The Yellow Bus

Due to the number of people here at TSU, we are ill equipped to handle to large number of cars that students are bringing. The system in place currently consists of the following; the main parking lots that surround the residential halls, once those fill up the other students go to a dedicated parking lot about a five-minute walk from the halls. However, this year the student load is too great, so a new overflow lot has been designated on the other side of the campus. In my personal experience, I have had to go to that lot before, and even that one is almost over capacity. One night while riding with a friend, we were just leaving and there was two or three other cars just sitting there waiting for us to get out of the mediocre spot instead of looking around for another spot, as we left the parking lot, it became clear why they did that, there were no other spots available. When we got back it took about an hour to find a parking spot as we had to check all the other lots for a spot, and ended up parking on the opposite side of campus to our dorms. Other students I asked stated that during the week, there’s very little chance of getting a parking spot. Only Friday morning through Sunday afternoon are there any reasonable amount of parking spots in any of the parking

1. If they'd do something about the parking on campus, I wouldn't be late so often

The problem with using the ATA bus system to solve the campus parking problem is the location of the bus stops, the time waiting for the bus, and the cost of the bus if the stop is off campus. The free stops on campus are only located within campus. Off-campus students will still have to find a way to get to campus to get on the bus. If a student wants to get on an ATA bus outside of campus they will be charged a fee. Another problem is students do not want to wait on the buses to get to their stop or if the miss a stop they have no way to get to

As always, we have the crowded hallways, lines, and classrooms. More students mean more cars in the parking lot, which leaves most students late in the morning, and often upset when looking for parking. No one wants to spend all of their time searching for a parking spot!

The situation above is something many college students, especially those here at the University of California Riverside (UCR), are well aware of. Although there are tons of parking lots here at UCR, students still struggle to find a place to park. One of the main reasons is because of the increase in students attending across campuses all over the US. According to the National Center for Educational Statistic, “Between 2001 and 2011, enrollment increased 32 percent, from 15.9 million to 21.0 million.” As a result, the amount of parking spaces here at UCR could not compensate for the growing number of students. A lack of parking spaces can cause many detriments toward the students as it can hinder with their class schedules, cause them to either be late or miss a class, and overall affect their grades. If UCR implement a shuttle bus system for the empty parking lots that are far away from the school, students would be less stress about the parking

Since the vast majority of students that attend college drives a car, Miami Dade College had to find a place where students could park their car without taking the risk of being towed or ticketed. So the college administration allied at a first instance with Miami-Dade County to let the students park at the 117th avenue which is right behind the college buildings. The real problem came when the Miami-Dade County didn’t let them park there anymore. Consequently, MDC had to find another place to let them park, so they moved the parking site to the International Mall, which is about 3 miles from the campus buildings. Finally they got an agreement with IKEA to use the upper parking of the

When the student buys the pass it gives them a sense of relief because they no longer have to worry about parking, but it is sometimes not the case. It seems as though the university over sold the amount of passes compared to the number of spots available. Although the student paid the top price to park close to campus, they are made to park in lots that are on the other side of campus and the furthest from their class building. Students should be guaranteed a spot in the garage of their choosing if they paid to amount to be in that

Students are forced to park in other places on campus and some choose to disregard the signs posted for reserved parking. This is a bit risky because vehicles parking in violation of university regulations may be towed and impounded. For example, a freshman living in the valleys would get an F parking permit. The only places they can legally park with this are up the hill by the dorms, by the rec. center, and on high levels of a parking structure by the Bernhard Center, which is a popular place for students to eat out at, or buy things at the school store. Each parking lot is restricted to parking for a specific type of permit. Only vehicles displaying the same type of permit may park in that lot. During fall and winter semesters, residence hall lots with the designations A, C, F, K, and Z are restricted 24 hours a day for vehicles displaying the same type of permit. Many students choose to ignore these letters and just park there anyway, taking the risk of being ticketed or possibly toed. Campus police walks around especially at night and tickets every car parked illegally or calls in for a toe truck to help out. Seven different parking lots that may seem convenient when students are looking for a spot are restricted to employee parking 24 hours per day, leaving many students frustrated,

Though students are not the only ones suffering from the parking issue. According to the FIUSM Editorial, “FIU’s status as a commuter school should mean the University has enough parking spaces available to fulfill the need of its community. But, it doesn’t. The University’s parking problem is not just a student problem, it’s affects the community as a whole (FIUSM Editorial).” To get this point across I plan to use a solution argument to be able to properly state the solutions to the parking problem Florida International University has provided, and show the flaws that the services have within them and ways that we could better than to actually make an impact on the commuting students parking experience. I decided on this purpose because many people already know Florida International University has a parking issue, as well as many universities around the country, but to be able to offer them alternatives to be able to help the problem seems to be the best way to go rather than just informing them of what they already know

In order to guarantee the safety of Claflin’s students, the administration must change the university’s transportation system. The freshmen students are not permitted to drive and they do not receive transportation they need. There are only two Walmart trips throughout the week and this does not satisfy the needs of the students. Moreover, the transportation van does not take students to doctor’s appointments and this is irrational and outrageous. If a group of students want to eat lunch at McDonald’s, they should be allowed to use the van services if the driver is still on campus. However, if the van driver is busy or absent, the students must walk to their

The church bus -- which had been named La Ranfla del Barrio, by the assortment of Mexican and Central American high school kids on board -- pulled up around 6:30 a.m. Most of the kids on board, had arrived around 5:30 a.m. Most of the high school seniors had never left their barrios, much less taken a bus to a protest.

In reading the 2011 New York Times article “At Front of Brooklyn Bus, a Clash of Religious and Women’s Rights”, author Christine Haughney brings to light a situation regarding a Brooklyn bus which is most commonly used to transport Hasidic Jews throughout the city, and while the bus is occasionally patronized by those who aren’t of the Jewish faith, traditional rules involving the separation of men and women are expected to be followed by all riders regardless of religious background. Not surprisingly, this is a complicated situation with concerns of religious and gender discrimination for both Jewish patrons and non-Jewish patrons, along with the responsibility of local government to protect and respect all involved. Even while considering

There are currently only a handful of reserved spaces on campus, and the ground has yet to be broken for the construction of the parking deck. In fact, Winthrop University does not even have all the funds needed to build this parking deck. When I approached Jack Allen, of Campus Police, with my idea of reserved parking spaces, he told me that he thought it was a good idea. Walter Hardin, when given the same idea, seemed to think that the reserved parking system would not realistically work out but was open to the proposal.

The demand for student bus transportation has far exceeded the supply. Also, vandalism and automotive theft has nearly doubled since 1997. DUI convictions have quadrupled in the city of Kent since last year. The need for public transportation is quite clear.

Members of the community may need to walk a longer distance if they stay in an area that is not near a bus route. The neighborhood I stay in has about six bus stops, all within a five to ten minute walk from my apartment. The bus stops offer little protection from adverse weather or even a bench to sit on while waiting for the bus. I can image the difficulties a person in poor health, a person caring for small children, or an older adult may have while waiting on a bus. According to the GTA website, only the most frequently used bus stops will have a bench and shelter for those waiting (Greensboro Transit Authority, 2017). While some stops are not the most accommodating, the bus does have a high tech feature that lowers the bus closer to the ground for the passengers that need extra assistance, and the front of the bus reserve seats for handicap passengers.