Instead of welcoming its many driving students, the University is alienating them. While Metro Transit adds new bus routes to make commuting more accessible, the University annually raises on-campus parking rates. This year, the University offered 1,293 non-residence hall spring quarter parking contracts and 625 residence hall spots. With 31 percent of the parking spaces reserved for 14 percent of the population, commuters are clearly getting the short end of the deal. The University is putting up barriers by making campus accessibility more difficult and time-consuming for drivers.
Time is a critical factor in students' lives.
In order to guarantee accessibility to campus, some commuters are forced to plan their class schedules around parking availability guidelines. With so few parking spaces near the most heavily traveled areas of campus, commuters must allow additional time to get to the heart of campus from these parking lots. Driving some commuters from campus is no way to foster a stronger community. If the University wants to strengthen campus involvement, it won't do so by alienating drivers. Given enough provocation, some will concede to taking the bus system.