PICTURE THIS: An endless line of traffic headed down route 29; anxious pedestrians trying to cross the street; no available parking spaces at University Hall. Welcome to another Spring semester in Charlottesville.
With a population of only 40,000, Charlottesville's roads were not designed to support heavy traffic. Couple this with increasing University enrollment and numerous building projects around Grounds, and the situation only gets worse. To help students, faculty and city residents maintain their automotive sanity, something has to give. The best place to start is with revoking the first year parking privilege.
According to Rebecca White, Director of Parking and Transportation, every Spring approximately 500 additional parking permits are issued. First-year students fill the majority of these spaces because they are not allowed to bring cars during their first semester. The second-semester car policy was established in 1971 and has been in place ever since.
White believes the policy exists "so that first years can build a connection to their community of fellow students and U.Va. as an institution before they have the kind of access to the greater community that a car allows."
If first years can survive their fall semester sans automobile, there is no reason why, barring extreme circumstances, they can't make it through the whole year. The first year of college represents a unique year in the undergraduate experience. It is the only year all your friends live in the same place. It is the only year you are required to purchase a meal plan. It is the only year you have a group of RAs who are required to look out for you. This scenario makes the necessity of the first year car privilege slim to none.
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This spring the on-Grounds parking situation is even tighter than usual, as numerous building projects are taking away space in some lots. White has noticed increased use of the "AFC and Ruffner lots during off-hours, which has a domino effect on individuals using those facilities." In the future, the situation is destined to become even worse. The construction of the new basketball arena is scheduled to begin in approximately a year and a half, with completion of the project expected in Aug. 2006. During those several years of construction, many of the current parking spaces at U-Hall will be wiped out.
Student Council's Parking and Transportation Committee is working to find solutions to combat this parking dearth that only will get worse. One option under consideration is eliminating the first year parking privilege.
According to Will Sowers, Student Council's Parking and Transportation committee chair, the University could create additional parking spaces to combat the loss of spaces at U-Hall, but there is an easier alternative. "Other parking options would be even further away [than U-Hall]," Sowers said. "We would have to start a new shuttle service with UTS. Taking away the first year parking privilege is the simpler option."
Sowers is right. Since the bulk of first-year students park at U-Hall, eliminating their spaces would solve much of the eminent problem. Faculty, staff, hospital employees and upperclassmen who have serious reasons for having cars wouldn't have to fight for parking spaces.
Before making any immediate decisions, the Parking and Transportation committee is seeking to gauge the student response through a parking survey. The survey is brief and to the point, centering on the first year parking issue. It also examines student satisfaction with Escort Service and the utility of a weekend shuttle to Fashion Square Mall. Increased efficiency of Escort Service and possible new shuttle services would further eliminate the need for first years to bring their cars in the Spring.
Student Council is conducting the survey with the aid of the Center for Survey Research. Randomly selected undergraduate and graduate students will be notified by e-mail later this month and asked to fill out the survey.
If you are chosen, take the three minutes necessary to fill in the bubbles. Take the survey seriously. Answer the questions honestly. If you are a first-year student, consider how often you use your car. Consider how many times it has been imperative that you have access to an automobile versus how many times you simply have been too lazy to walk. Upperclassmen most likely will have the clarity that comes with hindsight and realize that most first years really don't need cars to begin with.
Granted, there are exceptions to every rule. The survey also includes a space for listing circumstances under which first years should be allowed to park. A medical reason is the most legitimate excuse for a first year to be exempted from any policy change.
The parking and driving scene on and around Grounds needs serious restructuring. Rather than making a complicated situation even worse, first years can help out by keeping their cars parked at home.
(Stephanie Batten's column appears Wednesdays in The Cavalier Daily. She can be reached at sbatten@cavalierdaily.com.)
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