Lot 15 entrance is a paved paradise

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University of Regina parking gets a passing grade from me this year.

Last year, the main blemish on the report card was the south access road leading into Lot 15.  Driving into Lot 15 last year from that entrance was similar to riding a mechanical bull – being tossed around constantly and feeling rather woozy by the end. With all the potholes, I could only imagine the toll it was taking on my car.

I had some hope that my ride would have a lot less bumps in it when Gwen Evans, U of R parking services manager, told the Carillon last year that the road would be paved by this school year once construction to Innovation Place was completed. Of course, I wasn’t entirely hopeful at the time, as people in those positions usually lied as often as a new pothole popped up in the Lot 15 entrance.

This summer, after production of the second Carillon summer issue had finished, I took the same entrance out of Lot 15. I didn’t immediately notice anything as I was driving, which was reason enough to take notice. Where were the bumps, jolts and sickness? Further inspection showed me that I was in fact, as promised, driving along a smoothly paved road. Now I’m able to drive into Lot 15 with a little dignity.

The U of R parking services team definitely deserves credit for delivering what it promised. Seeing as there will surely be several articles in the Carillon this year putting down everything possible about the parking at our university, I thought it would be appropriate to point out something more positive.

And really, when it comes to the much-criticized Lot 15, I don’t see a huge problem.

Before it was paved, the entrance to Lot 15 probably had twice as many pot holes as the huge lot itself. For the most part, the surface is smooth and not rough on vehicles.

As for the issue of space, or the apparent lack of space which always irritates students, I think there’s plenty of breathing room. It might be hard to find a close spot for the first couple of weeks, but then a large chunk of students usually drop out. Besides, Monday is usually the only day where there is ever a huge problem with finding a parking stall. I’ve never been in a situation where I couldn’t find a spot in Lot 15.

It’s funny that students complain about the lack of space in Lot 15, because it is illegal parkers – those who don’t purchase a permit and therefore are not accounted for – who cause a lot of the problem. Another problem is people taking up more than one stall. If common sense isn’t enough to fix this problem, then the fact that tickets are being raised to $65 from $15 should.

Some have suggested expanding Lot 15 further south, but this would be a contradiction to another complaint often levelled against Lot 15: the distance. While in reality, you can get from any spot in Lot 15 to the Riddell Centre in less than 10 minutes, this small amount of time seems to be too precious for most. If you examine the parking situation at any other university, you’ll realize just how short our walk actually is. At some universities, a walk of 30 minutes to an hour is common. Expanding the size of the lot would only make the walk further.

The other main complaint is the price. I’ll admit that around $150 is a lot to pay for an M permit for one semester. However, the parking lot costs a lot of money to maintain and this problem, like the state of the lot, space and distance issues, can be solved by taking public transport, carpooling or, God forbid, walking.

Even the harshest critics of the parking system at the University of Regina have to admit that, when it came to paving the south access road, the department certainly didn’t stall and made a spot-on decision.

Jonathan Hamelin
Copy Editor

1 comment

  1. Natalie 11 September, 2011 at 13:56

    Seriously, thank you for speaking reason in this whole parking fiasco.  I just moved to UofR from a big university campus in Ontario, where parking costs $1000 per year.  Recognize that we have it good here, and wear a bigger coat if you're cold.

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