State of the University: Parking Problems

Always found it ironic that most students on campus are very leftist yet few would even come to FSU if they couldn't bring their big earth killing cars.

Folks too often preach what they don't practice.

Live near campus (stats show it improves graduation rates) and ride a bike (better for the environment).


http://www.fsunews.com/story/news/2016/11/27/state-university-parking-problems/94511052/

This past year, Florida State University received the most amount of university funding, capital and donations in school history. Around campus, there are new student housing options, multi-million dollar renovations to buildings like Doak Campbell Stadium and new, nationally renowned faculty. Still, an important question continues to be raised by both students and staff alike: What about parking?
Despite a relatively stagnant measure of physical campus size (roughly 1400 acres), Florida State University—with a current student population of over 41,000, an academic staff of over 5,500 and an administrative staff of over 6,000—is not getting any smaller.
There are six parking garages on campus with 5,647 student spaces in total: Call Street (786), Pensacola Street (1118), Saint Augustine Street (834), Spirit Way (1186), Traditions Way (795) and Woodward Avenue (928). Smaller student parking lots also dot the campus, while faculty and staff use gated lots that open to students at 4:30 p.m. each day.
Yet, the number of total student parking spaces does not come close to the number of students who live off campus and/or who have a car:
19 percent of Florida State University students live in college-owned, -operated or –affiliated housing, which means 81 percent of the student population live off-campus and/or commute. Of the 41,000 students who attend Florida State each semester, over 33,000 do not reside on campus and must travel to campus for classes.
While some Florida State students live on a bus route or close enough to campus to walk or bike, many students face a dilemma when trying to find a parking spot during a school day.
“Florida State students are in dire need of a new parking garage—parking is frustrating,” says first-year student Hannah Curlew, who owns a car in Tallahassee.
In addition to the limited spots, parts of some garages are closed for special events throughout the week that take place at the Civic Center, the stadium or other venues on or near campus.
“I have spoken to a number of students who schedule 8 AMs just to avoid the chaos of circling the parking garage for hours,” wrote Florida State student Vanessa Coppola on Alive Campus. “Time is the last thing college students need to waste with the amount of work and obligations they have committed to, especially just to park their car.”
The main reasons against building another parking garage on campus, according to university officials, are limited space and limited funds.
“To build a garage is about $16,000 per space, and a lot of our budget right now is dedicated to debt service,” says Matthew Inman, the director of Transportation and Parking Services at FSU. “So we have the financial impact of building parking, but then there’s always the space impact of it as well, and we’re a relatively small campus for the size of our student body.”