Classes have just started at the University of Regina, but stress levels are already running high in the parking lot.
Students are forced to circle around looking for a spot while trying to make it on time for school.
“It’s ridiculous,” fourth year student Amanda Toth said. “There’s nowhere to park. If you don’t have an 8:30 class, you’re not going to get a spot.
“You have to drive around and keep looking. You just have to risk being late for class, that’s all.”
For every car pulling out, there seems to be one pulling in. It’s because the University oversells parking passes for its 5,000 stalls by 25 per cent, meaning potentially 1,250 students could be left without a spot.
“Because of vacation, their class scheduling, illness, etc., (some) don’t come,” vice-president of Administration Dave Button said. “It gives us a chance to give more students more parking access.”
Posters on campus make it clear the University’s Student Union is not happy, changing up a U of R’s slogan to say ‘Realize. UR Screwed’. A lack of parking is just part of the problem. The cost of parking tickets has also increased from $15 to $65.
“Even people with passes will circle an ‘M’ lot for 10 minutes, realize they have to get to class, park somewhere and just take the, before, $15 hit,” URSU president Kent Peterson said. “Now that’s a $65 hit.”
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Button says the move is meant to make sure students park in their correct lots.
“The intent of the policy is to try and encourage people to park legally, so we can have proper service,” he said.
There is an 11 per cent increase in enrollment this year at the University. The parking crunch is forcing students to find strategic ways to make sure they get to class.
“I basically had to stalk someone walking to their car,” student Jordan Palmer said. “That’s usually the parking technique around here.”
Kayla Kimpinski has another suggestion.
“Come early,” she said. “You can’t lose that way and you can just go inside and study.”
A new lot is in the works, but it likely will not be completed until the spring when classes are wrapping up for the year. It will be located near the university’s football field.
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