While the possibility of escalating parking fees has
prompted UCSD’s All-Campus Commuter Board to launch a campaign against the
construction of another parking structure, several campus administrators
defended the structure’s necessity to attract visitors to the nightlife
ambience planned for ongoing
expansion projects.
During a Jan. 28 parking forum, students voiced concerns
about the possible impacts of erecting such a structure on parking fees and how
the increased traffic would affect the environment. However, the $45-million investment
into
expansion also entails bringing customers to the project’s new services, which
include restaurants, a hair salon, a grocery store and a nightclub, by offering
them ideal parking proximity.
If the proposed parking structure is approved next month by
the Transportation Policy Committee, comprised of students, faculty and staff,
plans to build the facility will begin immediately. The new structure is slated
for construction on the northeast corner of
Drive
and projected for completion during the 2012-13 school year.
“The stakes are so high that we have to put all the pieces
of the puzzle together to have the kind of student life that people would like
to see on campus,” Associate Vice Chancellor of Student Affairs Edward Spriggs
said. “And the environmental impact will be less severe in three years because
car companies, like
projecting that there will be five times the number of hybrids on the roads
than there are now.”
Although convenient storefronts could lead the way toward
the creation of a vibrant downtown atmosphere for the UCSD community, students
criticized the unfair imposition of fees on those who may not even use the new
“Convenience comes with a price and triple chins,” ACCB
representative Sing Yi said. “It’s out of laziness. Money could be used to
improve alternative forms of transportation rather than building a new
structure.”
All students at the forum echoed similar frustrations,
urging that funds be allocated to the enhancment of existing transit types and
parking policies. Suggestions included limiting freshman parking to Regents and
East Campus lots and making shuttle and MTS bus stops conducive to safety and
rainy weather by adding better lighting and covering.
“It doesn’t make sense to build an entire structure so
students walk five minutes instead of 15 minutes when there is vacancy on the
outer areas of campus,” John Muir College sophomore Claire Luciano said.
The Department of Transportation and Parking Services
emphasized the importance of investing in alternative forms of transportation
to mitigate gas emissions and alleviate congestion in a cost-efficient manner.
For example, the
enables all UCSD affiliates to utilize any form of local public transportation.
Expanding alternative transportation options would reduce parking demands by
2,500 to 3,000 spaces.
“If we can get 1,500 people out of single cars with the
we won’t even need to restrict freshman parking,” T&PS director Brian
d’Autremont said. “Every dollar spent on alternative transportation has seven
times the impact of every dollar spent on a parking structure.”
While implementing the RTP could cost more than $100,000,
funding sources for the pass remains unclear until TPC votes on finance options
next month. Possible sources include monthly charges or a referendum to raise
student fees.
With approximately 1,400 open parking spaces a day and an
80-percent occupancy rate, UCSD’s
parking accommodations are the best among all other UC campuses in terms
of current occupancy, d’Autremont said.
However, representatives from T&PS cited UCLA’s success
in regulating campus parking and transportation options, such as parking restrictions
for freshmen, as an example that UCSD should follow.
“We can’t be compared to UCLA because of the city life
surrounding them,” ACCB President Jerrod Zertuche said. “UCSD is in a different
area and is pretty much isolated.”
Increasing parking fees could deter students from purchasing
permits, and erecting a new parking structure could send the department into a
financial sinkhole, Zertuche argued.
As the ACCB continues to encourage students to petition
against the structure on its Web site, the decision rests in the hands of the
nine-person TPC. Still, d’Autremont said T&PS has a strong commitment to
alternative transportation, exemplified by the campus’ yearly reduction of
single-car usage.
“Students like to mix and match their transportation
selections,” he said. “Sometimes they like to take the bus and other times they
drive. We want to provide more options so they can self-select according to
their wishes.”
