Commuters battle bumper-to-bumper traffic not only on the road getting to campus, but at school as well, since the stadium construction took more than 2,000 spots away from students.
File Photo/The Daily Cougar
Parking on campus can be difficult, and depending on the time of day, the chances of finding a decent parking spot are low.
“It’s a pain,” said art history senior Tory Maddux. “(Permits are) overpriced, and the fact that I have had to pay over $400 to park in a gravel parking lot more than 100 yards away is absurd.”
With a student body as large as UH’s and ongoing construction projects, it is hard to accommodate everyone. Construction of the new stadium shut down lots 11A, 15F and 12B, eliminating more than 2,600 parking spots.
“It’s kind of tough. … I scavenge for spots,” said business junior Collin Bartlett.
Bartlett said he spends a lot of time following people in hopes of being able to take their parking spots.
“(I) go about an hour early and spend most of that time finding parking,” he said.
With the majority of the student population commuting to and from school, the common solution to parking problems is to get to campus early.
“I don’t care if you don’t have class until noon, get there early. You can always go to the (Campus Recreation and Wellness Center) and work out, study in the (M.D. Anderson Memorial Library) or you can always sleep,” Maddux said.
While getting to UH early is possible for some commuters, outside engagements like work or family can make getting to campus ahead of schedule difficult. For late goers the last vestige of alternative parking may be the Energy Research Park.
“I go straight to the ERP, because I’m 100 percent sure there will be no parking for me (on-campus),” said electrical engineering junior Zachary May.
May is not alone. Many students simply default to parking at the ERP to circumvent the stress that comes from scavenging on campus. However, because of the ERP’s off-campus location, a shuttle must be taken to and from campus. Factoring in the extra 15 minutes it takes to make that bus ride is crucial to making it to class on time.
The ERP, while being the cheapest solution, isn’t the only one. The Welcome Center Student garage, with its 1,500 new spaces will make finding a spot less of a hassle.
Auxiliary Services reports that when the new stadium is complete in Summer 2014, UH will net 3,190 more parking spaces than it lost.
Of course, the last solution anyone can offer is to live on campus and eliminate the stress of parking and commuting altogether.
“(Parking is) part of the reason I decided to move on campus, because there would be days when I was looking for parking for over an hour,” said civil engineering junior Ayesha Sohail. “You will still have to deal with it, but you’re not as likely to miss a class.”
