Feeling a little congested?
Now that the Olympics have been over for more than a year, parking on campus is returning to normal, except in the Health Sciences area.
Several new projects, like the Health Sciences Education Building, the new Moran Eye Center and the Emma Eccles Jones Medical Science Building, are all being constructed on former parking spaces.
Those areas were originally the sites of buildings built during World War II. The structures were torn down with the intention of some day replacing them with new education buildings, said Anne Racer, U director of facilities planning.
The parking lots, Racer said, were always intended to be temporary. Limited space on upper campus has made the construction of new parking spaces impossible, creating an escalating problem. Administrators are hoping use of the new TRAX station on Medical Drive (opening in late September) will help, but some are doubtful.
Students and staff are feeling the pinch. Student parking (U and E lots) is sacrificed to preserve faculty parking (A lots). But according to lab technicians in the Eccles Institute of Human Genetics, it’s impossible to find spaces in A lots.
Kim Zumbrennen purchased an A lot permit reserved for faculty and staff, but is forced to find a space in the U or E lots by the time she gets to work at 9 in the morning.
Barbara Jones sent in a complaint via e-mail, which several others signed, after being unable to find a space even with a very expensive and exclusive permit for the parking terrace. She never received a reply.
Sam Parker purchased a U pass and is frustrated by how far southeast the lots have been moved since parking space was cornered off to begin construction of the new Emma Eccles Jones research building.
Holes needed to be drilled in the ground to find all the utility lines before digging could begin. That process delayed the beginning of construction for about two months. Jacobsen Construction, in charge of the project, was then ready to receive bids from subcontractors who do the actual digging.
“It just sucks, that’s all,” said Charley Iorge who paid for an A lot permit but never finds a space.
Many students have given up on parking. Brian Schneider, in his seventh year of graduate work in oncological science, said he purchased parking permits during his first three years at the U.
But as the prices rose and finding a spot became more difficult, he started riding campus shuttles more.
When construction for new buildings is planned, designers rarely take into account the need to replace lost spaces by creating new ones, said Patti Ibholm, U associate director of parking operations. “Of course we get blamed for it, but it’s not our fault.”
To replace lost spaces in visitor parking or paid parking, A lot spaces are taken away. To replace A lot spaces, U spaces are used, and to replace U, E lots are reduced. It’s a domino effect, Ibholm said.
To get more spaces for the E lot, parking operations had to negotiate with residential parking to turn under-used lots near Red Butte Canyon into E lots.
While Ibholm says the new TRAX stations will alleviate some of the congestion, she doesn’t anticipate it making much of a difference during the peak hours between 8 a.m. and noon on Mondays and Wednesdays.
But Linda Amos, U associate vice president for Health Sciences says she hopes it will. The Utah Transit Authority promised TRAX would solve the parking problems currently endured.
More than half of the students questioned at Eccles Medical Library said they’re still planning to drive themselves after the line is done.
Nursing student Tiffany Castagno said riding TRAX from Millcreek wouldn’t save her any time and she never has trouble parking in the A lot when she arrives at 6:30 in the morning. Her friend, Yaw Poku, who works in University Hospital, has a hard time parking in U lots, but still plans on driving after the line is complete. He lives in Sandy and riding TRAX would add an extra 10 to 15 minutes to his commute.
While many students said they will switch to using TRAX, most still say parking will be more convenient.