Spartan Daily - Serving San Jose State University since 1934

Issue date: 9/26/07 Section: Opinion

Sarrah S. Nguyen, staff reporter

With a student population of about 32,000 and merely 5,500 parking spots on campus available to fight for, it's no wonder that parking can be, and probably will remain a b----.

I still remember my first horrific experience on my first day at SJSU.

Like everyone else, I bought the S permit unaware of the gamble I was taking.

When I finally found a spot on the fourth floor of the 10th Street garage, I signaled and waited patiently as the person backed out of the spot.

Then, as I prepared to turn into my claimed spot, a white Acura pulled in before me while my signal was still on.

Well, since I'm not a big fan of gambling or looking for parking the way the driver of the Acura did, I couldn't join them so I left the garage.

Frustrated and pissed off, I ventured toward the Spartan Stadium and used the Park and Ride lot across from it.

John Riley, one of the drivers for the Park and Ride shuttles said there is a daily rotation of five to six buses.

This consists of three long route shuttles that go around the perimeter of campus and two short route shuttles that only go to Duncan Hall and the parking lot.

Since Riley only drives in the afternoons, he is unsure of the increase in students who use Park and Ride.

Since SJSU is going to continue accepting more students, and those students are probably going to drive to class, it would be a wise choice to look for alternatives to avoid situations like this.

I found a satisfying alternative after my maddening experience with parking garages my first semester at SJSU.

Why pay almost $200 for a lottery in parking when you can just pay half of that for Park and Ride?

OK, so the park and ride lot is a mile from the school and your car has to sit out in the sun while you're in class.

But I see no sense in spending an extra $96 for an S permit to have to come to school an hour early and pray for parking so that I can get to class on time.

When instead, I can save that money, come at the same time and know I will be getting to class on time, if not get there early.

Some students who pay for regular parking find themselves being directed to the Park and Ride lot at the beginning of every semester.

David Vu, a senior business management major, said that Park and Ride saves more money, but he still prefers to park in the garages.

Continued...

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