Today in class we discussed issues that Virginia Tech as a community has. Every day we, as students, are affected by these problems. One that stuck out the most to me was the parking issue. In the article, "Meters would solve parking problem" the editorial board examines this issue and one way to fix it. They believe that meters are the answer with local businesses getting the revenue with lots that they own. This would allow students to park for a certain amount of time without the fear of getting towed or a ticket.
I somewhat disagree; I believe that the school should allow more parking for students not even having to pay a meter. We spend hundreds of dollars on parking every year with the risk of having to pay a 35$ ticket or a 100$ towing fee. Instead of tech building new dining halls and classrooms, they should be focusing on handling the population of people with cars on and off campus.
So what do you think, how should we fix this issue? Or is it even an issue worth worrying about?
Tech has actually been trying to improve parking on campus by building parking garages. I don't particularly like them, but they are a much better use of space. By building a parking garage in the place of a normal parking lot, you can sometimes quadruple the amount of parking spaces in that same area. A lot of college students don't carry spare change around with them all of the time so meters really just become a pain. Students already pay enough for parking.
ReplyDeleteAnother issue is the distance students have to walk to and from their cars. The only lots they allow students to park in can be 10-15 from their dorms and they don't allow you to park around some of the dorms even temporarily (like to take 10 bags of groceries to the room) without getting a ticket. Because of this, students are forced to make numerous time-consuming trips, which is also a pain.
I don't think that the meter system would solve the parking issue on campus. Most local business on main street already have limited parking to begin with and could not offer that much space for parking. In addition, even if local business did provide meter parking for students, students are still faced with the issue of being parked so far away from their intended destination.
ReplyDeleteMegan makes a good point that Virginia Tech has already been working to fix the problem by building parking garages on campus. This should make a significant difference however, with the number of students who go to VT can you really expect there to be convenient parking for everyone?
Therefore while I think the measures VT are making will make some difference and will please some students the problem will always be present. However with Blacksburg Transit you can get most places in Blacksburg's with in 15 to 30 minutes. While it may not be the fastest or most preferred method of travel it is cost and space efficient on a college campus. For those who still insist on driving, carpool with friends and save 3 or 4 parking spots. Or leave a little bit earlier to find the best parking spot, while your waiting on campus you can grab a bite to eat or study on campus.
I really cannot have an opinion on this issue, because I do not have a car, so I would not recognize the parking problem firsthand. All I have noticed is that when my parents or someone drops me off from being somewhere is that they have to park in a crosswalk and have someone stay with the car, so they do not get a ticket. Even though I do not have an opinion on the issue if students have complained before then of course there is a problem or else everyone would be happy. I think they should expand parking lots and take over the whole all of Blacksburg.
ReplyDeleteI'm in the same position as Nick in that I don't have a car so I don't know personally the problems that they cause. However, most of my friends that own cars live off campus, not on so getting parking tickets for them isn't that big of a worry. In addition, parking is free after 5PM on weekdays and free on weekends so you wouldn't get a ticket on those days so I would have to say that is a pretty long time to have free parking.
ReplyDeleteI don't think having meters on campus would really solve anything. The students seem to be taking the meters as annoyances rather than reminders. In addition, the bus takes you everywhere on campus anyway so there really isn't that big of a reason to have a car while you're living on campus in my opinion.
I do not have the problem of parking since I don't have a car, however I have seen may of my friends struggle with this particular issue. The fact is that there is not enough room for parking, and whenever there is it is at least a fifteen minute walk away. Either the school steps it up and lays out new parking lots where all students can park, or people start buying bicycles and make Virginia Tech Berkeley 2.0.
ReplyDeleteI also don't have a car at Tech, so I don't know the problems that many students are facing. I have heard many students complain though about how hard it is to find a spot, and then how far away these parking lots are from where they need to go. I think Tech deserves some credit for what they have done so far. We have Blacksburg Transit, which can take you to most places in blacksburg, and it usually runs every 15 minutes. Bicycles are also a great way to get around, since blacksburg is not that large of a town. The only way to improve the parking situation is to build more parking garages or lesson the amount of people who have cars at Tech
ReplyDeleteI think parking meters are a bad idea. They are inconvenient and costly and students already pay enough for school as it is. Tech needs to focus on parking as well as academic buildings and housing, not one or the other. I believe parking garages could solve this parking problem. One parking garage could provide plenty of space for parking, while only taking up as much space as a basic parking lot. Its not the prettiest of structures but it is a necessity to deal with the expanding population. Parking is a big issue and must be dealt with, but it should not be at the expense of dining halls and classroom space. The space must be used as efficiently as possible.
ReplyDeleteI do not think that we should focus on parking over dininig halls. Driving while at school is not really a necesity. If someone lives off campus, then that person should be able to ride the bus to campus. It is also very difficult for there to be enough parking for all the students. It is very hard for there to be enough parking for everyone in the school because there is thousands of people that are trying to park on campus.
ReplyDeleteDriving is a luxury in a town like Blacksburg, honestly. The bus system can get you just about anywhere you'd like to go, and it's not too far to walk to anywhere else. Parking space should be reserved for students who have to commute to school on a regular basis, as well as professors and faculty who live out of the city, so that they are not inconvenienced.
ReplyDeleteAlthough the issue is vital for the section of students that actually drive or feel the necessity to, there are other priorities that Virginia Tech has as an organization. Unfortunately fixing parking isnt exactly going to influence our admission numbers, whereas something like dining halls and overall education will. The issue should not be neglected, the fines do seem very ridiculous to me
ReplyDeleteI don't have my car here either, so I don't have parking troubles. However, many of my friends do have cars and they complain about it a lot. I wish I had my car here, because even though parking is a pain it does make life a little easier. Virginia Tech really should focus more on parking, because they keep adding more students with no where to park now a days. My friends have spent over 20 min. just searching for parking spots on some days. The buses are great, because they do take you all over Blacksburg and even to Christiansburg. They do only run at certain times, which is quite annoying because sometimes you have to be somewhere at a certain time. This is just my personal problem, because since I've been injured I have to go to the doctor and physical therapy place multiple times a week, and I rely on people to take me. The buses don't run during the times I need to be there, due to I have classes so I have to schedule early in the mornings. That's just me though, but it still would be nice to have a car here and not worry about getting a ticket or being towed.
ReplyDeleteI don't have a car here either so I don't really get effected by this yet. But next year I will have a car and hopefully I will be able to park at my friends house. Honestly, I think that no matter what campus you're on one concern will always be parking. Honestly, I don't have a problem with walking as long as I do have a place to park. Which in my case I do. That's just lucky though. But for everyone else I believe that Virginia Tech does need to figure out more parking areas. Even though they really don't have a lot of parking spots available by academic buildings. Overall, I'm not as passionate or as concerned about this issue, but I do see that it's an issue.
ReplyDeleteParking at Virginia tech is a travesty. We are not in an urban metropolis and therefore there is no reason parking should be so bad. A residential parking pass for two semesters is close to three hundred dollars, yet the only places we can park are ridiculously incontinent to use. Half the time it takes longer to get to my car than it takes to drive to where I'm going. Where the dorms are it does make it difficult to make convenient parking, but there are faculty and commuter lots very close to the dorms that could be turned into residential parking. The faculty and commuter lots could be moved somewhere else on campus, thus making useful parking for residents and not leaving the faculty or commuters without a place to park. There is also the idea of making it a free for all and solely based on first come first serve.
ReplyDeletei think there is a problem with parking but i understand why it isn't a priority. they have a lot of stuff to worry about and parking isn't the most important. There is parking and if you go at a certain time or spend enough time looking you will find a spot.
ReplyDeleteAsking Tech to devote money to building more parking structures instead of dinning facilities and class room buildings is a little unreasonable. Due to fact not all students own cars and thus using funds generated by tuition to only benefit some of the students might not sit well with the other students. I feel parking meters are legitimate way to combat this parking problem because it is another source of revenue that can be used for expanding the availability of parking on campus.
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