Have you ever been in search of that golden parking spot? Driving around in endless circles because you can’t find a place? Well, the University of Idaho’s Parking and Transportation Services can honestly show you how smooth parking on campus can be. Now I know we can complain that there could be more parking than there is on campus, but if we look at this realistically, UI has been treating us pretty well when it comes down to it.
As the enrollment numbers grow, it is important for UI to ensure that there is enough parking for all students, whether they are living on or off campus. Now, there is only so much space in these Moscow hills, the PTS has to work with what its got. Its future plans involve the campus becoming a place where personal vehicles are not required. According to its mission statement, the vision is to not add more unsightly parking areas, but rather embrace the fact that Moscow is an easily traversed area. You can get from one end of the campus to the other in under 30 minutes by foot, meaning if you live on campus, there isn’t a time when you would need to drive to class. But let’s say you live off campus; I do, and I drive to classes every day. Now, I may park in the worst parking lot on campus, but I can still make it to class within 15 minutes. Yes, the parking lots may look full, but when I asked students whether it was hard for them to find a spot, eight out of 10 said they can get a place easily enough, and they really don’t mind the quick walk across the lot. Three students currently live off campus and still travel by foot, saying that it isn’t necessary to drive since they do not mind the short commute.
And let’s address the elephant in the parking lot: permit prices. Now I know a controversial topic would be whether the PTS is gouging us with these permit prices, but when you really look at it, they are affordable compared to our competitors. According to the University of Idaho’s Parking and Transportation Services, the most expensive UI parking permit is Gold, sitting at a whopping $435 for the 2023-24 school year. But these bad boys get you right up to the middle of campus; that 15-minute walk turns into a five-minute walk, if not less. According to Washington State University Transportation Services, WSU’s most expensive pass does the same. It gets you right into the middle of campus—not too shabby, right? Yeah, that will be $854 please, almost double the amount of UI’s Gold pass. According to Boise State University’s Transportation and Parking Department, the Brady Garage is the most expensive pass, sitting at a price range of $388. Wait, that’s cheaper than UI, better right? Wrong. There is one garage, and according to The Arbiter just last year, it was described as “organized chaos” that caused some students to have to find spots in the sparse street parking as overflow. So, you buy the permit, but you might not get a spot in the garage. It sounds like a great deal.
Now, am I suggesting UI’s parking is flawless? Not quite. But I am saying that we should probably stop complaining; we could be treated a lot worse. Sure, we could gripe about the need for more accessible parking, but let’s think about it, UI is treating us pretty darn well in the grand scheme of things. The PTS is juggling limited space and increasing enrollment numbers, but are making it work (for now). So, cheers to UI, where parking hassles are just a minor inconvenience in the grand scheme of our collegiate adventures.
Presley Zimmerman can be reached at [email protected]