one (because) not everyone is here at the same
time," Fortier said.
"Actually, we can park … 25 percent more cars," she said
adding that only 16,271 of the parking spaces are used strictly for
permit parking. There are some 3,900 spaces reserved for visitors
to the medical center and campus, and also 313 metered spaces,
Fortier said.
For example, last fall the Office of Parking and Commuter
Services sold 34,563 parking permits. Only 9,607 went to students,
including those already living on campus. Moreover, 14,123 went to
staff and faculty while 10,833 were occasional use passes.
This year, parking officials are looking for other alternatives,
one of which may be a student/employee bus pass.
According to a survey conducted by the Office of Parking and
Commuter Services, many students are in favor of such a bus
pass.
While still tentative, this plan would allow UCLA students and
employees – for a small annual fee – to show their identification
card in exchange for bus fare.
Only a request for information with local transit providers has
been filed, however. A final decision has not yet been made.
"Looking at the potential bus pass is one more approach in
seeing whether or not it would be cost effective," Stocki said. If
adopted, the bus pass, however, will not entirely make up for the
current shortage.
"Realistically speaking, there is no way that with a bus pass
you can make up that kind of deficit," Stocki said.
"I don’t want to fool anybody. Most transit alternatives provide
numerically small gains," he added.
Other alternatives to the bus pass program and proposed
construction are carpooling, bicycling and walking to campus,
Stocki said. In addition, one of the most aggressive programs that
reducing parking demand is the on campus housing program, Stocki
said.
"In reality. the solution (to the parking problem) is a
combination of building replacement parking and other measures …
we may even have to introduce stack parking in Lot 4," Stocki
said.
"What we are doing is looking for additional space in the short
term," he said. "If anything, the parking picture is going to get
worse before it gets better."
Related Sites:
“¢bull;UCLA Transportation Services
“¢bull;Daily Bruin (10/27/87): Campus transportation woes pile
up
Comments, feedback, problems?
© 1998 ASUCLA Communications Board[Home]