For those who commute to the U, the Monday after Thanksgiving loomed ominously in the horizon, threatening anyone who dared consider parking in the post-SLOC takes-the-stadium world.

But, actually, parking hasn’t been that bad in that world.

Historically, Rice-Eccles Stadium provided U students and employees with about 1,250 spaces?and it will again. But from now until April 15, it’s gone.

Students and employees have complained about the lack of parking; they’ve complained about paying full price for a permit when the U doesn’t have full parking capacity for most of the year.

In the days and weeks immediately preceding the takeover, the newly renamed Transportation and Parking Services arranged for makeshift lots along several U curbsides?creating about 1,170 parking spaces at the expense of a lane here or there.

Parking Services Director Alma Allred and Norm Chambers, head of auxiliary services, have more than adequately navigated the choppy sea of commuter campus parking. Despite everyone’s anxiety that the stadium closure would create an unmanageable scenario, they have managed it?thus far.

The U is not out of the Olympic woods, as far as parking goes. SLOC will continue to take the parking spaces it needs to prepare for the Winter Olympic Games?on Jan. 9, one-third of all lower campus parking spaces will be taken.

Parking services will need to pull another traffic management rabbit out of its administrative hat to help commuters in January. On March 7, when the Paralympic Opening Ceremony occurs, almost 50 percent of U spaces will be taken. And long-term parking problems still need solutions?the U is growing and it is a commuter campus.

Light rail, which should be up and running by Dec. 15, might be the silver lining on the dark parking cloud of 2001-2002. But parking services can’t treat it like a panacea for all its woes.

This time, in dealing with the stadium lot closure, parking services officials did a fine job. Let’s hope they’ll continue the precedent they’ve set for themselves.