Although the topic of parking has been exceedingly tiring for students this semester, I think it’s a pretty straightforward idea for Fresno State to build a parking garage to help with alleviating the situation.

One of the notable inconveniences about this semester’s parking situation is the construction in the P5 parking lots. This, however, is nothing more than a petty inconvenience, as the Save Mart Center parking lot is only a couple hundred feet away. Really, the problem I have with Fresno State parking is its lack of proximity to the center of campus.

All of the green lots, or parking lots that allow for student parking, are positioned on the perimeter of campus, which results in students having to take a short walk to get to the center of campus. If you have a class in the North Gym, but all of the parking spaces in P20 are taken and the parking lot next to dorms is also full, you are left with the parking lots next to Conley Art and the Smittcamp Alumni House. What ensues is having to park at these lots and traveling across campus, adding to the time students have to take into account if they want to arrive to class on time.

What turns this inconvenient parking lot placement into comical vendetta is the parking lot directly next to the Resnick Student Union.

This parking lot is positioned in the middle of the campus and gives easy access to the library, Kennel Bookstore and shortens the walk to buildings across the campus. The only problem is that only yellow parking permit carriers are allowed to park here.

In the past week, I have passed by this parking lot and have looked at it with much contempt. It taunts me, knowing it is the most ideal and convenient parking space in the entire campus. 

Jokes aside, this spot would be perfect for a parking garage. The extra space would allow for staff to continue to park there and for students to have the same luxury of parking close to the middle of campus. It would also allow for more parking and could help reduce the congestion in other lots around campus. 

A parking garage in this location would also be beneficial to students with limited motor function or disabilities. A centralized parking structure would help in reducing the distance to classes and facilities, giving them more convenient access to the campus.

Even though the trek across campus can be tiring and cause students to be late to class, many students use scooters to counter this problem. However, with construction across campus limiting the amount of space for scooters and creating tight-fenced corridors, the potential for accidents and collisions becomes greater. If every student got a scooter to counteract the foot traffic, it would only create faster, more dangerous traffic.

With a centralized parking structure, the need for scooters would naturally decrease, and the convenience it would provide for students and staff alike would benefit them and reduce the amount of parking congestion.

For funding, parking permits and traffic tickets would be able to pay for the structure. After all, where does the money from permits and tickets go? A parking garage would be a suitable expense to spend this money on.