Parking Congestion Proposal

Finding parking by residence halls is not an easy process. Many students often resort to buying a Stadium parking pass, as it is the cheapest available option. Even though Stadium parking is the least expensive parking pass on campus, it is quite far away from most residence halls and buildings. This poses a large problem to on-campus residents, who must trek to cars that could be up to a mile away from their residence hall. These students should have priority access to the section of parking lots close to them to get both better parking spots and shorter walks to their respective residence halls.

The current organizational parking system is depicted by animals indigenous to Montana including Wolf, Trout, Moose, Bobcat and Bison. Bison lots are very popular for residence hall students since the lots cover large expanses of campus in close proximity to residence halls. Even though these lots seem quite large, a space to park is still difficult to secure. With this problem in mind, it is time for a change.

The lots under the Bison umbrella are 1, 2, 8, 9, 22, 26, 27 and 28. These lots should be broken into new sections of Bison lots numbered one through three. Section one would consist of lot numbers 8, 9 and 22 and would be allocated to Hannon, Hapner, Langford Halls, the Johnstone Center and the Quads. Section two would include lots 26 and 28 for residents of the newly built Hyalite Hall. Finally, section three, designated for residents of North and South Hedges, Roskie and Yellowstone Halls, would be made up of remaining lots 1, 2, and 27. When purchasing a residential parking pass, students should buy a permit to the lot on their end of campus, specific to their dorm. This would allow students to remain in lots closer to their residence hall and encourage walking or other environmentally effective modes of transportation when making their way around campus. In addition, the holders of a section one pass need not worry about that spot being filled by a car belonging to someone of another section.

Cassie Behm, Parking Manager with the University Police Department (UPD), said that they have the resources to work with this sectioned proposal. UPD said they are frequently evaluating ideas to improve parking for residents and commuters and are quite excited to get fresh ideas from students. A thought similar to the plan outlined here has been run through UPD meetings for about two or three years now. The previous idea was to assign each dorm to a parking lot. However, one lot cannot provide enough parking for an entire residence hall or two. The sectioned approach allows for more space to be shared between the residence halls in the area. The north end of campus has always been more congested than the south. Behm thinks that this sectioned approach could be a way to keep the cars from each end of campus more separated so that the traffic on the north side of campus has a chance to thin out a bit more.

In addition to creating more convenient parking, this proposal would shorten walks back to the residence halls and make them safer. Many students work part- or full-time jobs to afford their expenses both on and off-campus. According to the National Center for Education Statistics, 81% of students work and attend university at the same time. Since college classes fill most of the day, many college students have to work evening shifts. This means that students must make their way back to their dorms from their cars when it is dark outside. According to RAINN, 23.1% of female undergraduates deal with sexual assault or rape when on college campuses. Limiting the distance that students have to walk in the dark would reduce the amount of time students will be at risk.

According to Collegefactual.com, 21 reports of sexual abuse and/or violence against women at MSU were filed with authorities in 2019. While this seems like a low number of cases, any number of assaults against women is significant.

Changing the label from Bison lots 1, 2, 8, 9, 22, 26 and 27 to Bison sections one through three allows for a smoother parking system and a higher level of convenience and safety for students living in residence halls.