Parking numbers promise woes
by Michael Pukish
Apr 26, 2012 | 1965 views | 1 1 comments | 13 13 recommendations | email to a friend | print
Our new SGA president is either terribly under-informed or actively disingenuous.

In his EXTRA, dated April 18, 2012, he claims the proposed 2012–13 parking changes will ensure that every AU student will be “guaranteed” a place to park.

Here are some facts straight from Don Andrae, manager of Parking Services (confirmed by phone April 18, 2012): Active C-zone permits currently distributed by Parking Services: approximately 11,000. Capacity of the 3 “central campus lots” which will convert to “Proximate C”: 1,500. Capacity of all remaining C-zone areas, including three remote lots (West Thach, Veterinary Sciences, Intramural Fields), and various roadway strips: 1,400. Initial proposed number of Proximate C-zone tags to be granted by random drawing: 1,700.

Let’s assume that after Parking Services surveys the initial impact, they raise the number of PC permits to: 2,000. So, if we want to do a little math to measure our collective parking misery, now and later: current ratio of C-zone parkers to all C-zone spaces: 11,000/2,900 = 3.79:1. Ratio of remaining C-zone parkers who will fight for space after 2,000 PC permits have been issued: 9,000/1,400 = 6.43:1 (a 70 percent increase).

We all understand that not all AU students are on campus attempting to park at the same time. Yet the simple math above means one thing: When Parrish tells us that all these changes will make it better for all AU students, he is quite wrong. Further, Don Andrae estimates the earliest that AU can furnish additional C-zone spaces is “mid-2015.”

If you must commute and care about getting to your classes on time, start mobilizing, talk to your SGA and GSC senators and don’t let this plan happen without a fight.

Michael Pukish

graduate student, electrical and computer engineering

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wreid
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April 26, 2012
Auburn Parking has no idea of how many spots they actually need. Since a single parking ticket can cost as much as $180 but they will reduce to $10 plus the cost of a C-zone permit- no wonder they have 11,000 C-zone permit holders. Being a C-zone permit holder does not mean that you will ever even park in C-zone. The number of C-zone parking permit holders is a better indicator of how many people got ticketed, rather than how many people who park in C-zone. I know of six people on our building's floor alone who opted for the C-zone to pay a lower ticket charge but never actually park there. No. This situation is much more insidious than meets the eye. By having such a large differential in the cost of paying for a ticket versus purchasing the C-zone permit, AU Parking services is artificially inflating the actual parking needs of the Auburn community. They either do not have an appropriate background in planning or they are deliberately padding their numbers to increase the Parking Services budget. Either way, something sneaky/unethical is going on in Parking Services when they willingly reduce a $180 ticket to $40. There's some math that truly doesn't add up.
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