At the beginning of every semester, each one of us shares the common struggle of finding a parking space on the Pierce College campus.
Even though we get to school 30 minutes earlier than our classes begin, we are still forced to drive in circles in the parking lots, hoping to come across the rare find of an unused parking space. This experience is most common during peak arrival hours of weekday mornings and evenings.
Last semester, before Parking Lot 8 was in use, it was simply part of the farm. One semester ago, El Rancho drive was a dirt road. The new 714-space Parking Lot 8 is in the agricultural area, across from the Equestrian Center. It can be reached by driving onto El Rancho Drive from De Soto Avenue.
Students enrolled in courses such as geography, anthropology, agricultural science, business education, applied technology and industrial technology can be parked just a minute away from their class. It is even a shorter walk than the largest lot, Parking lot 7, located off Victory Boulevard and Mason Avenue.
Last semester there were approximately 4,100 parking spots on campus for all staff, faculty and students. Enrollment is predicted to rise another 12 percent this semester, and with more than 21,000 students attending Pierce, the number of spaces was not sufficient to fit our needs.
With gas prices being much higher than they were last year, some students are considering alternative routes of transportation. They ride bikes, take the bus or drive a motorcycle to school.
Even with a growing number of students finding other ways to get to campus, there are even more new students this semester driving.
Shuttles that ran every 15 minutes were provided for the first two weeks of the semester. They were originally specifically for use by disabled students, but since there were empty seats on the shuttle, it became available for everyone to use.
Interestingly, most students didn’t take advantage of the free shuttle service, because they could not spare the extra 15 minutes waiting for the shuttle to arrive. Students are more strapped than ever for time, many balancing both heavy school and work schedules.
The new lot is fully lit up at night, making it more comfortable for students who have to walk across campus after late night classes. Although it is slightly further from the other lots, the administration did what they could to provide a well-lit walk for the students parking there. We appreciate the administration’s effort and consideration in the construction of this lot.
(Jessie Lomeli)