Shaun Ho / The Collegian

In a dramatic change of course, Fresno State may soon start building up instead of out for parking facilities to alleviate the ever-increasing traffic congestion around campus.

A parking garage was one of many ideas discussed at a public parking forum held at the Smittcamp Alumni House, Wednesday afternoon.

The forum allowed the approximately 30 students in the room to voice their reactions to a parking garage along with other ideas proposed by Administrative Services Vice President Cynthia Matson and Administrative Project Coordinator Tom Gaffery—as well as vent their parking frustrations.

Although lack of available parking was a common complaint, Matson said that a higher percentage of campus is available for student parking than at most comparable colleges of Fresno State̢۪s size and scope, some of which don̢۪t even allow vehicles on campus.

She said the university has expanded parking areas in the past to meet demand and is continuing to do so now, but the “flat landâ€Â that is the campus will soon reach capacity with regards to adding new lots.

That̢۪s where the parking garage comes in. While the details are still in the works, Matson said such a structure could be planned out and perhaps partially built within the next five years, and if headway is not made in getting students to use other means of transportation.

Location of a parking garage is a big concern, Matson said, and should correlate to where most students are parking at the busiest times of the day. She said her department̢۪s preliminary analysis showed a need for a structure on the east side, perhaps in Lot A east of the Joyal building. Another possibility is a structure built over Lot K on the northwest side off of Barstow Avenue, Matson said.

“In a perfect world, we would build two parking structures,â€Â Matson said.

University land includes a total of 1,300 acres, of which only 380 acres are dedicated to academics. The rest of it is used for agricultural purposes. Fresno State̢۪s relatively large size has made it easier to find new areas for parking lots to expand, Matson said.

“We’re one of the few campuses our size without a structure,â€Â Matson said. “We’ve always valued our land.â€Â

To help pay for a parking structure, Matson said student parking fees would likely double from the current $68 rate.

Matson said the university was in the final stages of a long-term master plan, of which traffic is a crucial element.

“The question is: ‘How does our infrastructure and institutions align with our plan?’â€Â Matson said.
The plan includes everything from vehicle circulation and pedestrian walkways to landscape planning and utility management, she said.

The university also has a spattering of short-term parking projects in the works. One is the new redesigned, photovoltaic-equipped Lot V, which will reopen later this month and offer over 150 new parking spaces and 43 meters.

Efforts have also been made to get more students to park in Lot S, by Bulldog Stadium, and Lot Y at the northeast corner of campus, which Matson said are not used nearly enough.

In fact, $10 gift certificates for the Kennel Bookstore were offered to those who parked in Lot S and Lot Y during the first couple days of the semester as an incentive to park there and relieve congestion elsewhere.

But those lots never filled even with the incentive, Matson said.

Another idea discussed was reserved parking spots which would be rented out to students.
Alternative transportation methods are also being pushed.

One is Dog Run, a project started last spring. Dog Run offers students shuttle service around campus.

She said two types of shuttles are currently in use—one for the outside perimeter such as Bulldog Lane, and the other for inter-campus travel.

Gaffery said four student transport shuttles are running at any given time. Matson said it was her intention to expand the shuttle program, but any transit program was a big investment for no guaranteed pay-off.

“Will students use it?â€Â she asked.

Junior David Vangilluwe, a music composition major, wasn̢۪t so sure. He said shuttle services need to be reliable and timely.

“I wouldn’t use it now,â€Â he said.

The university also offers such programs as carpooling and the Red Bike program, which rents bikes to students for on-campus use.

Kinesiology major Christine Tacotaco has tried these options, but not without problems. She said she used to carpool every morning to school, but now her schedule doesn̢۪t allow for that flexibility. Plus, she said, her bike was stolen. And although she has taken advantage of the Red Bike program, Tacotaco said the number of bikes are limited and are often unavailable.

The big questions the university is looking at, Matson said, is what decisions students are making to come to campus each day, and why they make those decisions. Since most students drive their own vehicles, a parking structure is the most viable option for the future of Fresno State.