Media Credit: Photograph By Melissa Blakely John "Chip" Chism next to his parking plan. [Click to enlarge]

Media Credit: Photograph by: Melissa Blakely A preview of the chaos faculty and students go through everyday trying to find a parking space. [Click to enlarge]

Is the University of West Florida's revised parking plan driving you nuts? Tired of being late to class because you couldn't find a parking spot? Well, you're not alone.

UWF students, faculty and staff started the new school year with the added stress of a new parking system, and many say they are not pleased with the layout and leased parking spots.

UWF parking service manager Chip Chism said he understands the frustration and concern being voiced by some of the students and faculty.

"We're trying to help everyone," he said. Chism designed the new plan when he joined the UWF staff last December.

The old parking system was too complicated with "too many user groups in the same lot," Chism said. Also, the color-coded painted curbs delineating student, staff and faculty parking were also too "expensive and harder to maintain," he said.

Chism said he also noticed that many commuter students had to circle the Commons parking lot (now lot H) many times before finding an open space.

With the exception of Southside parking and limited faculty and staff spots, lot H is mainly commuter parking now, with well over 100 additional spaces, he said.

To help separate user-groups, Chism consolidated the parking from lot H and removed half of the meters. He moved the staff and faculty sections over to lot G near the science buildings.

The painted curbs have been replaced with signs in each parking lot. These signs show which user-groups, faculty/staff, resident and commuter, are permitted to park in that particular area. Chism said that students should pay attention to the signs rather than the colored curbs.

The new system uses letters rather than numbers to differentiate the parking lots. The lot numbers did not match up with the building numbers, so to many they did not make sense and were almost irrelevant, Chism said.

Chism started at UWF's main entrance. To the left the lots start with A, and to the right they start with AA and go through the alphabet. Thus, the parking lots are in order from each direction and not as confusing as the old system, Chism said.

Reserved parking spots for faculty and staff are a new addition to the revised parking system. Faculty and staff have the opportunity to purchase a spot for the entire year for $84. These reserved spots are numbered on the end of the individual spot leased by the faculty member.

To the frustration of many faculty members, many students don't know that these parking spots are reserved, Chism said. This has caused a problem for many faculty and staff members who arrive at their leased space and find a student's car parked there.

UWF Parking Services started issuing citation on Sept. 7, and officials ask that everyone park in the correct spaces. As a reminder, reserved spaces are designated 24 hours a day, seven days a week to those persons. Unauthorized parking can cost you a minimum of $25 per violation, according to the parking services manual. Chism said students and others who park in reserved spaces may be fined much more.

The new parking system is getting mixed reviews from UWF students. "It's more confusing. Before we were more aware of where we were allowed to park and where we weren't," said Katie Elliott, a junior pre-med student.

Senior construction engineering major LaTaunja Martin disagreed.

"There's more parking and less trouble," she said.

Martin commutes from Mobile, Ala. In previous years, she has had to park in overflow and walk much further than she does this year.

She added that she likes the signs better since they are easier to read. Others said that the change wasn't necessary.

"I don't think that the new plan was needed. People knew what the colors meant. They just chose not to abide by them," said Chris Kujawa, a senior advertising major and resident of Village East. "After being here for three years, I am used to the colored curbs."

Everyone needs to be patient while adjusting to the new plan, Chism said. Students, faculty and staff have all gone to Chism asking for more parking.

"What many people don't know is that there are many parking lots on the outskirts of campus that are almost empty," Chism said. For more information, visit Parking Services in building 95, or check out the department's Web site at www.uwf.edu/parking/

Article Tools