As I pulled into the Field House parking lot Monday morning for my weight training class, I noticed that none of the cars were pulling into the tennis court parking lot. A second look showed that a truck was blocking the road. Further investigation showed that there were men putting up a permanent barrier to block future access to the tennis court parking from the Field House parking lot. Several drivers showed their support by giving the "No. 1" sign, or explaining how many brain cells they have working.

I had seen that a gate had been recently installed, along with two posts, which I assumed would be part of another gate. Now we all know what happens when we "ass/u/me."

When I asked why access to the tennis court parking lot was being blocked, I was told it was because too many drivers run the stop signs, or drove the wrong way through the tennis court parking lot. OK, would someone like to explain why the security people haven't been giving tickets to these idiots? Oh wait, they're too busy looking for parking violations. Actually, I suggested tire shredders like they supposedly have on the Pensacola Bridge for wrong-way drivers, but a co-worker didn't like this idea. He figures he'd get stuck in traffic behind the idiot who had to be towed away after trying to run over them.

I pointed out that in addition to having lost many (about one-third) parking spaces in the Field House lot to faculty and staff parking over the last few years, commuting students had more recently lost spaces to handicap parking. Therefore, students taking classes in the Field House need to use the tennis court parking lot.

The suggestion was that they could park across the street in the WUWF parking lot. Obviously, anyone who had that idea has never tried to cross the street at that location. As a volunteer for the recent WUWF fund-raiser, I left my car in the Field House lot and walked over to the radio station after class. At 9 a.m. it wasn't too bad. When I tried to return to my car shortly after noon, it was a disaster looking for a victim. I've been told it's even more hazardous at 4 p.m. If people ignore stop signs, imagine how much less respect they have for pedestrian crosswalks.

I measured the distance of the trip from the entrance of the Field House parking to the front of the tennis court lot and found it was .8 miles (8 tenths of a mile). The trip through the two parking lots is maybe 3 tenths, so that adds an unnecessary half-mile wear and tear each way to cars. At a mile a day, that's at least five miles or more added per week. Does someone own stock in an oil company?

I know that there has been no-through-traffic between the Field House and tennis court parking lot in the past. I believed the access was allowed to compensate for lost parking in the field house lot. Also, there was a gate that could be opened to allow overflow traffic into the tennis court lots during activities at the field house, the Natatorium, or when the University played host to the Corporate Cup games or tournaments on the intramural field.

I'm especially happy I won't have to listen to people from the community who use the tennis courts in the evening and have become used to the convenience of cutting through directly into the tennis court lot.

I'll miss the ability to avoid the extra drive when I attend activities or classes in the Center for Fine and Performing Arts. And it was much easier to get to Lot 24 where I usually park. But, I'm a big boy, and I have a vehicle that has reasonable gas mileage, so I will survive.

Oh yes, that lift gate is so the UWF trolley can get through. The drivers have control to open the gate.

One last point. It would have been a courtesy, and saved much gnashing of teeth if the cost of the gates had included signs posted at the entrance to the Field House parking lots that said "no through traffic."

Article Tools