Callie Henton
The Paw Print
Hate parking at ASC? I know I do. The two main factors about the parking that frustrate me the most are a lack of parking places and parking that looks like the driver might need to invest in some parking lessons.
As I am sure everyone knows, ASC is currently undergoing quite a lot of construction. What used to be Stadium Drive is now a courtyard area which eliminated all the parking that used to be available there. There also used to be a parking lot behind Rex Stadium where the new dorms are being built. While the construction of a small parking lot south of Plachy Hall and several spots along the small road out front, there still are not as many parking spots as previously. A lot is being opened north of Coronado Hall, but at the rate the construction is going now who knows when it will be done and available. Considering all this, I literally do not want to leave campus because I do not want to lose my parking spot.
With all of the construction, you can note the inexperienced parking jobs too. If you take a walk down any of the streets around ASC that require parallel parking and observe the spaces between cars, you can easily see students’ lack of parking ability. Often there is enough room between two cars for three fourths of a car to fit between which does not show the best parking skills that I have ever seen. The driver could easily back up or pull forward more. I can understand when one or two cars park like this, but every other car on the street is parked like this. I am truly frustrated when I see this as I drive around trying to find a place to park.
The parking that scares me the most is when there is at most two inches between cars, front and back. First off, how do you get out of that spot? I am pretty sure that if anyone was parked that close to my car, I would be stuck on campus because I would not even attempt to get out. My other concern is simply for my car’s safety. If there are three or four cars lined up this close, I have a feeling that the driver cannot get out without hitting one of the two cars they are sandwiched between. I really do not want my car to be the one that gets hit, and I would bet most people feel the same.
Between parking too far away and parking too close to the cars around, my personal opinion is to leave at least one foot and, at most, two feet between cars. This is plenty of room for other drivers to pull out and still little enough space to be efficient. I must add that I am not meaning to hate on anyone or their parking. Honestly, I am not the best parallel parker myself, but I acknowledge that I need to learn. Open parking spots in any of the lots on campus are rare, and even when the new lot opens, I am sure this will continue to be the case. My suggestion to anyone who does not know how to parallel park – learn! It is absolutely essential not only on campus but also in many places around Alamosa.
Hopefully as the construction around ASC ceases to exist, parking will become less of a hassle. Until then, I guess all we can do is wait and hope that every time we leave campus we can come back and find a place to park, and park safely.
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