Students frustrated over limited parking access

By Aisha Khemani     9/24/24 11:58pm

Students with paid parking permits are expressing frustration over the difficulty of finding available spaces in West Lot. These concerns arrive after complaints in Nov. 2023 when the parking office oversold permits for North and South College Lots.

Nancy Martinez, a Jones College sophomore, said that she left her parking spot on campus to run errands and could not find parking when she returned.

“It took an hour for me to circle around West Lot because everything was completely full, and I eventually had to go park at Greenbriar,” Martinez said. “It’s ridiculous that I’m paying for West Lot and can’t even find a spot there.” 

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Parking attendants are now stationed at the entrances of lots during peak hours to track open spots, according to Mike Morgan, director of parking operations. Martinez said she was frustrated at being told the lot was full by an attendant, despite seeing open spaces in the lot.

“There needs to be a better system,” Martinez said. “I knew there was a spot open, [so] the fact they weren’t letting me in was kind of ridiculous.” 

Morgan said that construction in West Lot 4 has temporarily reduced available spaces. 

“We expect to regain over 100 spaces when the project is completed in early October, weather permitting,” said Morgan.

Morgan said West and North Colleges Lot permit holders have alternative spaces to park when their assigned lots are full.

“When West Lots 3 and 4 are full, West Lot commuter permit holders can use available spaces in West Lot 5,” Morgan said. “West Lot resident permits should utilize the open spaces in the South Stadium Lot. For North Colleges Lot permits, [the lot by] entrance 1 has available spaces.”

Kamisi Adetunji, a Will Rice College sophomore, said she struggled to find parking as well, particularly when asked to move her car for events hosted in Rice Stadium.

“It’s a little unfair that we have to routinely move our cars from the spots we pay for just because of Rice’s games,” Adetunji wrote in a message to the Thresher. “They don’t express this when you purchase a permit, so I didn’t know this was something I’d have to deal with this year.”

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